The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-11-09
A TRAMP'S REMINISCEN. +.


stopped ny DeSRdTs more Il1ncs tnan ne can
remember. concluded to ask each man who
approached him tor Il sto:y, the condition
being that If he told one that was at all
likely he should be assisted. out of seven
tramps he found one who related an ex-
perience worth writing. II the beFgar lied.
he deserved credit for a good imagination.
The meeting took place in wall street III
front of the Washington statue This Is
the story;
II have begged in the streets of New
York, off and on, for three years. Some
days ! have almost fallen from hunger.
But in all the experiences | have had in
New York, never had one that could come
UP to that | had in a Western city one
New Years dav. | went to the Office of
man who was running a weekly newspaper.
He was about the smoothest man | ever
saw. | want to say in the beginning that
he was not native of this country, and
he had the reputation Of living like n
prince, but he had bad record as to pay
ing his debts
He told me the first day | asked him
for help to take the coal scutte and go
ont and see If could borrow some coal
with which 10 build up the fire in his CRATE
| picked up the sCuttle and went into Il
railroad office and told the iuan that the
editor upstairs wanted to borrow a scut-
tie Of coal until the ton he had ordered
was delivered. The man said he had hal
tfat played on him before, and he would
not have It any more | knew of a place
few blocks away, whore they gave wool
aud coal on tickets furnished by a relief
and aid society. wen. there anI told q
story of Row | hal been held up and had
NY ticket taken away from me, and the
agent believed it. He told ne To i'll my
scuttlc, which / did. And when / had
ielcd 1t | put several small, Jumps IN Iny
coat pockets ! returned to the sauctum
md when unoaiod my pockets the edi-
Tor asked me If | could write for news
paper. | told him ! could write some
things, but that | did not pretend to have
any style. He said there was IL certain
man at hotel, which he named, and he
wanted me to 20 to him and ask him
several questions Witch he scrubbed off for
me. | was not vc,y presenlabc but
went sent a card and the list of ques-
tions up TO the mans room. and IN few
minutes he came down and asked the clerk
who sent up the card. Tho clerk pointed
10 me and the man came at me like a mad
bull. He told me to go back and tell the
thlt"l IL ne nuullhIcu MS name or "a Inc
about hlnl he would wollup the life out of
him
II returned with the information, and
the editor asked me if | thought / could
write up my experience. giving a dcscrip-
ton of the man. ana so forth. ] sat down
in II chair at a desk. Ii was a luxury for
me | had not been in a chair in months
except occasionally for a short time, in
a hotel office. Ii you have ever had any
experience in holding down chair in
hotel office when your appearance was
against you you probably know how much
rest there Is In It.
Il wrote my experience. however, and
handed it to the editor. He said the facts
We're all right but the style was not quito
up to that of his paper. hut he said he
would fix 1t up so as to use it. He had
several errands for me that afternoon, all
of which | tried to do faithfully It was
the first time in many moons that | had
undertaken to work, About 6 O'Clock in
the evening he said | could go home and
that | might come around in the morning
! had to smile II may not have been the
sort of smile that would start an up-
roar, bu, it was the best | had | told
MIN had not known what n home WA,
Tor so long that II | saw one in the middle
of the road ] would not know it, | told
him | was hungry and that | thought |
mad earned at least one meal. He said he
''N''' nv hi'ii'sf bhA II Nuuitu 10 fOull
sleep that night on the lounge in his office
He looked n, me in "A funny way and said
he reckoned wouldn't steal anything He
went away and sat there in n comfortably
furnished office before n CRATE fire made
from the coal | had begged and fell
asleep. | had no use for the lounge.
chair before crate ire was good enough
for me. The next morning the coal was
all gone. l took the scuttle and went over
to hotel and begged some more and re-
turned and had good fire when the ed
lior came in, told him where | got the
coal. He gave me 10 cents andf told me
had better get something to eat | hit
lunch counter and had a filler and two
beers. Then | returned to the office. He
kept me on the run all day, and late in
the afternoon he said | could sleep in the
office again that night. He seemed to
think that sleep was all needed | should
say he got quarter of a ton Of coal that
day and | carried it up. This was New
Years eve.
Il had another night of it in a warm
room. The next morning about 10 o'clocl.
the boss came In and did some WORK 1t
was bleak day, can tell you. He asked
me a good many questions about my life.
and | gave him as much " my history as
Was necessary Then he got up, put on his
great coat and told me to come with him.
lie went to a saloon where people were en-
ioylng the day lie seemed to be well
known and had several drinks. but | was
not in it, Finally | heard him order a
half dozen quarts OF extra dry, to be put
up in n package, and then be bought a box
Of cigars. / saw him pay for all this He
called TO me TO take the package and follow
him
Il followed him, it must have been two
miles. | thought my hands would freeze
J shifted the package in as many different
ways as ! could, aud kept up the circuia-