The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1893-01-19
THE DESERT TRAMP.
Incidents Of Nomad Life in the
Land of Thirst,

Incidents Of Nomad Life in the
Land of Thirst.
Plenty Of Feed In Spite OF tho Arldity-
Instructed In Applying for Work.
Got Beetsteak III Harsh
Although tramps a-plenty can be
found in all parts of the United States,
the people of the desert mining camps
that, like Daggett, California, are To-
Gated on railroads, believe that three
times as many can be found there in
proportion to the population as in any
other part of the country. Wretched as
this country is as site for human hab-
itation, devoid of all human necessities
devoid, even, of water save at the
stations-and cursed with a climate all
but intolerable, a day never passes
without tramp coming to the doors
Of some of the houses and begging
for food. Nor do they confine them
selves to begging: They brow beat and
terrorize women found alone in their
homes and the Chinese cooks employed
in restaurants and kitchens, very
much as tramps do elsewhere, and this,
too, in spite of the reputation which
desert men have for taking the law in
their own hands in dealing with such
cases.
Then. too, the reputation Of the aver
age desert man as a man-killer Is unde-
served. There are desperadoes on the
desert, and they do the killing, as
rule. The men who have wives and
kitchens are not desperadoes They
are respectable citizens, willing to en-
dure great privations in the hope of
future competence. They are like re-
spectacle citizens elsewhere in their
slowness to take bloody revenge for
personal injury. The tramp knows
this very we'll, and acts on his know
ledge. In a journey that included the
widest towns on the Mojave desert
the writer did not hear of single
tramp who had been killed for his
temerity nor did he find more than one
house that was at all free from their
visits, and that house did not enjoy en-
tire immunity. 1t was left compara-
lively free, however, because of the
vigorous treatment which the nomad
received at The hands of it's master.
MIR. j. w. S. Perry, of Daggett, is
the superintendent OF a borate of
lime mine in the Calico mountains,
nine miles from there. FL office is in
his house there. where he lives with his
wife, who, during most of the year,
keeps no servant. When they first
came there the tramps swarmed about
tho 10 Co1; IN,
girl, and could not bear to refuse man
who asked for food in respectful lam
guage. But one day came tramp to
the kitchen door who was not respect
full. He walked right in without
word. AS luck had it Mr.. Perry hap
pened to walk in at the dining-room
at the same instant.
Superintendent of desert mines are
accustomed to dealing with all kinds
of men and are particularly prompt in
action.
"What do you want?'' said Perry to
the tramp. T.
II came to see you about getting a
job" replied the tramp, who was try
ing to make the best of bad case.
And you thought the way to get
work was to come around to the kitch-
en- door and enter without knocking,
did you?" The tramp made no reply,
and Mr.. Perry continued:
II will conduct you to the Office door
and show you how to get in there in a
proper way"
At that Perry turned the tramp
around, kicked him out the kitchen
door, kicked him around the house to
the office door and stood him up there
and said:
Nov knock on the door,
The man knocked and Perry opened
it and entered.
''Come in," he said, and the tramp
followed.
DO you want work or have you got
rather more than you wanted?" Perry
continued.
The man glanced up and then fed.
Perry is six-footer, who can kick like
q desert mule.
1t was long time before Mrs. Perry
Was troubled by tramps again; but, of
course, there was no escaping them al
together. Even the purchase of Won
derfully intelligent and well-trained
dog did not keep them away alto
gether. Mr.. Perry had to drive to the
mine, nina miles away, several times
week, and the wife was often left
alone for several hours at time. One
afternoon something at the mine de-
tanned Perry so that he could not reach
home until after dark. Mrs. Perry I'M
derstooL the matter, and did not begin
to prepare supper until after nightfall.
She was going to broil a steak that
night, and, having lighted the fire and
lamp. was putting the broiler on the
stove when = tramp stalked in at the
open kitchen door, having in some way
escaped the dog. The frightened look
that came to Mrs. Perry's face at once
showed him that he was master of the
situation, and. sitting down at the ia
bic, he babe her 60 on and get the
steak ready in haste and to fetch out
che best Of everything she had in addi-
ton. The bearing of the man was so
terrifying that Mrs. Perry did not dare
TO refuse. and, greatly agitated, she
brought the steak and put it over the
glowing. epala The other work was
also continued, the man meantime
cursing her for being slow so continu-
ally that he did not hear the wheels of
a blackboard that was driven up to the
rear of the house. nor did Mrs. Perry
near them & sx,tz os4.r- F.. !:
The sbuclsboardAcontained~ MI. Perry,
and he could hear the words of the
tramp very plainly. Dropping the
.reins he walked silently toward the
kitchen door just as Mrs Perry APP
h0 or - oh o1,o
full Of powdered salt. She poised the
shaker, and by accident shook the
cover off so that more than pint of
salt felfyongthe meat, glanced at the
door andasew her. HUSBAND coming, and
then Yell in dead faint beside the
stoye:Es .xeEsanEf - Z ~ =