The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-09-12

Il never said but onct that there was
any man as vas too good TO be HOBO. -
said Lobster pete. as he sat Gown by the
camp IRE on the Potomac Flats and ate
the handOut that Cornneal Ike had
brought FOR his supper Il can't be ae-
c-sed Of havin' sentiment. fur / always
have contended that there Amt no %
nance about life on the road 4 Teller
can't get onto the rice points O. human
nature when he's hun;in' around far
sCmethin' 20 cat SOthin' takes the hifa-
Iutin' idees out OF man 80 much as ia be-
uncertain whether he's goin' TO eat In the
next twenty-four hours. or mebbe longer
than that.
But / did see a man onct that was a
gentleman, an he liked me- ! liked him.
100. an there want anything / wouldn't
a done fur MIN If he'd asked II. Mebbe
J. VAS because / was youngeTn | am now
fUr Teller does feel "A leetle warmer
toward mis- comrades when his blood flows
At a faster gait. Ike, ] reckon you've
herd me speak o Bill. Gentleman Bill.
We called him. ! didn't know his other
name, but I never cared to ask him at the
time, cause he seemed to want IL kept
quiet. But he was true blue, an / knowed
the only reason why he want dom some
thin way up was because the sperrit had
ali died out IN him. He had grit, 100.
That was Why ! happened to meet him.
Il had jest been vEgged in Kansas City
and hadn't been out o hook fur more n
four hours before 1 tried TO git out o.
Town on the Santa Fe II was in De-
Cembsr, and there was a right smart cold
snap that made il uncomfortable to 20
without yer oyercoat. When the Johnny
Law picked me up ii was in October an |
GidT't have no need of additions 10 my
wardrobe. / tried 10 make IL on a var
Eished car, but the porters was keepin'
their peppers on the blind baggage an
80 | had 10 take a freight ! thought it
was goin' slow, fur. IL had lot o. empties
bound fur the southwest
Hoboss 1T Cold.
But / got inside of a car an found Il
full o hoboes. all maxim fur warmer
climate. 1t was cold in there, an we had
10 git close together TO keep warm. We
set along the side of the car like sardines,
an it happened that the teller ! was next
10 was this Gentleman Pill. He had a
purity good front on him fur hobo He
want dressed so good, fur that matter.
but d man like him didn't need TO be
a
he was the right sort. He let me have
some OF his tobacco. an let me tell We
right now 1t amt every man thatU do
that. He didn't have much TO say. The
rest was all cussin' an swearin' about
beln' froZe 10 death, but Bill he never
complained a bit.
There was a leetle mite O. straw in
the car, an there was some taxpayer, an
II
they was stiff some one lowed we'd
better start a fire jest 10 take the chill
OF. the car, an let us warm our hands.
The freight had been about four hours
out o Wyandotte. acrost the river frum
X. c.. an il had been goin' pretty fast.
il looked like IL was three in the mornin'
Bill was agin the idee o. startin' the fire,
cause he said We was gittin' nigh onto
Empory, an the brakes nd come an look
into the car when We got there | sided
in with Bill, cause / seen that he was
level-headed. But the rest o. the hoboes
was so near crazy with cold that they
wouldn't listen 10 nothin', an they
scraped up the straw an teched a match
10 IL. II burned all right fur a time.
an the boys began TO git their hands
warm. an il looked like il would be all
right after all. But the car got clean full
o smoke, an everybody began to git
choked.
Car Caught Fire.
Then We seen that the floor was all
on fire. 1t had grease O. some kind on il,
an before we knowed 1t the whole car
was blazin' up. To make the thing worse
one fool went an opened the door. In
less than minute the flames had jumped
10 the roof of the car, an everybody got
10 yellin bloody murder Jest at that
minute we heerd the whistle blow fur
the brakes. an the freight was stopped
about as quick as ever one could be,
"All the time the hoboes was howlin'
Bill was tryin' 10 put out the fire | lit
in an helped him out We took off our
coats an beat il off the floor an walls
The others Jest watched us an kept on
hollerin'. As soon as the train slowed up
every blasted one but Bill an me hoped
on an struck out acrost the country.
The whole train crew came an COL
Jared me an Bill. fur the fire died out as
soon as the draft made by runnin so fast
was cut OFF. They way they cussed US
was somethin' fierce, but Bill he never
said word. He got close to me an
spoke so the brake couldn't hear
1T amt no use 10 say We didn't set
IRE TO the car. I'll take the blame an
say you didn't have no hand in it, That's
jest what he said. | told him / wouldn't
hear TO no sech thing.
They amt no use TO make a fool of
yerself,' seq he, gruff-like. 1t won't
make no difference 20 me where | 60
nor what / do. Let Me manage this busi-
ness
In Jail Together.
"They took us into the caboose after
they seen that the fire was all out. an
kept rs with EN- till they got 10 Empory
Then they sent US over 10 the jail BIZ
told EN- that he had set the car on fire
because h was cold an that l didn't
have no hand in IL. ! told the guard that
it want 50. an he believed me rather
Than Bill. ! told him how the whole thing
happened. After = while me an Bill was
Put in the same cell He was Jest as
gentle as a woman, but he wouldn't never
say nothin' about hisself He talked like
a gentleman. an one who had eddication
They want a thing crooked about his
eye He could look We right square in the
face | was dead certain he had done
somethin' or other but l was certain that
I'd a done the same thing if / had been
in his place.
time he kept sayin' They amt nothin'
! kin do to make anything out o. myself.
On / might as well be in the pen as any
place else. Pete, ye don't know what IL
means 10 lose all hope, an 10 know that
yer own kin folks look on ye as an out
cast
"Onet In a while I wanted TO ask him
what the trouble was. but he was a man
We didn't dare to push fur information I'M
less he was a mind to give IL to ye hisself.
OF course M talked like a man who had
book lesruin'. an he used TO make me
ashamed o. myself. ] never could figger
out why he took fancy TO me, unless 1t
was because he somehow thought a hobo
could be square. When the trial come of
they let us go. Bill said he wouldn't in
sIst that he was guilty. They let me git
on the stand first. an l told d straight
story. seen that the jedge took my word
an when Bal! come on they jest asked
IT,. wyh.F 1 said egas b.a