The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1900-01-27

ISHdHSeu- 10 Suit the Season as Well
as the Time of Day as Well as the
/ Character of the Person Appealed
(, To-The Tramp's Wardrobe-Sun-
day the Wost Day of AII-Lady
""ho Treated a Tramp as a Guest,
! Forgetting He Was Beggar. T.
Besides studying the persons of whom
ne pegs and to whom he adapts his ghost
stores as their different natures require,
| the tramp has also to keep in mind the
llme or day, the state of the weather and
the character of the community in which
ne IS begging. That is, of course, the ex-
pert tramp. The ANA teur plumbers on re-
gardless of these important details, and
asks for things. which have no relation to
the time of the day, the seasons or the
| locality.
It's bad form, for instance, to ask early
IN the morning for money to buy a glass
OF whisky, and it is equally inopportune
10 request contribution toward
! the purchase Of a railway ticket late
at night. The tenderfoot is apt to make
ooth OF these mistakes, the expert, never
| Inc steady patrons of beggars, and all old
| hands at the business have such, seldom
| realize how completely adjusted to local
conditions ghost stories are. They prob
ably think that they have heard the story
told to them time and again and in the
same way, but if they observe carefully
they will generally find that either in
the incubation of the voice or the tone Of
| expression it is different on rainy DAYS,
|
sun shines. It takes a trained ear to dis
crlmlnate, and expert beggars realize that
IT. en- " Inc " skill is lost even on persons
VINO give to them, but they are artists in
their way and believe in art for arts sake
men, too, 1t is possible that they will
encounter somebody who will appreciate
their talent and this is also a gratifica-
| ton. ...
| speaking generally, there is more beg
g1ng done in winter than in summer, and
IN me East and North than in the South
and West, but some of the cleverest beg
Snis taxes place in the warm months
IL Is comparatively easy to get something
10 at and a bed in lodging house when
the thermometer stands 10 degrees be-
10" zero. A man feels mean in refusing
an appeal TO his generosity at this time of
the year. Il may be cold and hungry
some day myself he thinks, and he gives
the beggar dime or Two.
|. In summer, on the other hand the
tramp has no freezing weather tn boln
MIN out and has to invent excuses. Even
the story OF no work is of little use in
the summer. This is the season as a
RUE when, work lis most plentiful and
Mhen wages are highest, and the tramp
SHOWS it~and Is aware that the public also
| understands this much of politica1 econ.
! omv. Nevertheless, he must live in sum
| 1l!er as We'll as in winter, and he has to
pan dl1terently for both seasons.
Inc mann difference between his sum-
| niei ana winter campaigns is that he gen.
| elaly travels In summer, taking in the
| small towns where people are less ..on
| 10 hlm, and where there are all kinds of
Tree doses (places to Sleep in the shape
| OIL BARNS and empty homes. In November
ne returns to the cities again to get the
| benefit Of the cold weather dodge. or
Texas. oi'o
| Irooaoly 1900 Eastern and Northern
! tramps winter in the South every ve.r
Their luck there seems to be entire1v ~.
| ulVloual; some do well and others bare
| ~ i've. They are all glad, however. to
| return North in April and go over their
| old routes again.
AN amusing experience that I had not
!o1ls ago illustrates the different kind of
: ~o~o~>No
| mer campaign. So far as know. he has
! never made use of the story that did me
! sucn good service, and that was told in
all truthfulness, but it has since occurred
| 70 me that he might find it useful, and
| relate 1t here so that the reader NAV
tot pe taken unawares If some tramp
| snould attempt to get the benefit of #
IN the spring of 1898 had to make an
| inspection for railroad company Of the
| tramp situation on some railroads in the
mlodle west. During the first month of
the investigation I lived like a veritable
tramp SO far as travelling was concerned,
| but L paid for my meals out Of funds
sent to me in small installments bv y
friend In the East. Once the remittance
from the East was delayed a little, and
| l FOUND myself one day at dinner time
| down to my last nickel
| was travelling in quite a company of
FOUNDERS, and on the day in question we
were oeatlng our way on a freight train
toward a. town where there was a poor
mousse night shelter. Noontime found us
all hungry, and we got off the train at
| a small village to look for lunch It was
such a diminutive place that it was de-
! clded that each man should pick out his
particular beat, and confine his search
to the few houses it contained. If some
tailed to get anything, those who were
more successful were to bring back hand
! outs.
! My beat was so sparsely settled that I
| nardly expected to get so much as a
| piece or bread, because the entire village
was known to hate tramps, but an in
SEPARATION came to me as I was crossing
the fields, and got a set-down and
| hand-out at the first house I visited
The interview at the back door ran
| thus:
! MADAM she was rather a severe
looking woman, Il have exactly cents
| IN my pocket and I am awfully hungry
l know that you don't keep boarding
house, but have come to you thinking
! that you will give me more for my nickel
than the storekeeper will over in the
village shall be obliged to you If you
will help me OUT s - -.-.------.
look Of surprise came into the wom-
ans face. wssA new species to her,
and I knew it, AMI she knew it.
| Don't know whether we've got any.
I thing you want" she said, as If I were
O guest rather than wayfarer.
Anything will do. madam, anything -
| replied, throwing into my words all
| the sincerity Of which a hungry man is
capable. She invited me into the dining
room, and gave me a most satisfying
meal. There were no conversational in
i terruptions. ate my meal in silence,
and the woman watched me. The new
lspecies interested her.
Just as was finishing she put some
sandwiches, cake and pie into a newspa-
per. had made good Impressions.
There" she said, as was about to go.
you may need It.
held out my nickel and thanked her.
She blushed and put her hands behind
| her back.
II don't keep a hotel" she said rather
Indignantly.
But madam, want to pay YOU I'm
mo beggar."
! you wouldn't have got It II you had
been. Good-by.'
been said, are largely regulated by CIR