The Autobiography of a Super Tramp 26
The next morning I arose, lighthearted in anticipation of hearing
something to my good, and was leaving the house when I saw the Captain
standing at the front door. Feeling some misgiving, I turned to this
gentleman and asked him point blank--what was his opinion of the
Charity Organisation. "Well," he replied slowly, "to give you my
candid opinion--although I may be mistaken--the object of the Charity
Organisation is not so much to give alms, as to prevent alms being
wasted." How I remembered these words in the light of my after
experience with these people!
At ten o'clock punctually, I was at their office in the Borough Road,
and was at once shown into a side room, where I sat waiting patiently,
for an hour. At last a gentleman in black came forward, saying, very
politely--"Mr. Davies, will you please come this way." I followed him
up two or three flights of stairs, and we entered a quiet room on the
top floor. Seating himself at a table, and taking pencil and paper,
he then asked me to be seated and began. "Mr. Davies," he said, "I
have received a letter from a lady who has become interested in your
case, and wishes to better your conditions. So as to answer this lady,
it is necessary to know something of yourself, for which reason I
propose asking you a few questions, which, of course, you need not
answer except you think proper." This he proceeded to do, at the same
time making notes of my answers. After answering a dozen or more
questions truthfully, dealing with particulars of my family, and my
past life--he brought the case up to that time. "Surely," he said,
"you do not live on eight shillings a week. I should have thought that
to be impossible." "As for that," I answered, "not only has that sum
been sufficient for myself, but I have been able to make another an
allowance of two shillings a week, but have not been able to do so
since I applied to the Surgical Aid Society." "Now tell me what is the
matter with that leg?" asked this gentleman. "I should have thought
that it would last for another two years at least. Excuse me, did you
get that through the Society?" "No," I said, "it cost me twelve
pounds, ten shillings, when I could ill afford the money, but,
unfortunately, I knew nothing then of the Surgical Aid Society." "The
Society, no doubt, does a large amount of good," continued this
gentleman, "but I don't altogether agree with their methods. You have
written quite a number of letters?" he asked; "and I don't suppose any
of the subscribers helped you with the postage, sending you a trifle
to defray expenses?" At this point he made a long pause, and I began
to tell him that all the help I had received was from a gentleman who,
having no letters left to assist me with, had very considerately sent
twelve stamps to help my correspondence. The Charity Organisation
showed much interest at this point of the conversation, and said that
he thought quite a number of subscribers would have done the same. "As
I have already said," he continued, "I don't altogether agree in the
methods of the Surgical Aid Society; their cases are maintained too
long without result, and allows too good an opportunity for writing
begging letters." Not even now could I see the drift of this man's
questions--that he suspected me of being an impostor, of writing
begging letters. Yes, I, who was bitter at having to bear all this
expense, and was grieved at having to withhold two shillings a week
from one who was very poor, so that I might be enabled to do so. "How
many letters do you now need?" he asked. "Two," I answered, "but I
don't intend to be at any further expense in postage; I will take in
what letters I have already received, and explain to the Surgical Aid
Society the difficulty I have had in trying to obtain the requisite
number." This ended our interview, and I went away satisfied that the
Charity Organisation would come to my rescue in the near future. But I
did not again hear from them for over two years, which will be
explained in another chapter. How they answered the kind lady who had
become interested in me, I cannot say, but it could not have been
other than to my discredit.
The day following this interview, three letters were at the, office,
all three coming by the first post. One of them contained a
subscription letter, so that I now only lacked one of the required
number. One of the other letters came from the Surgical Aid Society,
saying that a subscriber had forwarded to them a letter to be entered
to my account, and that if I would call at their office with the
letters I then had, the Society would make up the number deficient.
The required number was now made up, without having need to draw on
the Society. I now took these letters to their office, and in a day or
two received the article which had caused me so much bother in writing
letter after letter, and such an expense in postage. By a sad irony,
the worry and expense was by no means at an end, as I had expected.
People were now returning from the continent, and other places where
they had spent their summer holidays. Letters came to me daily from
people returning home. Some of my own letters, which had been posted
three, four, five and six weeks before, were now being considered.
Several subscription letters came to hand--too late for use. Others
wrote asking if I was still in need of assistance. I was now at as
great an expense as ever, returning these subscription letters with
thanks; and writing to others to tell them that I had now succeeded in
obtaining the required number. Letters were still coming when I left
the Ark for the country; and, it was told me afterwards, that a goodly
number had come, been kept for a number of days, and returned during
my absence.
I was more determined than ever to tramp the country until I was worth
thirty pounds, for an offer had again been made by a publisher, during
my stay at the Ark, and this offer was much the same as the other.
Seeing that there was no other way of getting this amount than by
hawking the country, I determined to set out as soon as possible. So,
when my business with the Surgical Aid Society was at an end, I spent
three or four shillings on laces, needles, pins, buttons, etc., and
started with a light heart and not too heavy a load. The Canadian, who
had had some experience in this kind of life, prophesied good results
from it, adding that a man situated the same way as I was, need carry
no other stock in trade than that which I had received from the
Surgical Aid Society, and that success was assured, on that very
account.
CHAPTER XXIII
GRIDLING
It was a beautiful morning in September when I left the Ark with every
prospect of fulfilling this mission. As I advanced towards the
country, mile after mile, the sounds of commerce dying low, and the
human face becoming more rare, I lost for the time being my vision of
the future, being filled with the peace of present objects. I noted
with joy the first green field after the park, the first bird that
differed from the sparrow, the first stile in the hedge after the
carved gate, and the first footpath across the wild common that was
neither of gravel nor ash. I had something like nine shillings in my
pocket, and I felt that business was out of the question as long as
any of this remained. Reaching St. Albans on the first night, I walked
through that town, and, making a pillow of my pack, lay down on the
wild common. It seemed as though extra bodies of stars had been
drafted that night into the heavens to guard and honour the coming of
age of a beautiful moon. And this fine scene kept me awake for two or
three hours, in spite of tired limbs. This seemed to me a glorious
life, as long as summer lasted and one had money to buy food in towns
and villages through which he passed. For three or four days I walked
and idled, standing on culverts and watching the water burst from
darkness into light; listening to the birds; or looking at a distant
spire that was high enough, and no more, to show that a quiet town was
lying there under a thousand trees.
I reached Northampton, and it was in this town that I intended to
start business on the following day, though I still had a few
shillings left, having slept in the open air since leaving London.
With this object I proceeded to examine my pack, with the intention of
filling my pockets with the different wares, to draw them forth one or
two at a time, as they would be needed. So, that night, previous to
the great business that was to be transacted on the following day, I
sought a quiet corner in the lodging house, and began to unroll my
paper parcel. As I proceeded to do this, it seemed to me that the
inner part of the parcel was damp, and then I remembered the two or
three heavy showers that we had on the second day of my travels. On a
further examination I discovered, to my horror, that the goods were
entirely unfit for sale; that the parcel had been so bent and
misshapen one way and the other, during my night's repose, that the
needles had cut through their rotten packets, and were stuck in the
pin papers, and that a great number of pins had concealed their whole
bodies in the needle packets, showing plainly the guilty tops of their
heads. The laces were twisted and turned, and their tags were already
rusted. This was a great blow to me, as there seemed nothing else to
do but send home for the few shillings that had now become due. But on
second thoughts I made up my mind to travel without stock of any kind,
not doubting but what I would rise to the emergency after the last
penny had been expended, and I was under the force of necessity.
Thinking Northampton too large a town in which to starve, I determined
to remain here until my funds were exhausted, when desperation would
urge me to action. With this idea I took life very easily for a couple
more days, even inviting poverty by being unusually extravagant, going
to the extreme of buying milk for my tea. But when I became reduced to
the last sixpence, I decided to make all speed to Birmingham, as the
resources of that city, it being so much larger, would be a better
place to serve my wants.
Starting on this journey, without any more delay, I was soon going
into the town of Rugby, tired, penniless, and hungry. What was I to
do? Something had to be done, and that at once. I had to face the
horrible truth that I was now on the verge of starvation. Whilst busy
with these unpleasant thoughts, I heard a voice shout to me from the
roadside, and, looking in that direction, saw a man sitting in the
grass, eating from a paper parcel, which was half spread before him.
On going over to see what this man wanted, I found an apparently tall
man and large in proportion, who was dressed in seedy looking clothes,
which were torn and patched in a good many places. In fact, something
seemed to have been gnawing night after night at the bottom of his
trousers, taking advantage of him in his sleep, for these hung in
tatters and rags just below the calves of his legs. The man had a
freckled face, which was almost lost in an abundance of red hair, and
his head was as thick with the same. What helped to make his
appearance strange, and perhaps ridiculous, was a schoolboy's small
cap to cover the crown of such a large head. "Have a mouthful of
this," he said, inviting me to partake of some bread and meat. "It is
dry eating, I must say, but, as we go into Rugby, we can wash it down
with a pint or two of beer." I thanked him for his kindness, and,
accepting his invitation, seated myself on the grass. "What's in your
bundle," he asked, looking askance at a small brown paper parcel,
which contained a clean shirt, socks and a handkerchief, "are you
selling anything?" I explained to him that I was a licensed hawker,
but had not yet been long enough at the business to make a success of
it. "What," he cried with some surprise, "a one legged man not to be
successful? I get all I want by just opening of my mouth," although he
added with some scorn, "I know that some people cannot beg unless
they have something in their hands to sell. But if you travel with me, all you will have to do is to pick up the coppers."
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