"There"s one thing I don"t understand, Chester. You ain"t workin", yet you seem to have money."
"How do you know I have?"
"Mr. Tripp says you came into the store three or four days ago and changed a five-dollar bill."
"Yes; Mr. Tripp seemed anxious to know where I got it."
"You didn"t use to have five-dollar bills, Chester, when you were at work."
"This five-dollar bill dropped down the chimney one fine morning," said Chester, laughing.
"I wish one would drop down my chimney. But I must be gettin" along, or old Tripp will give me hail Columbia when I get back."
About nine o"clock that evening, as Chester was returning from a lecture in the church, he was accosted by a rough-looking fellow having very much the appearance of a tramp, who seemed somewhat under the influence of liquor.
"I say, boss," said the tramp, "can"t you give a poor man a quarter to help him along?"
"Are you out of work?" asked Chester, staying his step.
"Yes; times is hard and work is scarce. I haven"t earned anything for a month."
"Where do you come from?"
"From Pittsburg," answered the tramp, with some hesitation.
"What do you work at when you are employed?"
"I am a machinist. Is there any chance in that line here?"
"Not in Wyncombe."
"That"s what I thought. How about that quarter?"
"I am out of work myself and quarters are scarce with me."
"That"s what you all say! There"s small show for a good, industrious man."
Chester thought to himself that if the stranger was a good, industrious man he was unfortunate in his appearance.
"I have sympathy for all who are out of work," he said. "Mother and I are poor. When I did work I only got three dollars a week."
"Where did you work?"
"In Mr. Tripp"s store, in the center of the village."
"I know. It"s a two-story building, ain"t it, with a piazza?"
"Yes."
"Has the old fellow got money?"
"Oh, yes; Silas Tripp is rich."
"So? He didn"t pay you much wages, though."
"No; he feels poor. I dare say he feels poorer than I do."
"Such men ought not to have money," growled the tramp. "They"re keepin"
it out of the hands of honest men. What sort of a lookin" man is this man Tripp? Is he as big as me?"
"Oh, no, he is a thin, dried-up, little man, who looks as if he hadn"t had a full meal of victuals in his life."
"What time does he shut up shop?"
"About this time," answered Chester, rather puzzled by the tramp"s persistence in asking questions.
"What"s your name?"
"Chester Rand."
"Can"t you give me a quarter? I"m awful hungry. I ain"t had a bit to eat since yesterday."
"I have no money to give you, but if you will come to our house I"ll give you some supper."
"Where do you live?"
"About five minutes" walk."
"Go ahead, then; I"m with you."
Mrs. Rand looked up with surprise when the door opened and Chester entered, followed by an ill-looking tramp, whose clothes were redolent of tobacco, and his breath of whisky.
"Mother," said Chester, "this man tells me that he hasn"t had anything to eat since yesterday."
"No more I haven"t," spoke up the tramp, in a hoa.r.s.e voice.
"He asked for some money. I could not give him that, but I told him we would give him some supper."
"Of course we will," said Mrs. Rand, in a tone of sympathy. She did not admire the appearance of her late visitor, but her heart was alive to the appeal of a hungry man.
"Sit down, sir," she said, "and I"ll make some hot tea, and that with some bread and b.u.t.ter and cold meat will refresh you."
"Thank you, ma"am, I ain"t overpartial to tea, and my doctor tells me I need whisky. You don"t happen to have any whisky in the house, do you?"
"This is a temperance house," said Chester, "we never keep whisky."
"Well, maybe I can get along with the tea," sighed the tramp, in evident disappointment.