The Wadsworth dispatch. [volume] (Wadsworth, Nev.) 1892-1899, 1894-12-08
MIR. WILSON.


limped around to the sunny side of
warehouse F end slowly let himself
down to recumbent position on the
hot, tarry boards.
"A chilly town. That's what. Even
in the summer time, said Il. Pember-
ton Wilson as he threw q stray nail
into the muddy slip and lazily watched
the rings enlarge and lose themselves
IN faintest ripples ''You take any train,
and it lands you here. and the only
comfort of being here is that there's 80
many trains out. s'pose my stomach
thinks I'm tryin to go without any
thing for week just ON a bet The
tountry lanes must be sighin for ma
! wonder IL tnrnips are getting large
enough?" s.
! To designate g. Pemberton Wilson
as hobo would simply corroborate his
] opinion of himself
He has carved Hobo Wilson on
many a section shanty and milepost
between Scranton, Pa, and Council
Bluffs, Ia. and there were friends who
knew him as Rooster
| On one Indiana trip he had earned
lthe title Of Come Again, Wilson because
he had persistent way of getting on q
train after once being put of
| Like many another of his class, he
was not devoid Of sentiment or philoso-
ply He carried in his breast pocket d
.speckled volume Of Burns poems He
had forgotten to return it to a public
library in southern Illipoia The book
opened of itself at the lines "A mari's
man for a. that: " Hobo Wilson read
the poem as he hay with his back against
the warm boards of warehouse f, and
then he put the book back into the pock-
ct of his coat. which he had thrown
down beside him. -,
Il At the bend in the river coal vessel
Twas being unloaded. The click of the
I,machinery and the noisy dumping OF
the big buckets at the regular intervals
became rather soothing when the rhythm
was understood. Hobo Wilson tapped
with his thumb, keeping time, and lock-
ed through the rigging of lumber
schooner in the second slip beyond at
the coughing smokestack which reached
up from small planning mill. The mill
was bnzzing in changeable tones, like o
| nest of discordant bumblebees.
The smoke rolling from the stack
drifted through the rigging, where the
yards and netted lines seemed to cut
into irregular shapes. Hobo Wilson
watched drowsily until to his blurred
vision there were many fantastic forms
floating in the foggy maze. And he was
not greatly surprised when one Of these
forms took ON the outline of dwarfish
human being and foated slowly toward
him. 1t poised for a a,moment above q
hawser timber and shook itself, shower
Of SCOT falling from it. Then it settled
into comfortable sitting attitude and
looked at HIM
well. Rooster, how's. everything"
The voice was rather small and shrill /,
Hobo Wilson could not answer at once. '
He was marveling at, the appearance. Of
bis strange visitor The little man was
hardly three feet high. Under the
SLOUGH hat was good natured and
%rinkled' face, decorated on the chin
with tuft of beard, which might have
been gray at one time. but which was
now blackened and dusty, the same as
his face and clothes. The latter were Of
rough quality Ia hickory shirt, n shod.
dy pair of trousers tringed at the bot
toms and held up BY. one suspender, and
q pair of worn shoes much toolarge and
laced with hemp twine sY3 ~
Are you down on your luck, Roost-
er?'' asked the little man. -
.Ilm Twin on the air. said Hobo
''but where did you come from?" E
~ Just dropped In with tile smoke
Don't know Inc, ,eii?
That's what; don't"
Listen, Hobo Wilson. DO you re-
member last Saturday morning when
you were ut Hammond. and divided
your handout with b brother who alight-
ed from box car day out from Louis
Vile and very hungry"
II do. "A mans man for a. that :"
"True enough. Rooster. That was
rood deed More than once I've seen
you give comrade good place ON the
| truck.
where was you?
II dare say you didn't look up into
the rolling cloud Of smoke to see the
good fairy Of the hoboeA
| Fairy"
Cert. You didn't expect the guard
| ian fairy Of the hoboes to tear around
the country in all kinds Of weather with
a little white robe and sorno ostrich
| feather wings?"
~ s'pose not +" :.
"Hobo Wilson, I've watched ycu.
never saw you do pard any dirt. The