The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-07-26
Tramps In Bonnets and Skirts.
ssI heard that Won wanted q Sorvo,

81 heard that you wanted servant,
ma am, and l came to see if you would
hire me. Do you think I'll do?"
Sne was a large, coarse, elderly wo-
man who spoke. Her face was tanned
and hardened by wind and sun and
rain, and she looked about as unde-
sirable a servant as could be found in
all Orange County, where the lady to
whom she made the application lived.
'No, am not in need of another serv-
ant" said the lady, very shortly. The
woman had SO quietly entered the open
door of the little country house that she
had not been noticed until she spoke.
"Theu I've been fooled" she said.
with a plain affection of viciousness. 81
came from MMdletown, twenty miles
away, where | was told you were dis
trscted because you couldn't get good
servant"
:" Who told you that?" asked the
lady"
"A Mrs. O'Reilly," was the reply.
Il don't know anybody of that name,
and know nobody in Middletown.
Are You quite sure you are telling the
truthln said the lady.
"Quite sure, num-" replied the Wis
itor, wholly unabashed. 'Well, can t
get back to Middletown tonight. May
l sleep here?"
go, no, impossible" was the dis
couraging answer. II have hardly
room for my own family in this little
house."
"But I'd sleep anywhere, in the cell
lar or in the barn, you know" persisted
the woman.
You can't sleep here" replied the
lady.
"Will you give me drink of water?"
A glass of water was given to her,
and she soiemnly shifted at it, and
placed it upon the table. She stood up
with an indiIerently concesled battery
of abuse in her face, but seemed sud-
denly to make up her mind not to I'M
mask it. She merely remarked:
"If you find dead corpse a-hangin'
to the tree in front of the gate in the
mornin, don't blame me for it" and
she, strobe away.
II am very glad you were here, )"
said the lady to the reporter. my
husband won't be home for an hour,
and if l had been alone l should have
had hard work to get her to go. She is
one of those female tramps."
"a female tramp!" exclaimed the
reporter in astonishment. why, [
never heard of such thing before"
"Nlen are very seldom troubled with
Them" was the reply, "but they poster
us women whose husbands 90 to the
city to business every day. They are
all of them pretty old, and | never
heard one of them tell different story
from that you listened to. You would
be surprised to learn how many ladies,
either through fear or credulity, are
imposed upon, and let them stay all
night. And one night is very likely to
lead to three or four. If | had given
that old woman the slightest encour-
agement-i had given her glass of
milk when she asked for water it
would have trebled the difficulty of get
ting her to 90. She won't hang herself
outside. She will tell thu Story she told
me until some one allows her to sleep
in barn. The female tramp does not
often run any risk in stealing, but if any
small article not likely to be missed, is
lying within her reach she is almost
sure to carry it away. She is less lazy
than the male tramp, and, therefore, |
think less honest. Nobody ever sees
her asleep in ditch. She prefers a
bed and almost always contrives to get
one. Nor does she travel so far over
the country, continuing herself for the
most part to one county. 1t seems to
be a pure love of vagabondism that
chains her to the life, for when she is
engaged as servant she won't work,
and resumes her wanderings in few
days. She makes her way toward a
city as the cold weather approaches,
and passes the winter months in the
penitentiary or the almshouse.-N. Y.
Sun.