The Autobiography of a Super Tramp 26

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."