Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-10-12
Two Months a Bohemian.


having worked up to that position
from the case in country printing
Office. Ono hot summer day man
stepped into the counting-room with
the dust of country roads on his shoes.
He had walked across the broad state
of NJ ssouri. he said, and he looked so
tired and hungry that his assertion
was not contradicted. He saw the
editor aud applied for work. but the
staff was crowded, and he got no
promise Of it. Not shade of dscour-
agement showed itself on his face.
however, as he took of his coat and
asked for pencil and some paper.
These being glven h m. he sat down
and wrote n sketch describing his
overland trip from Quincc. ILL.,. to st.
10. He handed it to tho editor and
sauntered out into the composing
room. After reading it. the editor
asked me to call him. He was given
iive-dollar bill and an order for q
weeks board Ho remained on the
paper a month and wrote up every
thing that TRANSFERRED in the city. or
near it, and great deal more
Towards the end of the month he
grew restless. and it was apparent that
he intended leaving us. During the
time he had bought Il new suit OF
clothes. q watch and chain. and he had
plenty of money. l was captivated by
his uIassuming yet mastery manner
He seemed to take everything as a
matter of course. and yet he turned
every one into his way OF thinking.
One night. after he had purchased a
ticket for some point in the west and
was almos. ready to take the train, he
said to me. to whom he had accorded
the honor Of seeing him of:
"There is nothing like stroll
through the country in summer. If
you will 20 with me we ii start to-
morrow, aud l. ii show you q phase of
life you never dreamed of before
agreed readily. My work on the
paper had seemed so insign ficant since
he came that felt no regret in Civ .ng
il up. He tore his ticket into str ps
and changed the course of his life on
the impulse of the moment rs he had
done many times before. l begged
him to keep the ticket or sell it, but
he would not
The next morning we walked out of
town before the sun shone. l notice d
that he looked haggard and pale, as
though he had not slept but i gave
the matter no more thought after we
had reached deep wood. where the
air was damp and almost chilly. and
the birds were just beginning to rouse
sleeping nature INTO activity and life.
We travelled a week in z-zag dlrec-
tons. ate NJ farmhouses and village
hotels, slept indoors and out, aud
rested through the heat of every day
on the grassy bank of stream or slept
in the dense shade of forest.
One day we walked into a Missouri
town of considerable size. and applied
ut the Office of one of the daily papers
for work. The proprietor. whose
name was Seaton, was aill cted with
double straDismu1, and was one of the
meanest locking men / ever saw; but
he was gifted WITH an insolent stare
that was simply perfect He gave us
an example of his accomplishment as
he asked what we could do. 1t was
my first tramp and l felt shame faced
enough TO sink; but my companion
was perfectly cool. aid, with the air
of a gentleman, he said:
Il can write up something for YOU
in fair way, and my friend here can
set type; or can set type and he can
write.
Have either of you ever had any
experience in reporting for daily
paper? asked Seaton.
We assured him we had.
Il doubt it," he said. Il Judge on
are coup lie of tramp printers. and
never employ that class. 1 will try to
struggle on without you.
| saw the blood rush to my friends
face and passion leap into his e.es;
IJt his lips were only compressed and
white as we walked down the street.
At a restaurant we ate dinner. and as
we sat at the table he said: when we
pay for this. we are 'broke;' we must
have work" In vain / assured him
that / had money and would spend it
freely. He said he had made "a tramp
of me, and would pay my way. During
the afternoon we visited the Office of
another paper and secured work. He
was given the place of n reporter who
was sick, while 'subbed' at the case.
When we had worked week he was
offered the city editors chair and
good salary. He refused it. That
night he asked me for all the money
had earned during the week and told
me to go TO bed. He did not come to
the room that night, and the next
morning when l saw him his face wore
the same ashy look had seen on it
once before. / knew then he was
gambler. and that he had lost.
He worked another week at the
same place while picked up such
work as / could about town. On Sat.
urday night he went away again but
came in at daylight looking just as he
did before. the lines all drawn hard
about his face and hard glitter in
his handsome blue eyes. He showed
me roll of greenbacks, sat down with
his face hidden in his folded arms and
sat there for hours. When he raised
his head again he called me to him.
"My boy" he said "let the other man
walk. always" / asked him what he
tal Il -.