The herald., 1895-09-24
JUST A PLAIN, ORDINARY TRAMP
And He Was Ashamed of His Business, After
Forty Years Of "Working'' the Public

And lie was Ashamed OF his Business, After
Forty Years OF Working the Public
s'Am | what, young man? Temporarily
fallen into distress? Not if know it.
I'm down on my luck; that's what | am
dead broke, fiat ON my back, runnin'
hard lines, but l amt temporarily fallen
into distress. Don't make no mistake
about that, and he glared savagely at the
court house clock as If time we're the
common enemy of mankind.
II tell you, it's just sickenin', the way
PEOPLE carry on in these days. There's
too much politeness and fine language
runnin' about loose to suit me. I'm an
old-timer, an-none of your milk-and-
water fellows what snivels over grammar
and long words. l began my business
forty years ago and I amt had no cause
to be ashamed OF it till the last three or
four years. Now, I've just about made
up my mind to give it all up"
This time his eyes wore a .Iournful
look, like battle-worn veteran turned
adrift upon the world after q life of SER
vice in the army.
why, last week young Teller comes
up to me and says, Will you have the
goggles to perform the blind act?'
- Will / have what?' | said.
Would it inconvenience you,' says
he, to permit me to use your green Cog
giles Tor the purpose of assuming new
role on the next corner? My consumption
part very cleverly done. too, don't seem
to please the public.
:. q See here, young feller.' 1 roars out,
what are you talkin about? Ii you want
my green goggles for to work the public
you can have EN-. If you want my crutch
for to play the RAILROAD smash-np act you
can have it. If you want my white
handkerchief with the arnca stains on
game you can have it; but you can get
nothin' from me. young fellow. unless
you talk plain English
Pm sorry gave you offense, says
he, and | assure you | apologize
=" Don't you apologize to me-, says I.
your new-fangled notions and your high
toned talk.
"But 1 lent him the green goggles,
cause I've been in a hole myself where
nothin' didO't seem to work the public.
And that peach-and-c ieam young man
never returned 'em, sir. Never returned
EN-. say. and had to stand and see
whole dollars escape me cause people
was helpin' blind men and only had
the cripple outfit to offer 'em. That's the
kind of stuff that had crept into our
business to drive honest men like me
OUT. Young man, I've been IN TINS busl-
| ness forty years. I've walked from
Maine to California and from New Or
leans to Canada. I've rid on the trucks
of private cars, where the oil dripped
down on me till / was like a rag soaked
in kerosene. And | never was proud in
my prosperity or discoura 'ed when l was
playin' in hard luck. Bus things has
come to be different. There ain t no more
room for me in my own business, a BUSH
ness what helped to give an honorable
name to. Cheap labor has driven us vet.
Grams out. can't make an honest
Twin. / would have liked to hide in the
harness, but I can stand the disgrace of
1T. I've got to give it up before my spirit
is completely crushed.
That's why l was indignant. young
man. when you asked me if | was moth
er Of 'em. A man can't be sure OF nobody
these days. No, I'm nothing but an
honest tramp in hard luck, dead broke.
disguised with life, ruined by new
fangled ideas and a young generation of
upstairs. I'm just a PLAIN, ordinary
everyday tramp of the old school,"