The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-18
TRAMPs AND TRAMPs.,
How Vasr cy Is Reduced to Fine
Art.

From the London Express
There are tramps and tramps, just as
there is work'us masters and work us
masters. There is as much difference
atween the arachure or moo beginner an
the reg'lar professional as there Is atween
chalk an milk"
The speaker was q bronze browed, time
torn, storm stressed person, who in his
own peculiar calling stood unriva1ed AS
he took pains to explain, he was born a
tramp. reared a tramp, and thoroughly
nodded by taste and circumstance. into
perfect specimen of the genius. 1t was
his proud boast that he knew every high
road In the kingdom. and that there was
no workhouse master but had greeted him
as guest
"Tramping is a fine art" he told me
when l overlook him on his way to the
worlhouse which serves Maidstone and
the surrounding district. Its mistake
to run away thinking we folks is a set
of empty noodles We have somethin' in
our brain pans what the world don't give
us 'af enough credit for. Propes wag-
rants as they call us. is we'll up In the
worlds 'appenings We read the noos-
papers, an that's an eddication In itself
"Wot's our stock in trader" He re-
peated the question, stopped suddenly
and stared thoughtfully up at the blue
II see a perice told the beak (magis-
trate) In an East London court that he'd
found a road map on one OF us. l
laughed when I read 1t till I thought
would ave died. Why, them maps Is
one of our cherished institutions. I've got
one myself Seel' ..Hl..
He gave a rapid glance around to make
sure that he was not overlooked. Then
The drew from the breast pocket of the
ragged garment which once had been
coat a greasy foul-odored packet, and
handed 1t to me for my inspection. IL con-
tanned curious documents. Each page did
duty for some special act of county
long, curling line showed the highroad,
while the offshoots were indicated by
lines sweeping off at a variety of angles.
/ For all the world. 1t was like a fishbone
worked in charcoal. The first of the series
the one which was evidently then In
use-bore at the foot the legend
This Rode Leds From Sevenoaks"
/ At irregular intervals there appeared
J number of mystic symbols. such as a
/ cross, a reaplng hook a triangle, "a cross
within circle and a square. The trans
| lation of these characters is quite simple
TO the scientific vagrant. The cross marks
the habitation of the uncharltable; the
r-zH nook the peddlars PARADISE; the
tr.a4s the house which has been sur
laHfl Ia tramps; the circle and cross. the
8Haas u religious people who are kind
+ is #a sserVing, but severe and uncom-
8.H#H.. +; toward impostors; the square-a
a.ahr With a meaning borrowed from
Nfaal )nry-marks the residence of peo-
nie E. can always be relied upon to as
aisf tired Wayfarer who can tell
fHH t1Iz'
t? Not llkelyl" said the model
IiaH he cutched eagerly at the pack
q. la eplaced 1t in his breast pocket.
eNa trouble enough to get em, an
ftae'r sefuler than you can think. You
ut cos em, at price. II you so wish.
asHg mt a reglar market for EN-
i5e me draws EN- out. an then sells
t5 20. to a tracing
0 lrse, they Amt so much use un-
a We got some experience There's
a1l lgns as marks the kind of house
..I. cant. an In most cases the
crosse squares and whatnots Is penclled
Ell e4nH upon the 'ouses themselves
sst acres a good deal more as real
a.4af1r1 must understand. For instance,
llere he casuals. Why, worSuses is
among he most unreliable OF 'uman in
tila De- 5. Now, the one I'm goin' to used
O ta l. You'd spend your night ave
s. 20. feed an off next morning like
q f But it's all changed now" He
t the contrast between the new
good old times THE reg lars as
stone in an iron cage, and get
little for 1t. too. All, I've 'eerd
out II, but as | amt been there
5, an as the master there don't
e, I'm 'oping to get off cheap.
...I#as | guess I'm a bit of an invalid
ce heightened and settled into
.rlss,ay expression Of lugubriosty. His
EtI nged into an uncertain halt, and
+ ST. us of unmelodious groans escaped
#s Has "Wot do you think OF that,
5v4far for a. bit of acting?" he said,
If#=. with twinkle In his eyes, "a
trans s OF succeeds has to be as clever
le a9y actor on the boards. You ave to
Hldes 6aracters pretty smartly,A too.
Sonnet IS yerve to be as merry as
Asr 3 hook, and sometimes as gloomy
shadnezzar hlsseif
Z f .,ra n of casuals-Clitheroe used to be
eHa ion AS O country 'ouse-a sort
4 tea4a air retreat-it were Al at Lloyd's
ec35sary cell business an starvation
s fe ne for 1t. At one time 80 many
Us at there, an made 1t our recruit
on that it was actually proposed
uii' should be stuck up, '1ramps. be-
are Re shoot en-
ueaa4a with Yarmouth an 'Eme Emp
he Yarmouth big wigs started
.ef5te realkin'. That's the sort Of thing
.aia he cart out OF a fellow. Why,
.e- vas begun there's not a quarter
las ash honor 1t with our patronage
rRav 'ad a ghost as 'Emel Empsted'
lfea threatened to find out at var
.a,s4h Now I'd like to know wot tramp
"a = rthy of his name an profession
- ~ FIX ed by a spook. Granite'll fright
s,r light enough, but ghosts--fude!
aeh5 fsrss for ghosts?' He snapped his
gers I'D laughed scornfully
- net all sorts and kinds OF wag-
He grew reminiscent. Some OF
SAD anne. many more OF 'em deserved
~ ME greatest Of EN- all was chap l
s. -,a oss at Knutsford. He carried
y. III 8, notebooks, closely written In
II. There was crowded into 'em
81 'art. IF out Of the way items Of infor-
- sH He could tell at look the ex-
s..s asfvft OF giants and dwarfs, the num-
5s- etters in the Bible and the num-
eaf ores in Yorkshire.
a-Es q called by outsiders the 'ency-
zsrtsl't tramp. but we wot was In the
s,e obed him the betting wagrant
H. gaufi bet on anything, refer to his
h4os al win.
~ ~ mrs life. sir? Well. perwidin
sg,.a know VS. his business, an Is complete
80 ff.ct in his profession. e can ave
r n time Of It. Hes free as the air,
lndeerae ant as an ancient Roman. lives