Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-30

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| for months and then go. with their pay on
them, into saloons where they know they
will be drugged If there Is any chance.
Perhaps they are lucky after all. They
ready to go to work again in a few hours.
Tales of the Blanket Stins.
After supper. especially II there is n camp
fire to gather around, Is when one learns
most about the pasts of his fellow work
| men. Perhaps one will tell about driving
dray In a London fog; another about
sealing or whaling in Alaskan waters; an
other about the price Of cigarettes in Cairo.
Egypt; another about the queer noises a
dago once made with his legs sticking out
OF an ash barrel in an alley OFF Baxter
street, New York.
An Oregon man told us one time about
being knocked endways while defending a
pig pen. He attempted to rest a gun across
a bear to take a shot at a stump. Some
times California men tell about the big
ranch where they had the plates nailed to
the table and washed the dishes with a
hose. think it was in Red Cliff. Colo,
according to the story, that a man found
an ear on the ground the morning after he
came to town. He discovered before long,
that it was his own ear.
cockney once went to a house where
two doors opened onto one porch He pull.
ed both bells and II happened that both
were answered at the same time. Mad
am" he said. will you please get me a
clean shirt while this other lady puts mo
up lunch"
"seen-Better-Days" Men.
Seen-betterdays men are common among
blanket stiffs Some are past redemption.
Others are only temporarily unfortunate,
or prospectors working for a grub stake.
Most men say that they will always go
hungry two or three days before they can
get courage enough to go against the back
door. After they have once started they
don't mind It, l always had an idea that
If I went broke L would start to beg right
away for fear 1 would get hungry. At the
usual western rates Of railroad fare, 9 and
cents mile. a man can make wages
walking. Men seldom beat trains with
blankets, except for short distances In
making long trips they either ship their
bedding or leave 1t behind entirely.
A hobo stew, or Mulligan has great stay
ing qualities. An Irish stew is a Mulligan
But Mulligan is not necessarily, simply
an Irish stew. Anything goes In a hobo
Muliigan. even If it is paid for. 1t is gen.
orally cooked in fve-gallon coal oil can
| and eaten from tomato tins.
The commonest way to beat trains Is to
get into an empty box car. But on some
western roads one would make slow time
If he relied empties alone. Hoboes are
close students of car architecture. Refrig-
orator cars and cattle cars furnish many
hiding places. Even the commonest Cane3
such as sprnging doors of sealed freight
cars and riding on top of passenger cars.
would make a long list. An active man. by
the help of the handle at the bottom of the
side door, can swing under a box car after
the train is in motion. 1 have seen 1t dons.
A Wild Ride Beneath a Train.
On every standard gauge passenger coach
there are four places on the trucks where.
a man can ride Crawl over the axle and
you will find yourself In box-like space.
About six or eight inches above the ties is
cross formed by two 1-inch iron rods. A
man can sit on this cross, facing the axle,
with his feet on the rod that he sits on
I'd tn
Sfonals use a cheated board to make the
seat more comfortable. The rods that con-
troll the brakes run parallel with the shoul-
ders and do to hold on by. The back rests
against the framework of the truck. The
head is near against the floor of the
car. Unless looked for man the rods
can hardly be seen. even in the day time.
The first time 1 rode the rods on a pas
senger train was on a down grade In a
desert mountain country. 1 had good
chance to get on while the passengers and
crew were at supper. 1t was turning from
dusk to dark when the whistle blew, the
wheels turned and the ties began to slip
backward slowly, then fast. and faster. till
there was only yellow streak under me.
The quivering of the rods made the muscles
of my legs tremble. Thrills shot up my
back We struck a curve. shower of
sparks fell from the wheels the brakes
were set. The car swayed overhead.
heard some one walk over me. l had heard
stories of men who fell off the rods to oe
picked up in coal oil can or gunny sack.
neither sleepy nor drunk. l was in no real
danger, the c,ose quarters and the i'm
possibility of changing them till the train
stopped made me fell pitifully helpless
But the whiZzing, dusty air, the grand
swaying racket and roar, varied as we
went through cuts, or over bridges, or
plunged across the open, had an intoxicat-
ing effect AT times l shouted and sung
like a maniac. l could understand better
snatch of song I had once heard:
Oh. do not be afraid
When you IRE going down the grade.
Put your faith right In the Lord,
Keep your seat upon the board.
When you ride the little rods beneath the car.
About the third or fourth stop a shack
came mouching along and spotted me with
his lantern. The conductor was about to
start the train. but the brake said:
Hold on, Here's a friend of yours"
What is he doing?'
Wearing his coat tail out
Get him out of there.
So l had to change cars.
w. II. MCCORMICK.