The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1916-06-08
THE TRAMP'S
SIDE Of IT
He Laments the Wickedness Of the World
By NJ. QUAD
Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.

"Oh, yes; see good deal Of human
nature as travel about" replied the
tramp as he put his wet shoes against
the hot stove, land the more see Of it
the more l wish l was a hermit in
cave up in the mountains"
do you find it growing worse?" was
asked.
preachers tell US that the world is
growing BETTER" continued Willie, "but
II one days travel in the country
wouldn't prove to the contrary I'd give
my old hat. l began touring sixteen
years ago, and give you my word
that there is at least twice the wicked
ness now that there was then, and it Is
growing mighty fast. Yes; I'll give
you some illustrations.
II meet so many liars that l have
come to believe that not one man In a
hundred has any respect for truth.
get two or three days work with
farmer After the days work is done
the family looks for ME to sit down
and relate my adventures. They encOur-
age me to lie. They want me to tell
about the robberies and thefts l have
committed and the prisons l have been
in and escaped from. If don't lie out
rageously they think l am villain
who will not give himself away; If
l do lie the chances are that they will
give some constable the tip and he will
arrest me for the crimes l have con-
fessed.
81 have heard husbands lie to wives
and wives to husbands. have, in fact.
heard so much lying as to disgust me,
and am only tramp. There are n.y.
pocrisy and deceit everywhere There
are swindling and graft everywhere. A
country constable who arrests me on
the highway as l am ploGding along
will swear before the justice of the
peace that l was just entering or leav
ing a farmers barn. The owner of
that barn can be induced to go into
court and periure himself and the JUS
tice who tries me will remark that
look like murderer.
Il very seldom ever heard one fam
lily speak well of another in the coun
try. but when they met they were al
ways very ELUSIVE. One afternoon a
farmers wife had me in the house
scrubbing floors and washing windows
and moving furniture about. In three
hours time she blasted the character
of every family for five miles around
She had just finished her TRADE when
woman that she had accused most
bitterly happened to drop in. The &C.
cuser rushed for her with open arms
and kissed her half a dozen times be-
fore she stopped.
II have read and heard about saw
agery of war the submarines, the
poisonous gases, the starvation Of pris-
oners-but let me tell you that there
is savagery elsewhere than in war
Man was born a savage.
"I-et me give you an incident.
was plodding along the highway one
summer morning about half-past 8
o'clock. 1 passed country school
house. Thirty rods beyond the house
l met the schoolma'am on her way
to open school. l had not quite for
gotten the manners Of other days, and
l raised my cap and babe her a good
morning. She passed on without
word in reply, and short quarter of
mile beyond l met three children
going to school. gave them smile
and word, and they laughed in re-
ply. That was the whole thing, sir
the whole thing. knew that the
children stopped and looked after me.
but l stepped along without turning
my head.
AT farmhouse q mile further on
got work hoeing corn. I worked so
hard during the day that the farmer
complimented me at night, and
heard his wife whisper to him that
they had found a tramp at last who