The young man jumped, and turning faced a genuine specimen of the genus
hobo. "Did you sleep in this straw-stack last night?" he ejaculated,
after carefully taking the ragged fellow's measure with a practiced
eye.

"Sure; this here's the hotel whar I put up--slept in the room jes'
acrost the hall from your'n.--Whar ye goin' ter eat?"--with a hungry
look.

"Don't know. Did you have any supper last night?"

"Nope, supper was done et when I got in."

"Same here."

"I didn't have nothin' fer dinner neither," continued the tramp, "an'
I'm er gettin' powerful weak."

The other thought of his fifteen cents. "Where are you going?" he said
shortly.

The ragged one jerked his thumb toward the city. "Hear'd as how thar's
a right smart o' work yonder and I'm on the hunt fer a job."

"What do you do?"

"Tendin' mason's my strong-holt. I've done most ever'thing though;
used ter work on a farm, and puttered round a saw-mill some in the
Arkansaw pineries. Aim ter strike a job at somethin' and go back thar
where I know folks. Nobody won't give a feller nuthin' in this yer