The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-12
TALE OF A WANDERER.
A TYPICAL TRAMP RELATES HIS
STOaY TO A REPORTER.

lnlSCS0S05-SOOQ LUCK ana Bad
Lucknow Trsmps Sometimes Have
Opportunities to Perform Good
Deeds.
From the Washington Star.
Excuse n mister. but I amt bad bite
ter eat since last night. an Pm dead broke.
Gimme dime; yer won't miss it."
The speaker was en- ill-clad, sloucby fell
low, with danger signal nose and a furtivs
look In his eyes, who suddenly emerged
from the shadow of DARK doorway on the
avenue the other night and accosted Star
reporter who was passing by. The reporter
was about TO pass on without needing the
request when a notion struck him and he
stopped. The tramp again began his tale Of
woe, which was cut short by the Star man
saying:
'Well. I'll do this for you If you'll tell
me a story about yourself and some of your
tramping experiences; I'll give you your
supper, and, after you've told me your
story. rll give you half dollar besides.
How does that strike your
Look here, pard, l amt no tramp, an
amt got nothin' ter tell. l lose all my stuff
bettin' on de election, an l wasn't in it.
SeeP'
"All right, then, I'm sorry can't help
you. You ought to have known better than
20 risk your money. Goodnight" and the
reporter started TO move on, but the tramp
stopped him and said
'I'll 90 yer, boss, an it's bargain, but
let's hurry, for l need some chuck de wust
kind"
The reporter took him to a restaurant
Hcross the street, where he would not feel
out Of place and the bill of fare was more
substantial than choice or varied.
After the waiter had brought his supper
the unfortunate pitched into it and the Star
man pnlled out a copy of the evening paper
and pretended to read it, mean while watch
ing his protege out of the corner OF his eye.
Poor fellowl he must have been telling the
truth about che date of his last meal, for he
ate with an appetite that made the coIored
waiter open his mouth in establishments.
Great bites Of bread with hunks OF corn
beef aud cabbage disappeared into his
mouth and were washed down by huge
freshets OF coffee that reminded one of the
muddy Potomac water striking q provision
store during flood.
IL seemed as If he never would finish eat
ing, but at last he drew back his chair.
wiped his stubby-bearded face with an elab-
that he was ready for the "ohin biz as he
termed it.
"Say, boss" he said, "talkin's kind er dry
work. Lemme have a bottle NV beer.n
This was brought him, and he swallowed 1t
down and commenced.
HOW THE TRAMP SAVED A TRAIN.
well, yer wants ter know somethin,
bout any little ting Nv interest l run
across siuce been trampin', does yer?
Lem me tetch up my thinker bit. Mebbe
yerll like to hear bout how saved q train
out west wunst," he said, refectingly, and
continued: st was dis way. / was
countin' ties on de Topeky an SANITY Fe
road, headin' to Kansas City. One evenin'
jest bout dusk wen turns eroun' er curve
| sees er trestle on fire. 1t was long in de
fall, mighty dry time, an de grass all
eroun' wuz burnt, an It must
have catched from spark from an
engine that passed by. Gosh The trestle
was blazin' an the slespers wuz so badly
charred dat ii train had struck it, it
would have fell through, sure. 1t was sit
coated SO yer couldn't see it from either side.
till almost on 1t. 1t was in the center of a
heavy curve like. By jimmy l knowed
sometnIn' was got ter be done, an done
mighty quick. too. l couldn't be two places
ter wunst ter stop trains comm both WAYS,
an didn't know which wun would como
lust. l commences ter think an hustles nv
thinker till you c'u'd fairly hear her click.
L had newspaper In my pocket, so l runs
up de track wun way ez fur ez dast ter 20
an outs a big stick wild split in de ton. I
PuOo No pupot Al Qc spIlb anu SblCks u6 WlOl6
ting up in de middle Nv de track SOS the
engineer IL see it an stop. Den l hustes
back past de trestle an goes as fur de udder
side as kin an waits
II fairly hugs myself for joy, t'inkin' how
de passengers'll give me de stuff wen dey
finds out saved DER lives. / hadn't waited
long, neither, wen l hears a train acomiu'
on my side de trestle, an my heart Jumps
clear up in my throat. Wen she come in
sight she proved ter be dodgasted cattle
train. l stops her dough, an de boys aboard
Nv her did de square ting by me, yer bet
Dey all Clipped in an gave me grub
stake, an ddn't have ter walk ter Kansas
City, neither. OATS alus my luck. If it
had been passenger train I'd got good
Ting out Nv it.
Say, femme tell yer how pal of mine
an me wuz skeered purtey near ter death
up in Jerssy wunsb. We struck a barn
wun night. after il was dark. an went ter
sleep in it. Nex' morning my pal wakes
up just ez day is breakin,' an see somethin'
hangin' over in wun corner from q Tatter.
lie wakes me up, an says, kind er soft like,
Bin, Waits dat haugin' over yonderP l
couldn't quite make it out, an we lay dere
watchin' it, till it got little lighter, an
by gum, dere wuz a dead man hangin' from
rafter by a rope, wild his head on wun
side. Mebbe we didn't shake dat barn at
double quick. Ugh!it makes me all creepy
stiff. A day or two after We heerd in a
town we struck dat man workin' for some
farmer had hung hisself in a barn. We
didn't say nothin,' fur somebody might or
fought we knowed more erDout it den we
did. See.
NEARLY DONE FOR BY A FARMERS DOC.
Eyer see dem scars YER" he asked, lean.
ing over and pointing to four or five deep
livid wounds on his neck and lower part of
his face.
II could show yer more Nv 'em on my
shoulders an breast, too, if | wanted" be
continued.
How dN get 'ema From a dog, OATS
how. T'oGght my time had sartinly come
dat day. 1t wuz up In Pennsylvany. I
stopped at farm house wun day. Before
went up ter de house / looks Oh de front
gate an de fence ter see eff dere is emmy sign
ter look out fer dogs, but l don't see none.
Yer see, we tramps has all kinds er signs
SOS we kin tell each udder If dere is emmy
bad dogs eroun', if de peQple is liable ter
give yer ennyting ter eat, an 80 on.
II didn't see no dog sign, but | see some
thln wat meant l could git somet'in'
ter eat, so | waded il. l wuZ
MEDICAL
I'm DJSTTTPRA NOE