Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1902-01-23

feed as easy as / can get my clothes.
he laments. life would be easy.
Though Sammy talks with all the
idiosyncracies of language OF the IL
iiterate, he reads only the best iltera-
tire: ancient history and travels are
his fayorites. He can repeat passage
after passage OF scripture and can
hold his own in any theological dis
cussion. When he is in a genial
mood which means that he has had
a good meal and is warm both inside
and out, he may entertain his listen
ers for hours with stories Of stolen
rides on the bumpers or under the
\ cow-catcher. But a tramp is in his
glory when he can steal into a pas
senger and double up in tool-box
back of the tender OF the engine.
That's what we call palace car rid
ing" says Sammy.
But don't you ever get thrown off
the cars by the brakemen?" he, was
asked.
Used to, but don't no more" is all
the information he will vouchsafe.
Oftentimes he will crawl on the top
of the mail cars and, lying fiat, hold
on for dear life while the express is
speeding along at the rate of so miles
an hour "Taint no fun riding that
way. though, especially when it's
raining" He knows every railroad
crossing in the middle states and is
familiar with all the railroad signals.
He usually travels at night, and If he
meets a train, whether freight or pas
senger, he can tell where II Is bound
for, the schedule time it is due, the
names of Its crew, and in many cases
the number of the engine. He is
walking encyclopedia of railway in
formation and can give explicit direc-
tions how to reach any station in any
Of the larger cities throughout the
west.
How do you keep warm when rid
ing in a coal car this cold weather,
Sammy
"Oh, that's an easy one. Just get
up against the front end inside and
curl up; the wind passing over while
the cars are going makes kind of
vacuum and it's warm there
What's the matter with an empty
box carr"
He shook his head. TOO risky;
liable to get locked in.
Sammys Nemesis is an iron ore
car, and when he is in hard luck he
is always sure to strike one. He has
recently returned to town from a
short trip. He came in on an iron
ore car, and when he dropped off at
Tramps' depot he was a sight for a
character sketch artist: ragged, un-
kempt weather beaten and covered
with the yellow iron dust.
After much coaxing. Sammy took a
pencil and initiated his listener into
some of the mystic signs whereby
zone of the profession" can tell by
a glance at seemingly insignificant
scratch on a gate post whether the
heart of the mistress of that partic-
ular house is easily touched by q we'll
tale of woe, or whether
there is a big bulldog in the back
yard that has an antipathy for Weary
Willies.
A square means, not only a square
meal. but that you will be invited
in TO sit down at the table. If il is
a circle on the gate post, a nice meal
will be handed out on a plate with
a cup of coffee. A long straight line
signifies a mere handout of cold Wet
uals. while If the lady wraps the
lunch up in a neat package to carry
away a double cross is marked OIL
her front gate.
zone time" and he tells you this
with the air of man who is confd
ing to you the story of his lifes
greatest mistake, 81 worked for near
ly year on a farm in Nebraska, but
I saved sl2O." he adds as If in extern
uation of his crime of having worked
Columbus looked good to Sammy,
and being a little off his wandering
ways, he concluded to stay as long
as times were good Except for short
intervals. he has made this city his
headquarters for the past six years
He does odd jobs now and then and
sleeps oh most any old place"
which usually means an empty box
car in the Big Four yards. Columbus
(OO Press.