Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1908-10-02
EXPERIMENTING
ON A TRAMP.

and drove into the yard, strange
spectacle greeted her. What might be
called the north end Of a man was pro-
truding from kitchen window. The
case was plain. His trousers and shoes
showed him to belong to the genus
tramp. He had called and, finding the
house alone, had forced up the sash
of the window and started to climb in.
At the halfway point the sash had
come down on the small of his back,
and he was held as securely as If he
had been handcuffed and shackled.
The widows face beamed with sat
isfaction as she entered the house to
take a look at his phiz. Yes, it was a
tramp and a hulking big fellow at
that. She went outdoors with look
of anticipation in her eyes and hunted
I'D a bit Of board of just the right
shape, and for the next half hour she
was a busy woman. She stood off at
just the right distance from the win
dow, and the board rose and fell with
amazing regularity and vigor. The
tramp kicked his legs about and in
dulged in remarks, but the wallopfng
did not end until the woman had tired
herself out. Then she took down the
clothesline and wrapped it around the
tramp's legs about forty times, en-
;n,j hi u-..i Sf
securely, and then raised the sash and
let him fall backward on the grass.
AS he lay there she came out to bend
over him and ask:
"Well, how do you feel now"
Il don't exactly know" was the
reply.
This is an experiment on my part
l want to bring you to state of hum
bleness Do you think l have accom-
pltshed it?''
Eyes; feel humber than l did. It's
risks of it."
"Oh, I'll look out for the risks. just
make yourself as comfortable and as
humble as you can, and when the hired
man comes up I'll see to your case fur
| Their"
Two hours later the tramp's hands
were unbound and food set before him
| The food consisted of bread and water
There was a consistency in humble
man eating humble fare When he had
finished eating he was again made Sc
cure and dragged to the barn and lock
ed up in the granary for the night.
1.-THE next step Is to arouse your am
| bit1on," said the widow as she left
him, 'and III tell you my programme
in the morning. I hope to find your
humbleness greatly increased by then
Do you still feel humility bubbling UP
in your soul?"
81 do, marin, and am sorter afraid
Of it. It's new feelin', and don't
know what it's going to lead to. It's
an experiment, is it?"
ut is"
"Then you must take the risks, as
said before I understands myself as a
cheeky tramp, but when you come to
make humble tramp Of me that's DIFF.
| ferent."
Next morning the fellow was hauled
out Of the barn and asked If any add
| tional feeling had come to him during
the night, and he replied:
| II think there has, marm / think
I'm feeling what you call ambitious
this morning find myself thinkin' OF
work without the usual feelin's OF
dread accompanyin' it. That's ambi
ton, take it?'
| Eyes"
| But don't blame me, marin, if any.
thin happens When you go for to i'm
plant new feelin's In the breast of q
tramp you can't tell what he's goin' to
do"
"Will you take hoe and go to worh
in the field if give you a good break
| fast?''
| II will, marin. I'm sorter Gurus my
self to see what's goin' to result from
this new feelin'"
| The first result was breakfast thai
should have done for three hired men
1t kept the widow on the jump to keeI
the table supplied. He wasn't eating
on his humility appetite, but on his
ambitious one. When he had finished
at last he was asked to cut some wooG
before going to the field. In the course
Of ten minutes he shivered two al
handles and gave cherry tree NOR
tai blow. Started for the field to as
sist the hired man, he tramped ovel
the tomato and cucumber patches, tore
down a panel of rail fence getting ovel
1t and In the course Of another hall
hour had welded his hoe so vigorous
ly among the turnips that he had dug
| up two bushels with the weeds and
! broken the blade. The hired mar
| sought to curb him He was a lusty
| hired man that had licked over score
| Of tramps, but they had been tramps
without ambition. When he tackled
| this one he was laid on his back forth
with
Then the tramp headed for the barn
and with club he smashed the spokes
out Of three wheels of the family car
riage. He pulled the harness down
and dragged it about, kicked the horse
out Of the stable. broke up the wheel
barrow and pounded the tanning mill
and he was shoveling oats out of the
| granary window on to the ground
when the widow came out and said:
'This was an experiment on my
part. you know"
Eyes, marin. and l told you to look
out for results
II think you'd better drop your feel
ings Of humility and ambition Here's
FIVE dollar bill. and you may &c
along" NJ QUAD.
The moons surface contains ahout