Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1911-01-19
A TRAMP
PARTNERSHIP
BY M. QUAD
Copyright. 1910. by Associated Lit
e-ary Press.
By M. QUAD

the dusty highways Of ColfaX county
bound "for Kansas or bust she was
met by Deacon Pegram, farmer. lie
ascertained that she had few hun
dred dollars in cash and knew little
about agriculture or soils, and after in,
viting her to his home for Il stay Of a
week he sold her the very poorest
farm in all that country. noted for its
fertile soil.
One sunny day in March as she stood
at her gate tramp came slowly up
the road and paused before her.
Fhings looked poverty poor to him. and
he had no thought of asking for any
thing to eat. He looked at the widow.
and she looked at him. and he present
ly said:
IF you were man YOU could turn
tramp and do better than farming. l
passed here last summer, and l saw
you were having Il hard time OF it."
did you stop on purpose to tell me
that?" was queried in reply.
"Oh, no. l just felt like Ginning
little. You didn't k3ow much about
land when you bought this. guess"
"And what do you know about the
land yourself?" Z
well little bit. Mebbe l wasn't
always a tramp. This farm was being
worked hundred years ago. The soil
Is exhausted and dead. 1t wants bring
ing back. Here's ten acre lot that
would raise near thousand bushels
of taters If treated right" \
can the >tarnel bugs would eat. up
every vine as soon as it showed above
the ground" replied the grouchy wild
Ow.
"Um! Um! Woman, let's talk. Let's
talk business. Let's talk Of a thou
sand bushels Of taters."
They talked for an hour. The widow
had been cozened once and was very
chary. but the tramp talked straight.
and she finally became interested.
From that she came to believe. There
must be some money raised for work
ing capital. She mortgaged the team
Of old horses and agreed to board the
Ssamp for his work and divide any,
proasl.Yith him In the fall. 1t was to
be ten aQnS Of potatoes and nothing
else but litS garden truck.
As soop sa iSSinG 1nl aa 1G'yse GIGH9e
watch he ham@picGiesd d'sSs4s Hs ssSmewhere.
1t went toward getting the field ready.
The last of the widows money went
for seed. There were a great deal OF
laughter and rldicule over that part
nership. That soil would grow null
leihs and thistles. but as for potatoes,
nix, so all the passing farmers said.
I The potato bugs came along In due
time. 1t was the seventh year. Some
farmers had forgotten the date, while
others had laid In q proper store OF
paris green. The tramp had said that
none would be needed on the ten acres
Not pound was bought. Dire disaster
was predicted. The bugs were number
less. They swept over half the state,
and they hit Colfax county worst OF
all. Farmers drew the green powder
for ten miles, and their women and
children sowed it on to the vines by
daylight and by moonlight. but the
bugs seemed to revel in 1t. No vine got
six inches above the ground.
When the word went forth that the
tramp farmer was not using q single
ounce Of preventive and that not
do- il bugs could be found in his big
field thee were callers in plenty. lie
was offered us high as $50 for MS
secret, but he smiled and kept on with
his work. When he made any reply
at all it was that luck happened to be
with him. With Il hoe in her hand. the
widow worked beside him, finishing
her row at the same time he did.
Sometimes they talked as they worked;
again they had nothing to say for ha!i
a day at a time. They had said it was
to be a business partnership, and they
stuck to it,
In time that ten acre field attracted
more public attention than the new
county courthouse. Potatoes were
only so cents bushel before the bugs
came. Then they went to 50. When
the first were fit for market they sold
for Is cents. When it was known
that the state crop was failure the
price jumped to 81. Then one day a
speculator came along and offered q
. price for the tubers in the ground. 1t
was accepted. 1t was a greater sum
than aHy farmer in the state had made
from all his crops put together. The
widow could, lift the chattcl mortgage