The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-07-16
THE TRAMP PRINTER.
A Pen Picture of One Who Represents
Species OF Queer and Quaint Phlloso-
pliers and Shrewd Critics.

From the Palestine (Tex.) Advocate
He walked silently in. We knew
him the moment we raised our eyes
and saw him standing there. In fact,
we had been expecting him 8; he nearly
always comes when we are in just such
strait and needing him. He always
wears the same style Of clothes, coat of
one kind and pants Of another; he
hasn't any vest; his shoes are worn
out aud run down at the heels and his
hat is battered and dusty. There are
spots over his waistband and his new
paper collar is the only fresh, white
thing about him and it looks as though
he had just put it on with soiled fin
gers. He is pale, weak-eyed and pre-
maturely gray-haired; he looks as
though he had never known regular
hours, either for eating or sleeping !;
and he must lave come thousands of
miles and been coming ever since he
was boy.
His starting point was so far away
and so long ago that he has almost for
gotten when or where it was; but we
an idea that it must have been when
his mother buttoned his little blue
shirthand around his white, boyish
throat. put on his little white hat, and
sent him TO work in the printing office.
How proud he was Wien be went
home that first night and showed his
new brass rule, and tells mother he
had learned all the boxes, and has
free ticket to the circus next week, and
the editor gave him big piece Of we'd
ding cake, a part of which be had
brought home for the baby, and if be
sets up column in one day next week
he can go fishing on Saturday. Yes,
somewhere about there was the COM
mencement of bis long journey, and
here he is now, perhaps two-thirds on
the way. He asks: "Whats the
show for a sit ?" We give him case,
and by and by be says he feels faint,
and asks if we can't lend him quar-
ter, he hasn't had any breakfast yet.
We know his weakness, and, as we
need his work, we go down him with
him and order some breakfast for him
at the nearest restaurant.
When he comes back lie looks hap
pier and better able to work. In the
evening, when he goes to distributing
his case, be reconuts the history of his
late places of employment. He knows
the circulation and amount of business
of every paper in the State, and just
why the Dispatch suspended, and why
the Advocate sold out 10 the Courier.
He is we'll acquainted with the un-
known editor Of the ThuDderer, and
has friends on the editorial force of all
the leading journals Of the country.
BY and by he whistles low an air from
the Italian opera, and IN repiy 10
question he answers with Latin quo
tation. He stays with s-a-week, and
we grow-to ike him more and more
every day. He has read everything
from Shakespeare and Ruskin to Mark
Twain and Bill Arp. He knows more
about our laws, National and State,
than the best lawyers in the city. He
if we'll acquainted with the life of every
eminent person of bis age, and is per-
feet encyclopedia ofcurrent events.
But we cannot afford to keep him
any longer, so we may pay him off, and
again he starts on that long road that
leads-not to home, for he has none
not to the society of intelligent people
like himself, for outside of the printing
office he is unknown maybe back to
night work. On some city daily, or, II
too worn and old for that, rapid de-
scent from one country office to ano-
ther, with whiskey and laudanum for
companions, to an unmarked grave by
some lonely wayside.