The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-02-09
THREE H0B0ES
RODE ACROSS TIE CONTINENT,
IN GREAT STYLE
BY Using the Household Effects Of
Col. Jones, Who Was Moving
From the Pacific.

Col. Jones, Who Was Moving
From the Pacific.
Atlanta, Feb. 6.-The Journal of
yesterday published on amusing story
of how three tramps crossed the con-
tinent in palace car style at the eX-
pense of Col. S. R. Jones, Chief
Quartermaster Of the Gulf Depart
ment, who was moveing his house
hold goods to the East. About one
week ago the Colonel ordered his
household goods to be shipped here
from Vancouver Barracks, which is
IN Washington State, towards the
northwest end OF the continent. Af-
ter the car had Deen packed, but be-
fore it had been locked, three tramps
who felt the nip Of the north, peeped
in through the crack of the door,
then crawled in cautiously When
the car began it's long trip south
ward, they were ensconsced snugly
inside.
The first day on the road they
unpacked Colonel Jones white iron
bed and set it up in one corner, then
they equipped it with warm blankets
and fringed counterpane, and one
drove nail into the side Of the car
and hung up a copy after Titan,
and unpacked a box containing the
cream of Colonel Jones library. One
seemed to take liking to a are
copy Of Omar Khayyam, another
selected Buttons Anatomy OF Melan-
choly," and the third turned his at
tention to Bernard Shaw.
Through the day they regaled
themselves on pure literature, but
towards evening, when the train
stopped at a town in the northwest,
one slipped from the car with few
Of the books under his arm, and
returned with a round bottle, rye
bread and bologna sausage.
Then it was that they discovered
collection of claret and champagne
glasses Colonel Jones had stored
away. While the train flew south
ward, they ate and drank, and as
each glass was emptied, carefully
smashed it.
The tramp who had selected the
copy of Omar Kahyyam, marked
this quotation:
Drink! for you know not whence
you came nor why;
Drink! for you know not why you
go nor where
Then they appropriated the only
two nighties the car boasted. and,
since there was not third, dress
shirt was donned as substitute, and
the three snuggled into the white
iron bed. More books were sold,
more food was got, and the joyous
life of the day before was contin-
ued. One by one the claret and
champagne glasses were smashed,
and steadily the books dwindled
away. For at each stop more books
were sold, and at each draught a
glass was smashed. The philosophy
of this seemed to be that use of the
same glass twice took the flavor off
the liquor.
The second night there apears to
have been some dissension over one
of the nighties, for it was torn from
neck to hem; then another dress
shirt was pressed into service.
The train veered southwark to-
ward New Orleans, and the care-free
life of the three men in the boxcar
continued. They sold more books,
bought more to eat and drink and
lived like true epicureans. One must
have had a touch of the aesthetic,
for he unpacked all the pictures and
carefully hung each, then tore off
the wrapping of chairs and arranged
them about the car. The final effect
was that of a drawing room or sa-
loon.
At New Orleans the last of the
books, with the exception of the
copy of Omar Khayyam" and Der
nard Shaw" and BGstons "Melanch-
olony of Anatomy" were sold, and
the remaining glasses were smash
ed. Then the three tramps slipped
quietly out and disappeared. 1t was
at some station between here and
New Orleans that they alighted.
The car arrived in Atlanta and
was switched to Fort Mcpherson, and
there Colonel Jones found it as it
had been left by its occupants across
the continent. The three books lay |
on the floor; in little pile were
the smashed claret and campagne
glasses, and on the bed were the
two nighties and two dress shirts.
About the walls hung the pictures.