The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-06-25
The Man with the Gimlet.

was sitting on bench in Battery park the
other day. says NJ Quad in the New York
! World, when rough looking, stability dressed
man who occupied the other end of it pulled an
old handkerchief out of his coattail pocket
With 1t came something which fell under the
bench unnoticed by him. Isawit was gimlet,
plain. cheap gimlet, without the least attempt
at style or ornament. can take you down in
Fulton street and show you gimlets at 81
apiece-silver plated, full jeweied and good
enough for the use of the Emperor of Russia
when he wants to bore the holes for the hinges
on screen door. can also take you over in
Barclay street and show you gimlets at 2 or 8
cents each-nlain. unvarnished and detected
looking gimlets which will, nevertheless, serve
the purpose for which all gimlets are created
Excuse me, but you dropped your gimlet. "
said. after making sure that the loss was I'M
known.
$50 did-thank you,' he replied.
Il takes very little to bring two strangers to-
getber, unless both are mighty mean men. A
Simlet will do it as well as a Fourth of July
celebration. hitched little toward him and
he hitched little toward me, and obse rived:
Il often carry pair of gas pincers, whet-
stone. door spring, trunk lock or jsckplane
around with me, but can't say have any use
for gfmlet
moi, Wei, we are in different lines of bus
iness, you see, " he replied. You travel around
The town, while travel around the country. A
month ago was in Ohio"
"A tourist, ehf'
Yes. by the name Of tramp, Icame here
are going to do the watering -placsS."
But to return to the gimlet. Do you happen
to have hit it by accident?'
Oh, no. It's part of my outfit I've had
this same one year or more"
Il can see where you might make use of
crow bar, wagon-jack. bear trap or ox-yoke, but
where does the gimlet come ing"
My dear SIR" he answered with q laugh
some men have to fight against being too
wicked. have to struggle against being too
good. This gimlet assists me Co strike happy
raodfa IL,
plain. The average tramp is not bad fellow"
Generally given to drink, and not too am
bilious, but all he asks of the world is old clothes
cold victuals and bed on the haymow He
seldom does any great wrong, and often does a
great deal of good
'.Well?r
About one man out of twenty sizes a tramn
up correctly. The first and last idea with the
others is to give him the boot When am out
on the road get kicked almost daily. 1t would
be foolish to kick back for am in the minority
therefore take another way of getting even |
will tell you how it works. l enter grocery in
a small town and politely ask for a bite of
crackers and cheese. Grocer is one of the props
or the church. and Weeps over the heather of
Africa. Reads of a case of starvation in a big
city and calls the people savages. am hungry
and ragged and penniless. but he takes me to
the door and gives mo the boot and adds that
ought to be in jail"
'Well?"
well, walk around until night. Heha five
or SIX barrels OF Kerosene and three or four of
vinegar on the platform. AS he sleeps to dream
of leaving fortune to the poor am at work
with this gimlet. l bore hole in the head of
each barrel, low down, and when morning
comes they are empty and the account is
square. See?"
Il do. read of grocer in this state having
seven barrels tapped in this way
Il go according to circumstances" he con-
tinued. IF kicked once tap two barrels; il
kicked twice tap three; if kicked and sworn at
and threatened, away goes the whole lot"
whats your best nights work?'
well, a depot agent in a town in Indiana
kicked me four times hit me in the neck and
then threw me off the platform Ihad no pre-
cedent to go by, but there were fifty six barrels
of cider on fiat cars in the yard, and tapped
every one of them. was ten les away when
daylight came but l thought could hear him
as he jumped up and down and swore blue
blaZes ~