The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-08

speak, one cannot nelp listening. His Lam
guage Is excellent, and his manner is that
OF gentleman. He has evidently had the
advantage of a thorough education; in
tact, he admits that, but refuses to give
any clue concerning his real name or his
ire up to the time that he appeared lis
New Jersey, and began to exert the influ-
ence that has resulted in raising him to
an exalted position In the minds Of all the
tramps in the state.
Once month, as regularly as the
months come the chancellor comes TO tho
city, buys two quarts of apple jack, ana
returning to camp, proceeds TO ENJOY Il
solitary jag in the joys of which no other
man is permitted TO participate. While
under the influence, the man sits on the
ground with his back against a tree and
recites poetry by the yard, travelling al
the way from Homer down to the lighter
verse that is found in the columns of the
newspapers
On such occasions the chancellor is left
absolutely to himself. Nobody talks to
him or makes any attempt TO get possess
sion OF the jug of apple jack which he
keeps between his knees.
A few nights ago there was a banquet
given at the Roost, in honor of Teddy"
man prominent in the official circles of
the tramping fraternity of Pennsylvania.
Teddy had come across the river to
confer with the chancellor upon some
important matters, among which was the
sudden and disastrous warfare that the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company had
made on the members of the profession
found along its road
Two rousing camp-fires were built in the
Roost that night, and each member of the
company was expected to produce some
thing in the shape of food AS result
the board resting on the nail kegs was
piled with corned meats pickles, bread,
butter and crackers.
Two men were detailed by the chancel-
Tor to go to the brewery and get a keg
of beer, which they did without hesita-
ton, ana II was mounted on two sets of
stakes crossed like the legs of a saw
horse and driven into the ground.
Into the ashes in the stone furnace
We're thrust potatoes and sweet corn with
the husk on. About 9 o'clock the beer
was tapped and the feast began The
chancellor sat at the head of the table,
with Teddy at his right hand. The
other members of the camp knelt around
the board Fingers served as knives and
forks, and in less than an hour the table
was cleared of everything capable of be-
ing mastlcated
Like the lord of a feast, the chancellor
sat at the head Of the plank and saw to
1t that Teddy was well served 1t was
not his time of the month to drink, and
he refused to taste the beer, which was
emptied through the faces of the other
banqueters as rapidly as "Winsome Ike
could bring ii 70 them tn the tin cup that
served as a mug and Ike didn't neglect
to get his share while he was doing duty
for the others.
1t took about two hours for the eleven
men who were drinking to empty the keg
of beer. The liquor tuned them up to a
high pitch and six Of the men were sing
ing six different songs at the same time.
Occasionally there would be a lull and
Teddy" would rise to address the gath
ering. He would get about as far as
"Gehtlemen"-whe some fellow with I'M
comfortable exuberance would burst out
with: Here's to good old b-e-e-r; drinker
down; drin-k-e-e-r down." whereupon the
others would join in the song, and Teddy,
forgetting what he was about to say,
would Join in the tune, standing all the
while and beating time with a fork that
had but one tune.
The chancellor stoically watched the
"goings-On" frowning occasionally when
Teddy Familiarity SLAPPED him on the
back and inquired IL he didn't think the
singing "out OF sight"
Now and then a straggler with a lag
of his own would drop in on the jewellers,
tap the beer keg, and with look OF dis
gust over the hollow sound 1t gave, disap-
pear among the bushes 10 fall asleep on
the ground. one man brought a chicken
that had been extracted from some UNI
guarded hen roost. The fowl was tied to
tree by leg and the forager turned In
on the river bank.
The angels" sang until they were
hoarse. One by one they fell away and
stretched out, dead to the world until no.
body was awake but the chancellor, who,
spreading a newspaper over "Teddy's''
face to protect II from mosquitoes, went
to his own quarters under a grape vine
at one side of the camp.