The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1884-02-21
The Tramp Finds a Friend and De-
fender

''Come in, come in, said the oro-
ceryman to the bad boy, as he stopped
on the doorstep outside the grocery to
60 down in his pistol pocket for little
change for tramp that bad come out
of the grocery just ahead of the GRO
ceryman's boot. Come right in. and
don't stand there talking with such
cattle, and the groceryman loobeS. as
mad as though he had left the spigot of
the molasses barrel running.
'What's the matter with you2'' said
the bad boy, as he watched the tramp
go into a bakery and come out with a
loaf of bread, and 90 off chewing the
end of it as though it was the sweetest
morsel white man ever put a tooth
into, and the smile the tramp showed
on one side of the bread as he saluted
the bad boy through the window was
worth dollar to the boy. 's1ou seem
to have got out of the wrong end of
the bed this morning. What ails
you?''
''Oh the tramps, and becgars. and
sut- criptions and games to beat an
honest ma1 out Or his hard-earned
money, said tie groceryman, as he
threw h'tchet on the floor with which
ne na'.. Oeen splitting up a box, and
B.cked market basket across the
room. There is not day but some
one comes in here after money. Why
don't these tramps 90 10 work? Why
don't people that haven't cot any mon
ey go to the poor house? Why don't
sick people 90 TO the hospital? Con-
denim it, have had people come in
here for help for the old ladies' home,
and the old mems home. and to sell
ball tickets to help people that have
been saud-bagged, till | hope / may
never see another person asking for
help as long as l live. y
''And you never would see another
person asking for help, or coming to
buy any OF your old decayed groceries,
if they knew what kind of hard
hearted old pirate you was. You
haven't got a heart bigger than mus
tard seed" said the boy. as he picked
up the hatchet for fear the gro
ceryman would split him for kindling
wood.
Yes, | have" said the groceryman,
and he appeared little ashamed of
what he had said. '.My heart is all
right, but they play it on me. The
other day l gave tramp five cents to
buy bread, and he went off and bought
glass of beer at a Tree lunch place.
That made me mad
''Well, bread, plain dry bread, is
pretty hard eating. How would you
Hike to 90 out on the sidewalk and
gnaw dinner off loaf of dry bread?
The tramp knew his business. He
could 90 to q saloon with that nickel
and buy q glass OF beer as though he
had bushel of money. and while he
was drinking it he could go to the
lunch counter and get sausage, and
rye bread, and head cheese, and liver,
and cold ham, all for nothing. If you
had only nickel left, and had q full
sized stomach, perfectly empty. which
would you do, stand out on cold
corner and chew bread, with no water
lf9rsr lhfo Iie9 t6ap waf th 2gao6E T9d T9 Eqqs Eqqss 8 82
beer and have a big warm dinner
thrown in for chrome? BY gosh, you
would 90 to the saloon, and you would
make the lunch counter look sick No
body else keeps warm place for
tramps TO eat free lunches by buying
five cents worth of goods, and Il tramp
would be q fool if he didn't take adj
vantage of such 4 chance, when the
thermometer is thirty degrees below
zero. "-Pec6's San.