The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1908-06-11
A Tramp's One Chance.
[orlg1na,:1.

am tramp. I've always been q
tramp, and suppose I'll always be a
tramp. had a chance once to be
better. or supposed | had
but didn't avail myself of it. The
reason didn't was because couldn't.
Anyway IL l had succeeded in making
q new start doubt IL I'd have kept up
the effort. There are people fitted for
statesmen, soldiers. business-profes-
sional men, sailors. roustabouts. serv-
ants and tramps. was made for a
tramp.
The chance refer to was this:
was in my travelling carriage one day
mean on the truck under railway
car-when l espied paper that had
been caught in a crevice. 1t looked
like bank bill. and its denomination
appeared to be a dollar. couldn't
reach it till the train stopped, and l
was afraid it would become detached
before that. was half an hour look
ing at it, wondering all the while how
it got there. 1t had probably been
dropped by some one, most likely at a
station. had been sucked up when the
train was in motion and got lodged In
the crevice, the sides of which had
been compressed from some cause or
other to hold it.
AS soon as the train came to a stop
reached for it. What was my astonish-
ment to find that the II" had been
looking at was followed by three
naughts. was the possessor of
thousand dollar bill. No sooner had I
become conscious of my good fortune
than ! crumpled 1t In my fist and made
for a field near the station at which
the train had stopped. Seeing barn,
and. reclining on the hay, thought what
should do with my find.
| spent a whole afternoon thinking.
| We tramps take lot of pleasure In
thinking, just as other people take
pleasure in acting. The tramp to en-
joy his profession should be castle
builder. The afternoon I spent con-
juring up fortunes obtained with my
thousand dollars was the happiest in
my life. l would go to the city. buy
out a little shop, be economical and in
dustrious, enlarge my business, make
money, invest it and in time become q
multimilionaire. Then | would travel
inside instead of under coaches and
see bigger world than I could see
tramping in America.
1t wouldn't do for one that all the
world could see was a tramp to offel
thousand dollar bill for q railroad
ticket. The agent couldn't change 4
If he would. So tramped to the city
When | got there thought the frs
thing for me to do would be to fix my
self up. Going into mammoth stor
where they sold clothing, ! asked t
see suit about my size. The clerl
went away and came back with
spick and span fellow-a sort of foo
walker, | reckon-who hemmed an,
hawed and said that goods were onl
sold there for cash. | pulled out m,
bill and showed it to him, asking if b
could change it. He looked at
dumfounded and said he'd see. I'll
went back to the Office and-I slid Out
could see by the look In his eye tina
he'd gone to call "A policeman.
What was suffering from mos
about that time was vacant stomach
went to a restaurant and took
seat at a table. None of the waiter
came near me, but presently the pre-
prietor did and asked me if hadn
got into the wrong place. What coul
l do-ask him If he'd give me mes
on thousand dollar bill? Not mucf
told him 1 had thought the place
restaurant. but l reckoned was mi:
taken; sorry I'd intruded. And l wer
out.
Somehow I didn't see where l wa
! going to begin. Besides. couldn't /
an all fred while finding out. for ha
no place but the park to sleep and nj
= crust to put in me. You see.
wasn't used to city life. If I-tried
, buy out a shop or rent one and buy
, stock of goods to put in it the momel
. showed my bill the gentleman
owner would ask me to sit down viii
: he got the change and would telephor
Il the police. | went about trying to g
e some one to give me meal, but eli
$ servants are not used to beggars, e.
8 cept those who beg for money. ar
4 they all shut the door in my face
Finally when I was nearly starved
u struck a little house. where my rir
was answered by girl about ninetet
n years old. That girl was either TO
e or she was altogether out of place
this world. l never struck such gret
hue even in the country. She took n
/. in and gave me what she had to es
" then sat down and talked to me, loo
T" ing all the while out of her symp
: thetic eyes at me to cheer me up. s.
+ must have known that misery Low
I. company. She told me that she<was
!. love with young fellow who wasr
. gettiHgSalong very well and was goil