Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1909-03-12
EXPERIMENTING
ON A TRAMP.
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and drove into the yard, strange
spectacle greeted her. What might be
called the north end of man was pro-
truding from kitchen window. The
fase 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 look at bis phiz. Yes, it was
tramp. and a hulking big fellow at
that She went outdoors with a look
of anticipation in her eyes and hunted
up 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 wallOping
did not end until the woman had tired
herself out Then she took down the
clofhesline and wrapped it around the
tramp's legs about forty times, en-
tered the house and tied his wrists
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 a state of hum
bleness Do you think have accom-
plished it,"
Eyes: feel humber than did. It's
a new feelin'. and you must take the
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
ther.''
Two hours later the tramp's hands
The food consisted of bread and water.
There was 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.
''Tbe next step is to arouse your am
bition," said the widow as she left
him. land III tell you my programme
in the morning l hope to>>find your
humbleness greatly increased by then.
Do you still feel humility bubbling up
in your soul?"
81 do, marin, and l am sOrter afraid
of it. It's a new feelin', and l don't
know what it's going to lead to. It's
an experiment, is it?"
''It is"
"Then you must take the risks, as
said before I understands myself as a
cheeky tramp, but when you come to
make a humble tramp Of me that's diff
ferent."
Next morning the fellow was hauled
out of the barn and asked if any addi-
tional feeling had come to him during
the night, and he replied
81 think there has, marin. I think
I'm feeling what you call ambitious
this morning. l find myself thinkin' of
work without the usual feelin's Of
dread Accompanying 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 a
tramp you can't tell what he's goin' te
do
"Will you take hoe and go to WORK
in the field if give you a good break
fast?"
81 will, marin. I'm sorter Gurus my
self to see what's goin' to result from
this new feelin'"
The first result was breakfast that
should have done for three hired men,
1t kept the widow on the jump to keep
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 wood
before going to the field. In the course
Of ten minutes he shivered two ak
handles and gave cherry tree NOR
tai blow. Started for the field to as
sist the hired man, he tramped over
the tomato and cucumber patches, tore
down panel of rail fence getting over
it and in the course Of another half
hour had welded his hoe so vigorous
ly among the turnips that he had dug
up two bushels with the weeds and
sought to curb him. He was Il lusty
hired man that had licked over Il 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 spolses
out of three wheels of the family car
rage. He pulled the harness dowr
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 nv
part, you know"
''Yes. marin, and l told you to look
out for results"
II think you'd better drop your feel
ings Of humility aud ambition Here's
a five dollar bill, and you may go