The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-02-03
His Conversion

| When ! got tired or work ] conclnu
ed TO tramp. BGt when man gifts
dissatisfied with IA hard job aud takes
an easier one the chances are that he'll
soon want an easier une still The fel
/ Ter that tackles the job he happens 10
\ have for al! It's worth Is the one that ID
most likely To git an easier one in time.
aud when he gifts IL he'll I've satisfied
with il Tin he gifts an easier one, snd
he'll be goin' up hill all the time.
hadn't been trampiu' very long be
fore IL occurred 10 me that II would be
the easiest thing ia the world, when
some fool woman was givin' me
somep'n TO eat. with no man about the
house. 10 make her tell me where she
kept her valnables take EN- and light
out needn't try IL on at houses near
together. but separate. so that there
wouldn't be nH0ne To call on for help
and Id have better chance 10 git
away after I'd done the job. Another
thing | must keep clear OF was houses
where there was telephone. or. If l
tackled Que of 'em, | must cut the wire
before | started in.
The first job OF the kind | tried
found dead easy. The men were all
away. and the women was skeered 10
death. They handed over all the money
they bad in the house (SlT and offered
me some jewelry besides. | declined
the jewelry cause | didn't care to he
traced tryln' TO convert IL into cash
got away with the money, and
don't believe the losers tried very hard
TO lind me. The amount involved
wasn't enough to pay 'em for dom SO
By choosin' houses that were unpro-
tected and in thinly settled regions
and bein' content with small sums
did a very good business and took the
least risk possible. The people | rob
bed considered Inc their natural enemy
and would have taken any revenge on
me they could This kept my con-
science. and on the whole considered
my lot far better than that of persons
who slave all day at hard work. i
roamed at large and had what money
needed for an occasional good time.
If the persons | robbed had only kept
on hurting their maledictions nj me per.
haps Id n got enough by this time TO
set up in some kind o. business, hiring
others 10 do the work. Strange to say,
my run OF prosperity was brought TO a
standstiIl by the opposite kind O. treat
ment.
One day after trampin' two or three
miles without meetIW person or
team or comm to q tHuse ] overlook
a gal on the road and played the usual
game of out o work. hungry, no home
nor nothin'. asked her If she knew any
charitable party whereabouts who would
give me crust of bread. She was the
easiest fooled gal ever tackled. She
not only believed all said, but almost
cried over my nisfortuues. She said
she lived with her old mother around
go with her she'd give me all wanted
to eat and little money 10 help me
on to a better condition.
She took ME to n spick and span place
and set me down before Il bright fire,
where could warm myself, for II
wasn't in the line o my business to
wear seasonable clothes. and off she
goes 10 git me somep'n 10 eat. First
thing / knew | heered a squawkin' In
the chicken house and. lookin' out
winder. saw the gal chop
pin the head of'n fat hen. For
awhile couldn't believe that she was
fool enough to kill chicken for me,
and | didn't feel sure OF ii till heered
II sizZlin' on the stove.
All this while ] was thinkin' how
Id commence the business | was there
for. My usual game was to find out
where the money was kept or at least
in what part of the house to look for
it. Sometimes ! did this by round
about questions. sometimes 10y obser'
walton. If could learn this before
hoistin the pirate flag 1t made the
Job much easier for me. In this case
was ont In the kitchen cookin' chick.
en- for me that she could sell for 20
cents a pound might 20 mp the front
stairway and take look into the bu-
reau drawers.
Coin softly, turned into n bed
room on the second floor. ] opened
the top drawer of the bureau and find.
in nothin' opened an inlaid box on the
mantel. Among few trinkets and
other small articles nestled roll OF
bills. took 'em out. stuffed 'em In
my pocket and was turniD' to leave
the room when ] saw an old lady
standin' there lookin at me. She
turned white as a sheet. ran into
room. locked the door, and heard her
raise a sash and call out to her daugh'
ter that there was robber I'm the
house. ran downstairs. intendin' to
light out. but met the gal in the hall.
She looked as II she hadn't yet get on
to the fact that was the robber her
mother was talkin' about.
where Ia he?" she asked.
II reckon he went down the back
stairs" | said.
If the old woman hadn't recovered
from her scare enough to unlock her
self and come downstairs ! would a
~.