People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1892-07-29

his neck to see through one Of the
lighted windows. So he remained
for several seconds. Once during that
time he closed his eyes, and the mus
cles Of his face contracted. Then he
opened his eyes again. They were
moist.
He could see gentle old lady, with
smooth gray hair and an expression OF
calm and not unhappy melancholy.
She was sitting in a rocking chair, her
hands resting on the arms, her look
fixed unconsciously on the paper on the
wall. She was thinking, and evidently
her thoughts, though sad, perhaps,
were not keenly painful.
The tramp read that much upon her
face. Presently, without a word, he
turned about and hurried away, closing
the gate after him.
When the two children told about
their visitor later, their mother said:
You mustn't talk to strange men,
Tommy. You and Mamie should have
come right in to grandma"
Their father said: He was probably
looking for chance to steal something.
I'll let the dog out in the yard tonight. i"
And their grandmother: 81 suppose
he was only man who likes to hear
children talk, and, perhaps, poor fell
low, he has no little ones of his own"
The tramp knew the way to the ceme-
terry. But first he found the house
where he had lived as boy. 1t looked
painfully rickety and surprisingly
small. So he fastened from before it,
and went up by a back street
across the town creek and up hill,
where at last he stood before the Gene
terry gate. 1t was locked; so he climbed
over the wall. He went still further
up the hill, past tombstones that looked
very white and trees that looked very
green in the moonlight. At the top Of
the hill he found his fathers grave.
Beside it was another mound and at
the head Of this a plain little pillar.
The moon was high now and the tramp
was used to seeing in the night. Word
by word he could slowly read upon the
marble this inscription:
william Albert, beloved son of the late
Thomas Kershaw and his wife Rachel; born in
Brckville, Augusta 1862; drowned in the ALE.
gheny river near Pittsburgh, July q, 1877, while
heroically endeayoring 10 save the life Of o
child"
The tramp laughed and then uttered
sigh.
Il wonder" he said, aloud, "what
poor bloke it is that's dVin' duty for me
under the ground here!"
And at the thought that he owed an
excellent posthumous reputation to the
unknown who had happened to re.
semble him fifteen years before, he
laughed louder. Having no one near to
share his mirth he looked up at the
amiable moon and nodded knowingly
thereat, as if to say:
"This is a fine joke we're ENJOYING
between us, isn't it?"
And by and by he remembered that
he was being waited for, and he strobe
from the grave and from the cemetery.
By the railroad the short tramp, hav.
ing smoked all the refuse tobacco in
his possession, was growing impatient,
Already the expected coal train had
heralded its advent by whistle and puff
and roar when his associate Joined him.
Found out all you wanted to
know?" queried the stout little vag,
abond, starting down the embanlment
to mount the train.
"Yep," answered the tall vagrant,
contentedly.
The small man grasped the iron roc
attached to the side of one of the NOV
ing coal ears and swung his foot into
the iron stirrup beneath. His com
panion mounted the next car in the
same way.
"Are you all right, Kersh?" shouted
back the short tramp, standing safe
above the bumpers"
"All right" replied the tall tramp
climbing upon the end OF car. But
don't ever call me Kersh any more
After this I'm always Bill the Bum
Bill Kershaw's dead"-and he added
to himself: and decently buried on the
hill over there under the moon."-
Robert n. Stephens, in Philadelphi;
Press.