The San Francisco call., 1908-09-20

roosting on our respective hunks, dis
robing, tucking our clothes securely
under our pillows, for no man may be
trusted here, rolling final cigarettes to
be smoked surreptitiously when the
porter left the dormitory, luxuriating
in the feel of the blankets beneath our
weary bodies. even though they were
stale. unwashed. evil smelling rags.
The hunks in all these houses are
arranged alike in tiers of two or three
as they are in the focastle of a ship,
packed in to fill every available bit of
space in the room. leaving only little
alleys between the tiers. The beds are
either canvas cots or wooden boxes IN
which usually a straw mattress and a
single blanket are arranged. Some
times there are sheets and pillows. The
bedding is invariably unclean and vile
with the accumulated smells OF dirty
bodies that have rested in them. The
army barracks usually make pre-
tense at keeping their beds passably
clean and wholesome-that was why
always selected an army barracks
whenever possible while in the under
world. But this one 1 found horrible
exception 70 the general rule.
There were two adjoining dormitories
on the same floor in this barracks. each
containing, 1 should judge, some so
hunks. The reaction from the restraint
of the religious exercises was breaking
out in the crowd OF squirming, smok-
ing, drinking, red eyed. noisy men that
now occupied them, men of whom con-
ditions or habits had made beasts for
the most part / rolled my blanket
about me over IN a dark corner where
] had pre-empted a bunk and watched
the unfoldment Of the man play, the
bestiality, the pathos and the grim hu-
NOR in this group of Jared loose
humans during the hour before they
finally would lie down to court oblivion
in the blankets of the 1op"-the only
home they knew
The dim shine OF the two lighted
lamps at each end of the room sent
weird shadows of distorted men flicker
ing against ceilings gray and feathered
with cobwebs. Horrible. unclean
smells began to settle heavy upon the
imprisoned air. A strange, unoccount-
able fear of the men about me, uneasy
in their hunks. began to possess me.
even though I was at this time thor
oughly familiar with tho men and the
resorts of vagabonds, that unwhole-
some vagabonds which intrenched IT.
self behind the most leprous ramparts
of the larger cities (not the better sort
which clasps tho irons of a train and
goes racing across the clean, open
sweeps Of country between mountain
range and mountain range. from prairie
to the sea-.
The Tale of Novice
Presently through the wrangle I
noted Q silent, frightened man, the
light Illuminating in part his drawn
features, stealing through the maze of
cots looking for an unoccupied bed.
When he came near / invited him,
tugged to 1t by some strain of pity
stronger than the reserve born Of much
harsh experience in the world of buns
and shams. to sit on my bunk until we
could locate the porter and see about
finding him place. He seemed more
than grateful for the invitation and
clembered up beside me on the top
most bunk OF the tier. We sat there
most OF the night, watching the Jet
sam about us. talking. opening up to
each other az msn will some times un-
der these circumstances Soon I had
his story. I had known from the nrst.
Of course, by the white. frixhtened
face OF him. that he had but Just been
kicked into this lower strata of wrecks
and that the shock OF Il still staggered
him. He had slept IN q neighborfng
kip" the night bsfnrs. his FIRST night
In the undsrtow. and his story of that
nights exrerisnos. told with wide, al
most chfldlike Spreading Of the eyes
and with naive though intelligent mar
ration OF the upper class of country
folk, fs thing will long remember
for its dramatic intensity. He was
one OF those who are so out OF place
In kip" that their presence there is
elmoet startling; the average bum holds
1tocf 1suE arab . o7s through Ger