West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1903-08-20
TALES Of A TRAMP.
He Tells How lie Caused n strike and
Then Called it on Again

as a dilapidatcd gentleman, | have
of course met up with all phases
of human nature" said the tramp,
as he pocketed his quarter and
settled down for a talk. 81 can't
say much for it in general. l have
found nine-tenths of tho people
selfish to degree, and rarely have
l found anything like sympathy.
The fact seems to be that every
body, from the tramp up, is OH
the make.
81 was thinking the other day of
a little incident that occurred to
me in Pennsylvania several years
ago. AsI entered the gate ofa farm
yard, the well caved in on the far
mer who was digginng it. The
beams and boards went over him
in such a way as TO prevent his
being smothered, but at the same
time held him fast. There was no
one around but his wife, who had
just got off q sick bed, and the
nearest house was two miles away.
didn't lose any time going after
help. got q shovel and began
digging, and it took five hours Of
the hardest kind Of work. The first
thing he did was to fall upon my
neck and offer me half his posses
sions. His grateful expressions
continued for half an hour, and
then we sat down to a very plain
supper and he began to cool of.
"'You dug me out, of course, but
| was in no great danger and could
have waited until tomorrow.
want you to know that appreciate
your work, but | do think you
ought to pay me at least 10 cents
extra for this supper
81 had the money and | paid
and left. He offered TO let me sleep
in the cow-shed and furnish break
fast at a reasonable figure, but !
thought it best to jog ON.
| "At another time, in Ohio, O
farmers team ran away and threw
him out and nc broke his leg.
caught the horses, got him into
the wagon and drove him home
| Then | went for the doctor, drove
to the village druggist, and sat uI
with the patient all night. He wa
profuse In his thanks, telling IN,
that / should have home will
him for a year, but when | hat
fed the stock and MIXED the COW,
next morning and was ready Il
tackle the woodpile, he called IN,
in and said
al have been thinking thing
over, and ! guess you'd bette
move on. Provisions are very higl
this fall, and my wife says yo,
have a notorious appetite. Here
10 cents and ! hope you will &c
into some business and quit tramI
ing
'It was a bit tough OH me,
smiled the tramp, "but no NOR
than | might have expected.
walked off without taking hi
money, and he did not call m
back.
'1t was in Indiana that / az
piled to factory one day for work
having had enough Of the high
way for awhile. The owner Of tn
works was fat, pompous man
who imagined himselfgreater thai
the President, and though | spok
TO him civil enough he gave me
blessing for daring TO speak at al
and ordered me off the premises
| couldn't go fast enough 10 pleas
him, or didn't, and as Inc hay
pened to be a justice Of the peac
as we'll as a capitalist, he had m
arrested as a vagrant and sent 10
TO jail for 20 days. The iailer wa
a decent man and / got along a
right, but ] felt IL my duty to e,
even with Old Pomposity. II
had $40 men in his shop, an
they were working only min
hours, and had good pay. Ther
was nothing whatever for one
kick about, but as soon as / z,
my liberty started a little schem,
| got hold Of crowd Of about 2
in a saloon after working houI
and broached the subject of eigl
hours a day and 10 per cent MOI
wages. They all smiled at firs
/ b,tf "A ,,,oe,,ft lc,,1. -. ,.....