The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-01-21

with loose soles, obviously never made for
the wearer, hands dirty and large, an
nounced to me, rs / looked mt them, a
broken down specimen OF the work seeker.
His companion, a suspicious, furtiye-look-
ing tramp, sailor, and not unlikely the
inspirer of the journey. Condensing what
it took me n couple of hours to learn, this
was his story:
Respectfully connected, had never learnt
n trade; had been shop porter, married n
pretty seamstress, lived happily together
for years on our joint earnings. No chill
dren-didn't want them-hadnt care.
Wife's work fell off, food lessened; she be-
came i'll; bit by bit furniture sold, her heart
broken at parting with what she had pain
fully won by her labor. When we had to
sell the sewing machine, / could see twas
all oversize clammed and died. After
her funeral, started off. Friends
had left the place. L couldn't
stand the work. No more happi-
ness for me, sir. Whittier bound? To
s.. Worked there once-might get a
job. T the only man l knew. Hard,
sir-very hard!"
During this fragmentary conversation, l
saw the man greedily grasp at fragment
of newspaper, lying upon the ground,
which had evidently been wrapped round
something.
Might have an advertisement on it, you
know!"
The sight of sewing machine always
suggests his touching history, told me
along road skirting the sea one misty
spring day.
Tramps are mainly men with no definite
trade at their finger There is always
chance for them somewhere, and they
lose nothing by not asking for 1T. The
skilled men on the road are much rarer
now, since railway travelling has become SO
cheap, and unionism has developed. A
crisis or strike will, however, act in two
ways-sending men out, and drawing them
in. A bundle of clothing or tools is gener-
ally carried by the skilled tramp, and his
gait is more energetic.
To show how gait betrays, here is an odd
story Meeting two brawny navyies in
Cornwall one day, said to my companion:
1.-TWO well-set men. See how they swing
in step; ex-soldiers or policemen, evil
IDENTIFY"
Two days afterward we were near one
of the barrack- gates at Davenport when,
behold, our two tramps coming along in
custody. An acute rural policeman had, so
we learned, noticed their military step and
bearing and gone up to them, saying, with
bold guess:
"You are deserters from Devonport?"
Taken aback, as such persons ale if you
can show you know anything about them,
and possibly suspecting the man had a de-
scription of them, they admitted they were,
and offered no resistance, discipline once
more asserting its power. They belonged
to killed regiment; they had only been
five days from barracks; and finer fellows
l never saw. They were navvies by occu-
patton.
Foreigners on the tramp are not very
common, except on the coast-roads, and
they are mostly sailors. They are not COM
municative, and know little English. The
oldest specimen of foreigner / remember
was German clock member / met in the
Midlands, who puzzled me greatly. He
walked like n drilled man; had well-kept
side whiskers, and bag over his shoulder
We passed and repassed several times. He
called at roadside houses, and as / slack
ened pace, generally overlook me, but /
failed TO get him into fair conversation.
"Going far? To M? Long way yet"
His peculiar German accent was coming
out more strongly.
Seeking work."
Eyes, as he went along"
For several minutes we kept step in 81
lence. Taking out newspaper began to
read. The mans face relaxed.
ANY news of Garibaldi?" was the sud-
den question that startled me. A Carl
baldian, / said to myself at once. 1t was
Just at the time the Italian hero made his
last armed venture. i read him the news,
and he broke out warmly:
"Ah, bad man-bad, wicked mnn" He
became more Of q puzzle than ever-a nut
i must crack.
/ waited on his movements, diverted from
my intended walk, and devoted myself to
getting his story. He became too excited
to be very connected, and his German came
grinding out at intervals with orchestral
effect. A friend had beguiled him into as
sociating with Republicans; he had been in
some trouble in the movement of 1913; he
had been imprisoned for opinions he did
not hold he was an absolutist and a skep-
tic. He had lost all his friends, and had
come to England. He was a clock mender,
good at Americans or any other make, and
he tramped district from center, earn
ing about ten shihings week. Our con-
versation became lively; he forgot to call
at road-sid houses; and TO my defense of
Garibaldi, all he could splitter was, bad
man-very-w wicked man. The chat seemed
to excite him very much, and at last he
ambled into n little shop, got job, and
went forward.
Beggar- tramps are the honest juniors
aversion. They are full of tricks, and
sometimes smart in speech.
Il never give to beggars on the road"
remarked To one of this class, airing a
young mans general principle, perhaps
with some self-conceit.
"Will yer honor oblige me with yer name
and address, and I'll call on yer?" was the
prompt retort.
Between Coventry and Kenilworth
swarms of beggars had formerly fine har-
vest. once counted twenty. Some were
blind and lame; others were singing
Migrants, humming snatches of their wall
ing ballads. One elderly man, with his
legs in the dyke-a true tramps way of
sitting-was coming written testimonials,
or begging letters, written on dingy yellow
paper, that Chatterton might have envied.
He had tiny black pipe in his mouth, the
kind of thing "A tramp carries in his waist
coat pocket. and he was studying his papers
with an authors self-admiring interest. /
fear he was marking down some country
parson for victim.
Dear Sir-The bearer" was all 1
could see before he slipped the paper into
pocket in the lining of his waistcoat
A dingy haversack and dirty garments
may make even an honest junior seem like
bcggar. Calling Mt n house in a lonely