The Chums of Scranton High Out for the Pennant | Page 4

knight of the railroad ties cooking his grub, and he said he'd like
to drop in and learn just how you managed, because he's read so much
about how splendidly tramps get on."
"That's all right, young feller," said the other, cheerily. "Find seats on
that log yonder. I ain't got much in my larder today, but what there is
will fill a mighty big vacuum in my interior, let me tell you. This here
is coffee in the first can---mebbe not just what you boys is accustomed
to at your breakfast tables, but good enough for me when it's piping hot.
I don't take any frills with wine either, in the way of cream and sugar,
leaving all that for those that sit at white tablecloths and have silver as
well as china dishes. In this other can I've got some soup. Never mind
where I got it; some ladies, bless their hearts, are pretty kind; and I
always make it a point to carry several empty tomater cans with me
wherever I go. Besides that, in this newspaper here I've got some bread,
and two fine pieces of bologna sausage that I bought in a village I came
through. So altogether I'm expecting to have a right swell feast pretty
soon."
Thad looked interested in these things. He even peeped into the two
cans, and decided that wherever the tramp got that coffee it certainly
could be no "slops," for it had the real odor. The warmed-over soup,
too, smelled very appetizing, Thad admitted. On the whole, he
concluded that tramps were able to make out very well, when they

knew the ropes of the game, and how to beg at back doors.
Hugh, on the other hand, was more interested in the man himself than
in his limited possessions. He saw that the other was past middle age,
for his face was covered with a bristly beard of a week's growth,
verging on gray. His cheeks were well filled out, and his blue eyes had
what Hugh determined was a humorous gleam about them, as though
the man might be rather fond of a joke.
He was the picture of what a regular tramp should be, there could be no
getting around that, Hugh determined. He rather believed that, like
most of his kind, this fellow also had a history back of him, which
would perhaps hardly bear exploiting. Doubtless there were pages
turned down in his career, things that he himself seldom liked to
remember, giving himself up to a life of freedom from care, and
content to take things each day as they came along, under the belief that
there were always sympathetic women folks to be found who would
not refuse a poor wanderer a meal, or a nickel to help him along his
way.
Apparently he had been just about ready to sit down and make way
with his meal at the time the boys arrived on the scene; for he now took
both tin carts from their resting places over the red embers of his fire,
and opening the package produced the bread and the bologna. This
latter looked big enough to serve a whole family of six; but then a
tramp's appetite is patterned very much on the order of a growing boy's,
and knows no limit.
Having spread his intended food around him as he squatted there, the
hobo gave the boys a queer look.
"You'll excuse me if I don't ask you to join me, youngsters," he went on
to say. "I'd do the same in a jiffy if the supply wasn't limited; besides, I
don't know just what sort of a reception I'm going to meet with in your
town."
"Oh! no apologies needed, old chap," said Thad, quickly. "We had our
lunch only an hour or so ago and couldn't take a bite to save us now.

But say everything seems mighty good, if the smell counts for much.
So pitch right in and fill up. We'll continue to sit here and chat with you,
if you don't mind, Bill."
"That's all right, governor, only my name don't happen to be Bill, even
if I belong to the tribe of Weary Willies. I'm known far and wide as
Wandering Lu; because, you see, I've traveled all over the whole
known world, and been in every country the sun shines on. Just come
from the oil regions down in Texas, because, well, my health is failing
me, and I'm afraid I'm going into a decline."
At that he started to coughing at a most tremendous rate. Thad looked
sympathetic.
"You certainly do seem to have a terribly bad cold, Lu," he told the
tramp, as the other drew out a suspicious looking red handkerchief that
had seen better days, to