People's Pilot, Volume 4, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 February 1895 — THE TRAMPS ROMANCE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE TRAMPS ROMANCE

J HE store norch was ’ well filial. The chronic loafer was there as usual, lounging upon the bench, hacking away at the hard oa k with his heavy jackknife. Sealed by him were the Grand Army of the Republic man, the tinsmith and the miller. The Pennsylvania Dutchman leaned stupid-

■jr against the doorpost, while the ■ramp was stretched easily across the Boor. A light summer shower had the wanderer into the shelter Ks the porch roof for a fe w hours. K“Was you ever disappointed in ■ore?” inquired the chron c loafer ■ocularly of the traveler, at which ■he rest of the party laughed heartily. ■ The tramp brought the butt of his yeavy hickory stick down upon the Boor with such vigor as to raise a Kina 11 crowd of dust from the cracks. Kind replied: “Wull! Have I? Jest ■ “Come tell us about it, ole feller,” Kuled the tinsmith and the chronic Koafer. K “Not muchy, wull I.” K “We an t surprised at yer havin' Kie’n disappointed,” said the Grand Briny of the Republic man. “But et's Ker persumption ketches me. What’s ■her name?” ■ “I called her Emily Kate,” replied ■he tramp, wiping a soiled tear from Rhe corner of one of his eyes with his Huger. “She’ll alius be Emily Kate Kto me, though to other folks she an’t nothin’.” K “Where does she live?” interrogated ■the miller skeptically. K “Es youpe gentlemen keeps quiet Km' don’t ast so many questions,” said ■he tramp, "I tell yer all ’bout et. ■Yer see, et come like this. ’Bout ■hree years ago I was workin’ through ■lms valley towards Snyder county, ■tn* one fine day—et was one o’ them ■lays when yer feels like aettin' down Km’ jest doin’ nothin’—l come through ■his here town an’ went up the main ■road about two mile tell I come ter Kh* Red hill. I never knowed jest ■vhy I done et —et must a be’n fate Knit 1 .-witched off onter th’ bye road. Ktead of strokin’ ter th’ pike. I went ■bout a mile an’ didn't meet no one Kior pass no houses, tell at las’ 1 came Ker a farm what has an orchard on th’ Rout* side th’barn. ■ “They was a nic3 grassy place on ■h' other side th’ road under un apple ■tree, an’ ez it was one of them warm, ■azy summer days, 1 made up me inin 1 ■er rest, an’ lay down in th’ gras*. ■Yer kin laugh et folks who alius talks ■weather. but I tell yer et doos a powLrful. sight wit’ a man. I know es Khet hed a be’n a rainy day I’d.never ■ied thet tl? .Frenph 4 Kalis dt-—the't hit me then an’ played Kh’ dickens wit’m?. fortunes. ■ *1 Was layln’ there watehin' the KlOuds 'overhead, an’ listenin’ t.*r th ■plover whistlin’ out in th’ fiel', an ■/l*r th’ tree-frawg believin’ up in th Koans’, when all uv a sudden I seen a ■blue gleam in the apple tree in th. Krehard crosst th’ way. I Watched Kt,' an’ pretty soon I made outthet el ■vas a woinah. She was settin'there ■quiet an’ still, like she was vendin':

in’ down below I seen the top uv a chicking coop, an' hear th’ ole hen cluckin’. 1 coni In’t see much’fer th’ leaves, an' di In’t git s’ght uv hetface, but I made out th’ outlines ir thet blue caliber Ire is ;u’ jest kinder drank ’em in. “Et was th' day done ct all. ’Fore I knowed et 1 begen ter imag’n > th’ face thet must her fit thet for n. J pictured her like th’ girls thet ride? th' mowin' machines in th’ hgr cul tural advertiseinen' chromos —-veller hair an’ all. I wanted ter try a>’ see her face., but I didn't dare ter, for she’d a-seen me an' thet 'nd u spoiled riy .eha net. But 1 lav there jest dreamin' like, an' ’fore I knowed et I could think uv nothin but thet th re girl in th’ tree, who 1 figured must hev be n a heap sight better looxin than a circus lady. “Et tome sundown. an’ ez 1 had ter hustle ter git supper I dragged-meself together an’ moved on. I went up th' valley three days an' got ’bout thirty miles toward Snyder, county. but th' whole time 1 was thinkin' ’bout th' gal in th’ blue caliker dre-s. I never felt, so queer before, an' didn't know jest what ter do. Last I decided I’d hev ter go back an’ hev another look et her. so I turned round an' kivered rae tracks. “I reached th’ orchard ’bout one day later, in th’ afternoon, an’ hanged es she wasn't there, but a settin’ in a tree closer ter th’ road. I didn't dast go near her, fer 1 knows how ’fraid

th’ weemen is nv us men. But 1 slid enter me ole place, an’ jest lay there watchin’ her blue dress warin’ in th’ breeze; an' then when I seen as how she'd changed trees, I begin ter think may be she'd seen me an’ moved up one tree nearer th’ road, kinder so as we’d be closer.” The tramp's voice broke. He place:! one hand upon his ragged breast and gazed over the valley through tear-filled eyes. “Now quit your blubberin’,trampy,” cried the loafer, “an’ git ter the en’ of this'ere yarn.” The traveler wiped his eyes upon his eoat sleeve and continued: “Wull, as 1 lay there watchin’ her so still and quiet I began to think. I wondered what her name must hev be’n an’ lowed et orter be’n a pretty one. Then I kinder thought bein’ ez I didn’t know her name I might give her one—th’ prettiest I could git up. I racked me brain an’ finally sot on Emily Kate—thet sounded high-toned. Then I begin ter wonder who’d be so fort’nit as ter git Emily, an’ cus<y» ’ meself fer bein’, sich a bum. I kin thought I might reform, but ’fiua ’lowed es she’d take me without me hevin ter reform, et ’ud be a sight pleasanter all 'round. I see how she’d moved up a trec.an’kinder wondered es she'd seen me. Th’ more I thought on et, th’ worse I got. I begin ter think mebbe es I cleaned up I wouldn't be so bad —in fact, a heap better than lots of folks I knows. By th’ time et come sunset I concided ter risk et, an' begin ter think uv crawlin’ th’ fence an’ intcrducin' meself; but then me heart failed me. I put et off tell th’ next day, an’ slid over th’ fiel’ ter a barn an' spent the night

‘ I didn't eat no breakfas’. I couldn’t But when et come sun-up I went down ter tlr* spring an' washed up. Then I cut fer th' orchard, tendin' ter wait tell she come. I ixpected she wouldn't be there so airly, sence he'd lik -ly do up th’ breakfas’ dishes. “I shinned th’ fence inter th' road an’ then what a sight I s-en. I near yelled. They was a big feller hed his arm right aroun I her wais’. •She was lavin’ all limp-like, wit’ her head pitched forward, so I couldn't see et, ■an’ her feet was dragging through th' timothy, fer th' feller was pullin' her along down th’ orchard. Et first I was fer running to he.- vs!:.', bull thought inebbe I’d belter wait toll I see ivlia’ coin • uv et. ,

“Th* big feller, he: pulled her, all ’•mp, down ter tl>' other si le. an’ then leaned her up agin a tree an’ hit ■er a punch wit' hi.s fis'.. I seen th’ 'nectlikcr sunbonnet droo- > . Then ie jumped th' fence, an' .started down >ver *h’ ineddy. ' “Me heart was ip thumpin' awful? 1 waitci tell I:.e was outer sight, an’ ’hen clutnb th' fene? alt’slipped down • hrongh th' Ipngt-,-grass; ter .where Emily Kate la- - , Imlf dead.,. agin the tree. 1 seen a chickin’ .coop there an’ hear th’ ole h-*u cluckin'; tin' I-stepped hp an raise ! th. girl's .droopin'head. ?he he I a stttw 'Aue, ai/was loopin' J ,h’ hawks off tlwin My Emily Kate was a scarp—dhe tramp's voice grew husky, and he faltered. . ' ■

"SHE HED A STARAW FA CE."