Evening star., 1923-09-02
Literary Hobo Travels Afoot and by Flat Car Through

IDENTIFY was not a baa attack, had not
reappeared, and / was beginning to
enjoy my journey. In the morning
another freight train was standing
upon the track and allowing the pas
senger train to pull out with the other
passengers / made rush TO the sta
tion Just in time to miss it. trying
once again to establish my gentiity
in the eyes of the station police by
pretending to come for the passenger
coaches.
TIAyING missed them, / gave his
i i trionic performance Of tearing
my hair in disappointment, and then
climbed upon the freight as repre-
senting the next means Of locomotiOn
available. The trainmen, with the
usual easy going courtesy of the
Siamese, made no objection, but we
had not travelled much more than an
hour when L discovered that we were
branch that shot off westward toward
the sea.
Selecting the softest looking rice
i
leaped after il.
/ landed in just the right place
and at just the right moment, for
along road that wandered away
into the jungle came a Ford, bounc-
ing up and down upon the deep ruts.
but driven by a white man. with an
other white man beside him, and the
back seat filled with half a dozen
kiddies-the most beautiful golden
haired children i had ever seen-and
the driver, seeing me land put on
the brakes and came to a grinding
halt.
Miles. the Australian manager of
a neighboring tin mine, was out driv-
ing with DR.. McDaniels an American
missionary. and the doctors children.
Again 1 introduced myself as a vaga-
bond author, stressing the author"
part of the title.
''Right-o," said Miles. Better run
UP to my place. Everybody's well
come there, and there's no other
place TO stop here"
1t was cottage built of teak. con-
sisting almost entirely of a screened
rooms would slide apart, in Japanese
fashion. and it was furnished with
every comfort that the white mans
ingenuity could bring out through
the jungle to the isolated locality.
The wife's away" so make your
self at home" invited Miles.
Having hoboed my way thus far. l
could afford TO travel as a passenger
the rest Of the way
In the morning the weekly express
came past Rompibon, and / swung
on board a third-class coach. 1t was
already crowded, and with horde of
Asiatic humanity which for variety
surpassed any of my previous groups
of travelling companions. AS usual,
they watched my every move. dis
cussing me with much amusement.
but | had learned not to resent their
mirth.
The express was carrying me 10
Singapore and in a few more hours
J | would see the poet who was re-
sponsible for my travelling with low
| schemes of revenge from beating to
! lIS. LOT my WEdln.
! ing the unpleasant nights in native
hut or a pig ear. had become such as
| even a comfortable night in a lumber
! camp or at Miles tin mine could
| not assuage. After purcha sing my
ticket i had but a few dollars left;
they would not carry me far in a
| city like Singapore, yet if | could
I only reach that poet / had no further
| plans for my travels. After accom-
| p1ishfng some of the schemes which
/ / was meditating would probably
| be boarded and cared for by the
police.
x X
| AT nightfall the train reached
"A Prai. where ferry carried the
! passengers to Penang, the second
J city of British Malaga.
| Back on the road I had taken
| secret pride in being a hobo. but as
L stepped on board that ferry the
pride-for some reason which l cannot
! explain-suddenly evaporated.
, A railing divided the first-class
! from the third and | tried to satisfy