The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-08-05

This new boarding house keeper was
a grass widow. She weighed three
hundred pounds, am sure, but as long
as did not have the dough to pay in
advance 1 thought it best to not ask
any unnecessary questions. 1 was in
stalled in a large room alongside the
bath room. Great Scott! what a bath
tub: it took up half of the room. Now
this lady of much avoirdupois owned
Tramp, poor Tramp, and she carried
him on her bosom and steadied him
with her chin or left hand when she
got up, which was quite often.
Once when she fetched me my
desert and that cat blinked at me from
his throne, l made vow that poor
Tramp should have the pleasure of
escorting me to my train some night;
and he did.
1t was in November, and 1 had a
heavy overcoat on; as the land-lady
was entertaining some company in her
parlor got the cat in under my over
coat, about the same place he was wont
to occupy, only he had no shelf to lay
upon; but as 1 had my coat buttoned
tight he had to come along. AS went
over South Boston bridge the tide was
running out to sea like race horse.
1 got Tramp by the hind legs and with
an eau Revoir" launched him out on
the cold, briny deep.
Now, reader, don't say, "How mean!"
or, ~ wish it was you," etc. l have
known real nice ladies take half dozen
pretty, little innocent kittens, who
never kept soul awake in their short
lives, and put them to soak in pail of
cold water, for an hour or two, and yet
think nothing of the job.
1 went to Hartford and back, two
days gone. came to Mrs. S's house.
"No cat, no Tramp" was the first cry
1 heard from the cook. Mrs. S. was ill;
she asked me, through servant, "if 1
had seen Tramp on my way hOme?"
1 said l saw couple of tramps on the
bumpers of freight car as we backed
off, but no cat did / see. | made
another round trip and behold you
Tramp had showed up as thin as a
wafer! You could all but read a news
paper through him.
To keep up appearances, 1 ap-
preached the table with the rest of the
boarders and with a "Poor Tramp I
reached out to stroke his coat, when
he put semi circle in his back, spit at
me, and tried to strike me with his
paws. Mrs. S., who had recovered,
ordered me to quit the house imme-
diately after supper-just make my
self scarce. l did. AS [ went out of
the front door Mrs. S. said: "what did
l ever do to you that you should wish
to be revenged on poor Tramp" "Mrs.
S." | replied, II got sick of seeing
Tramp riding on free pass up"
Bang! went the door in my face. I
repaired to my caboose, got Pat, the
middle man, to go and get board at
Mrs. SIS. 1t was payday so 1 antied
| WV OOl1oIO w hlohO CllO OuAuS WOlA.
He took an empty valise, put in some
old rubbish and applied; paid one
week in advance and was assigned my
room.
"Now Pat" said I, "when you hear
her in the bath tub get the valise,
whisk Tramp into it and be off,
"But how will 1 know it is her in the
bath room ?" said Pat.
Don't be worried, Pat, replied; you
never can mistake that sound; when
she gets to sousing like an elephant
you will know who it is. No, no; you
cannot make a mistake.
The next Saturday afternoon Pat
came down the yard on run. "Be
jabers l have it! She scratched me
hand but 1 have her all the same"
locked the caboose, and opened the
valise; out hoped poor Tramp, yes
poor Tramp, now, for he had to pass
in his checks, which he did with a
coupling pin for a cashier. packed
Tramp in a large salt box and sent it
C. o. D., to Mrs. S.
| Some months later 1 met Mrs. s. on