The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-30
DINNER FOR A TRAMP.
Henry speny Sawed Wood for II, but
He WouIdn't Do 1t Agnin.
From Id Washington Post.

He wouldn't Do II Again.
From the Washington Post
Spring was here and the day was warm.
Henry speny had been walking and now
stood at the corner of Tenth and the Ave
nue. moping his brow. Henry speny was
a conservative. and although Mrs. speny
had that morning gone almost to the
frontiers of a fist fight to make him
change his winter underwear for the
lighter and more gauzy apparel of jocund
May, Henry speny had refused He was
now paying the piper. and was just think
ing how much more Mrs. Speny knew
than he did when the tramp came up.
"Podner," said the tramp in a low, gut
trail whine intended to escape the ear of
the police and touch Henry Speny's heart
at one and the same time "podneT.
couldn you assist a poor man a littie?"
Assist poor man TO WHAT" asked
Henry Speny, returning his handicapped
to his pocket and looking at the tramp.
He was a fat healthy tramp in good
condition. Henry Speny hardened his
heart
Dime" replied the tramp; dime to get
something to eat"
No. said Henry speny, shortly. I'm
a half dozen meals behind the game my
SELF
This last was only Henry Speny's hui
NOR. Mrs. Speny fed him twice a day.
But Henry Speny knew that the tramp
wanted the dime for whisky.
"Mel, II you don't think / want 1t to
chew on said the tramp, "just take me
to a bakery and buy me a loaf of bread
Ill git away with it right before you"
Say" remarked Henry Speny, in a tone
of sarcastic irritation, whats the use Of
your talking TO me? There's a charity
woodward in this town where. if you were
really hungry YOU would go and saw
wood for something TO cat. You can get
two meals and a bed for saving one-six-
tenth of a cord of wood.
You can't saw wood with no such fin
as this, podner," said the tramp. and
pulling up his coat sleeve, he displayed to
Henry Speny an arm as withered as a
/ dead tree. THE others all right" he
continued, restoring his coat sleeve, hut
/ wots7 one arm in a catch-as-catch-can
| racket with a buck SAW
/ Henry Speny was conscience-stricken.
! but he would defeat the tramp in his
efforts. TO buy whisky
| III go down to the woodward and saw
your wood myself" said Henry Speny.
He told Mrs. Speny afterward that he
| could not account for the making of this
offer unless it was his anxiety to keep
the tramp sober. All the tramp wanted
was 10 cents, and for Henry Speny to pro,
pose to saw one-sixteenth of a cord of
/ wood on a hot day, when a dime would
have made all things even, was a conun-
drum too deep for Henry Speny as he look
ed back over the transaction. But he did
make the proposal, and the tramp accent.
ed with a grin of gratitude.
! There were twenty sticks in that one.
| sixteenth of a cord hard knotty sticks
| too. And each one had to be sawed three
times; sixty cuts in all. 1t was a poor
! buck saw. Before he had finished the
third stick Henry Speny declared that II
was the most beastly buck saw he ever
| handled in his life. The buck itself was
a wretched buck, and wouldn't stand still
! while Henry Spepy sawed. 1t had a habit
of tipping over; and when Henry Speny
put his knee on the stick to steady the
refractory buck, the knots tore his trou.
sers and made his leg black and blue
! Then the perspiration got in his eyes am
made them smart. When he wiped II
| away he saw two of his friends LOOKING
| at him in shocked sober way from
across the street. They passed on and told
everybody that Henry Speny was dowr
at the charity wood yard saving wood
for his food. They said, too that they
had reason to believe he did this every
day; that business had gone to pieces
with him, and an assignment couldn't bc
STAYED off much longer. Henry Spenl
would have thrown up the job with the
second SUCK, Dut the tramp was already
half through his meal: Henry Spenv coulf
see him boiling his food like a gluttor
through the window from where he stood
1t took Henry Speny two hours to saw
those twenty sticks twenty times His
hands were a fret-work of blisters; his
back and shoulders ached like a galley
slaves Henry Speny hired a carriap,
to take him home; he couldn't stand the
slam and jolt of a street car. He was
laid up three days with the blsters on
his hands, while Mrs. Speny rubbed his
back and shoulders with arnica
On the fourth day as Henry Speny was
limping painfully toward his office he
heard a voice he knew.
s''Ponder, can't you assist poor M
oh, beg your pardon; you looked so diff.
ferent, didn't know you"
1t was the fat tramp with the withered
arm. Without word Henry Speny gave
him 10 cents and hobbled on.