Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-08-29
NOBLEST,OF ALL.
AMY . Fancy Sketch, but 1t Tells .
Strange Story.

AMY Foncy bkotch, but 1t Tells q
Strange Story.
Down the track from the depot and
about 500 feet away was a cut with
banks twenty feet high. On the
right-hand bank three or four chill
dren were playing. There were four
or five of US walking the depot plat
form as we waited for the up train,
when tramp who had been travelling
over the ties, turned in and sat down.
Unkempt, dirty ragged, hun9ry-a
typical specimen of his class. By
and-by he said, speaking to no one in
particular:
''Of course, you know what 1 am,
and OF course you know what l want.
l don't deny being professional, but
I'm human, for all that Haven't
struck any grub since yesterday morn
ing, and 1t was purity slim then"
He wanted money to buy food.
That was plain enough. but no one
responded. Whatever is given to a
tramp encourages laziness and vice.
lie was apparently strong and healthy:
let him labor for his bread.
"I've got no pitiful story to tell"
he continued, not looking at any one
OF US, but yet having all OF US in his
eye. "pm simply a tramp-an old
hand in the profession. Bin trampin'
fur sixteen years. prefer it to hard
work. I'm human, though, as said
before. ] can bunk away In a straw
stack at night and wear old clothes.
but when it comes to hunger I'm like
the rest OF humanity-can't stand
the gnawin' only about so long. II
you four gents would shake in a
nickel apiece l could get regular
Christmas dinner"
''Look here" said one OF the men
as he stopped short in his walk and
turned on the wanderer, don't you
know that such men as you ought to
be sent to prison and made to earn
your food?"
If they had prisons enough to hold
US that might solve the problem"
quietly replied the tramp, as he
looked down at the toes of his shoes
"You are lazy, shiftless, vicious
class" continued the passenger.
every man ought to have the legal
right to hunt you down with shot
gun. There should be law to the
effect that any persons giving YOU
even a nickel should be sent to prison
for year. I've often wondered why
you didn't become so disguised with
yourselves as to commit suicide. Tell
me what earthly excuse you have for
living"
''Well," slowly replied the tramp
as he rose up and shook himself and
surveyed his rags, II can't say as 1
have any. However"
His face was turned down the track
toward the children. Down beyond
the curve, two miles away, we heard
the approaching locomotive whistle
for highway crossing 1t was the
train for which we were waiting, and
while entering the depot for our
grips we lost sight of the tramp.
When we came out we saw him run
ming down the track, and the express
had just come into view. But there
was something else. Right on the
edge OF the bank, on an overhang OF
earth, stood one Of the children-a
little girl three or four years old. She
was looking toward the approaching
train, her back to the man who real
lied her peril and was running at the
top Of his speed to save her. None
of US moved. The tramp was not
more than half way to the spot when
the overhang broke off, carrying the
child with the mass of dirt down on
the track. The express just then
blew for the station, but was running
at fifty miles All hour. We knew
when the air-brakes were applied
we felt the roadbed tremble-we
heard the danger blasts to warn the
tramp off the track Something like
a mist rose up before my face to dim
my vision, and could not see what
happened. Fifty of us went down to
the cut when the train stopped, and
this was what we saw: Tie child
sitting against the bank, dazed and
crying, but unhurt and the tramp
lying beside the rails with both legs
ground off and one arm crushed to a
pulp. He had reached the child, lifted
her aside, and then been struck by
the pilot and flung against the bank,
to roll back under the wheels. Dead?
No. He had few seconds to live.
We were bending over him when he
opened his eyes, smiled family and
muttered;
''No, I can't say as l have the
slightest excuse to live, but I'm hui
man. you know, and"
And he was dead.-Free Press