Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1897-10-01
HENRY AND THE SAW
THEY CAME TOGETHER TO SAVE A
~e- THIRSTY TRAMP. 5s''

THIRSTY TRAMP.
rho Weary wsyfaror Wanted Ten Cents
but Henry speny Knew the Money Would
Go For Drinks-His Odd Ruse to Outwit
the Tramp and Its Sequel.
Summer was here and tho day was
warm. Henry Speny had boon walking
and now stood at the corner of two streets
mopping his brow. Henry Speny was q
and although Mrs. Speny
had that morning gone almost to the from
tiers OF fist fight to make him change his
underwear for the lighter and moro gauzy
apparel Of jocund July Henry Speny had
refused. He was now paying the piper,
and was just thinking how much more
Mrs Speny knew than he did when the
tramp came up.
"Podner," said the tramp In low,
cultural whine, intended to escape the ear
Of the police and touch Henry Speny's
heart ut one and the same time-'podnee,
couldn't you assist poor man littles"
"Assist a poor man to whatp" asked
Henry Sreny, returning bis handkerchief
to his pocket and looking at the tramp.
He WAS fat, healthy tramp, in good
condition. Henry Speny hardened his
heart.
"Dimo. replied the tramp; "dime to get
something to eat"
mo. Not On your life!" said Henry
Speny shortly "I'm half dozen meals
behind tho game myself"
This last was only Henry Speny's hu-
NOR. Mrs. Speny fed him twice q day,
but Henry Speny knew that the tramp
wanted the dime for whisky.
"Well, II you don't tn ink want 1t to
chew on" said tho tramp, lust take me
to a bakery and buy me loaf Of bread
I'll git away with it right before you"
"Say," remarked Henry Speny in tone
Of sarcastic irritation, whats the use of
your talking to me? There's a charity
woodward In this town whore. II you wore
really hungry, you would 60 and saw
wood for something to eat. You can yet
two meals and bed for saving One-six
teenth Of cord Of wood"
"You can't saw wood with no such fin
40 this. podner, said the tramp. And pull
Ing up his coat sleeve he displayed to
Henry Speny an arm as withored az
dead tree 1.-THE others all right" he
continued, restoring his cont sleeve, "but
wot's one arm In a catch as catch can
racket with bucksawP"
Henry Speny was conscious stricken,
but he would defeat the tramp in his efforts
to buy whisky.
I'm 90 down to the woodward and saw
your wood myself" said Henry Speny
He told Mrs. Speny nfterward that he
could not account for tho making Of this
offer unless 1t was his anxiety to keep the
tramp sober. All tho tramp wanted was
10 cents, and for Henry Speny to propose
TO saw one-sixteonth of cord of hard wood
on hot day when dino would have
made all things even was a oonundrnm
too deep for Henry Speny as he looked back
over tho transaction, but he did make tho
proposal, and the tramp accepted with a
grin OF gratitude.
There were 20 sticks In that one-six-
teenth Of oord--hard, knotty sticks too.
And each one hnd to 10 sawed three times
80 outs In all. It was a poor bucksaw.
Before he had finished tho third stick
Henry Speny declared that 1t was the most
beastly bucksaw he ever handled In his
life. The buck itself was wretched buck
and wouldn t stand still while Henry Speny
sawed. 1t had habit of tipping over, and
when Henry Speny put his kneo on the
knots tore his trousers and made his leg
black and blue. Then the perspiration got
in his eyes and made them smarts When
he wiped 1t awny, he saw two Of his friends
looking Mt him In q shocked. sober why
and told every body that Henry Speny was
down at the charity woodward saving
wood for his food. They said, too, that
ho.l 10 h,1{ l,r,r n ,tp
cry day; that business had gone to pieces
with him, and an assignment couldn't be
STAYED off much longer. Henry Speny
would have thrown up the job with tho
second stick, but the tramp was already
half through with his meal. Henry Spcny
could see him boiling his food like IA glut-
ton through the window from where he
stood
1t took Henry Speny two hours to saw
those 20 sticks go times. His hands were
a frctwork of blisters. His bnck and shoul.
doris ached like galley slavos. Henry
Sbeny hired carriage to tukc him home.
He couldn't stand the slam and jolt of Il
street car He was laid up three days
with the blistrrs on his hands, while Mrs.
Spcny rubbed his back and shoulders with
Rrnica
On tho fourth day, ns Henry Speny was
limping painfully toward his office, he
heard u voice he knew.
"Podncr, can't you assist poor M
Oh, bog pardon. You looked SO different
I didn't know you.
1t was tho fat tramp with the withcred
arm. Without word Henry Spony gave
him 10 cents and hobblcd on.-New York
Journal.
Willing to Oblige Her.
II want to know where you havo been