River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1898-11-10
THE TRAMP'S STORY
ay Kenneth Herford.
THERE sat at the doctors iron

THERE sat at the doctors front
porch last Thursday evening a
little group Of congenial spirits com
posed of the doctor himself, Adams,
Of the yarnish company, Cleaver, EN-
ployed at the gas house; lettering
ton, secretary Of the Marine company;
Evans, and myself.
Fresh cigars had been lighted and
the doctor had said: Now, Cleaver,
it's your turn for a story" when
around the side of the house came a
Man. We called the stranger The Man
after he had gone and we probably al
ways shall so long as memory OF MN
lives in our minds.
He stood on the gravel walk at the
foot Of the porch steps and removed
lis hat, a battered felt affair with half
the rim gone and a hole in the crown
through which protruded wiSp OF
hair. The Mans clothes corresponded
well with his hat. They were ragged
and threadbare. The bottoms Of the
trousers were frayed in fringe where
they fell over The Mans shoes, worn
out shoes with the toes turned up and
the heels run down.
When The Man removed his hat we
had a better view OF his face. II was
long and deeply lined. There was a
light of cleverness, or rather smart
ness, in the sunken eyes, and the fore
head was high and TO a degree bu'ging.
The eyebrows were bushy and the
mouth, though weak in its droop, was
finely cut, evidently the mouth OF a
man capable Of approaching the more
refined things Of life.
The stranger looked up at us. Gen
tiemen," he said, II was around at the
back door moment ago and the lacy
of the house said her husband was on
the porch with a few friends. l merely
want to ask If there is some work that
I might be allowed to do around the
place in exchange for supper and a
few cents with which to secure me a
bed for the uight?'
Before the doctor could ansker,
Cleaver had whispered to him: ASK
the fellow to come up and sit down.
III bet almost anything the story Of
lis life would be more interesting
than anything could tell"
Yes DO" put in Adams.
The doctor did not argue the point.
'Well, my man." he said, addressing
the woe begone appearing felIowbe
ing who stood before him on the gravel,
II don't think there is anything o be
done around the house. But guess We
can fix up the supper and the bed.
Come up and sit down awhile; You
appear tired"
The Man hesitated a moment sheep
ishly and then mounted the steps with
difficulty, either from laziness or ia
tigue. There was a sort Of n far-away
look in his eyes as he sank into the
rocking chair on the doctors left.
Thank you" he said, as he took
the cigar CIeaver offered him. "It's a
tong time since I've smoked one of
these"
He applied a match, extracted from
the right hand pocket CT his tattered
green-brown wastcoat and when he
had gotten the cigar fairly under way,
he said, without removing il from mis-
lips: Its mighty kind of you gentle
men to ask me to smoke with you. !
haven't smoked with gentlemen for
some time"
The dry humor Of The Man struck
us all. Cieaver was becoming impa-
tient to hear his story, so he asked:
what is your business?"
"Tramping- was the reply.
but you haven't always been a
tramp put in the doctor.
mo, sir, not always. | was an in
ycntor once"
"TNell me about it, won't you?" urged
Cleaver
Fifteen years ago" he continued, 81
was a well-to-do man. With no attach
ments III the way of wife or family my
hours were spent in my workshop in
Huntsville. My first great invention
was an automatic car coupler. The
idea Of it was olen by the blacksmith
l got to make the model for me. He
took out a patent. He's worth two
millions now. Three weeks ago his
wife gave me seventy-five cents for
cutting the grass in his front yard. ]
didn't sigh away the minutes. gentle
men. No sir, not a minute, not a
sigh Then and there, upon the foun-
dation of my blasted hopes and shat
tered fortunes, | set to work o invent
machine that would reyolutionize so.
Ciety, and the world. | finally decided
that my machine should be a mixer
what kind of n miIker?" Evans
asked, leaning forward in his chair.
IAN electric mixer" replied the
Man, IAN electric mixer of the most
improved pattern"
Storage battery?" inquired Adams
with a little smile.
Yes, storage battery" answered
The Man, "and the following seven
years of my life were put in perfec ting
that mixer, but nuw-you will pardon
me. gentlemen, If appear foolish, not
TO say childish, but whenever | think
Of those lorg, long days spent in my
workshop toiling over the details in
the construction of that mixer am
carried away by my emotion and can
not keep back the tears"
And with greasy old red and white
bandana handkerchief The Man wiped
away the gathering moisture from
his eyes.
He resumed. "Yes, my friends" he
said, upon that mixer based all nv
hopes of future greatness. In my
dreams | saw the multituCes surginp
around me. | saw mothers point me
out 10 their children; saw Young .ner
gaze at me with looks Of awe and ad
miration mingled in their eyes, and
saw old men remove their hats when
passed among them. And in my wax
ing hours | seemed TO hear the crast
and roar as my name went laundering
Gown the corridors of the ages YET tc
come. Those were happy days, gentle
men, and ! was the happiest man or
earth; for had ! not perfected the most
astonishing machine man had eve1
dreamed Of? How little then did
ever think that ii would turn out 10 be-
Frankonstein that would rise up in
its might and destroy me at one fell
swoop. Yes, thought l. wealth and
fame and name will be mine as soon a,
get il on the market"
Wont you tell US about the machin,
itsef?" asked Cltaver. Cant you tel
us the principle upon which it wa
constructed, how il was operated anC
all about it?"
The Man looked out into vacancy
for a moment, and then crossing hi
right leg over the left knee and tap