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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 22, 1939)
Jack \ r ive never before told anyone about myself but since you pp it so harshly, I will tell you. “Well come in and get something tb eat first,** she said. Kas just finishing his meal witf h.cup of coffee, he by saying: l - 7 H r*^- was raised on a farm and had the best mother and that a boy ever ha/i, but I nev tr realised it until it eras 1 oo late. I went along like the a rerage boy does until finished high school. My father < eckh d the best thing to do would be to s' > to college, Ition I did. I shall never forget, and depression that assailed train about an hour. However, and for the first few weeks I I l ■ 1 • i I r j It *»» ■ brisk, bright day in the little town of Ardmore, Kansas. It was a day that made everyone glad to be alive. !'L ii * SiTL f f ir D f S T In the yard of a neat white cottage aloag the shaded street was Johnnie Martin. He wai* pondering over what his mother had just told him. She had told him to always stay away from all tramps and sliabllL looking men because they! didn’t like little boys and might harm him. This was <|uite i. problem for a boy of 5 years to figure out but hai small boy’s confidence in his mother, he decided that would run to her when he saw a tramp. That settled it and it was soon out of his mind as he went about his busy playing, t However, one person in this small town wasn’t happy. * easy 1 '-7 ; S 1 ho in September aftor i that feeling of lone- me after I had been *; n doe time I reached Hardly knew w fish I suppose •1 was I was as bewildered as the >ften look back on those days add laugh as I think of crasy things that I did. \ • ** 9 1 1 4 1 lived the life of an tfrdiaary fish, which is none to and I nearly flunked out at midterm. I was the kind a ho fook my college education as a r matter of fact, since I didn't)have to work for it and never knew what it was to i call r * have to get down and earn soragthfctg. I never looked on nc y education as a preparation for piy»1ife’s work and as a rei i^lt I didn’t get much out of it. However, after, nearly flun) ihg out, I decided to settle down 1 o some real work and mak< pome good grades because I had gotten a terrible letter from my dad for masing such a poor 1:1 and |ie following summer I became Instead of him feel good, this beautiful day brought I: * unpleasant memories of the home that he used to have to 1 j'M surge through his mind. He was dressed in shabby clothes. His pants were tattered and tom and his shirt looked as if % ' ’ jj f TTT \ • F ] . % v | * i_ m * it would fall apart at the slightest provocation. He had an old slouch hat pullqd far down over his face as if to cover it up. ^ His appearance along the street set up ’a shrill barking of all the dogs aloag the street but he was used to this and paid no attention to h. However, in spite of his experienced AmpJhc; r everything then went well throui h my sophomore year to the most worn arful girl in the world or so I thoiight at that time But I wap|soon to change my mind for when St. Valentine’a day taround hi -my Junior year, I .hadn’t any more than a tH>x of candy to the girl than I received a letter ing.me that she was married, it first I was sort of and hurt but later I changed my attitude and sak| with *11 women. next summer I sustained arfother blow when both irepts were killed in an auto accident. However, they a tidy sum of money and my father's last words were to finish my college educatioi . Bat thinking that I to| stay at home amd (watch after things, I made the j» V t mistake in having know *ro«nd ever since. Ml/* he said, * < t I me and I guess I my life ip not flushing my education. , j. . . ... ^ naTing Known the value of mogey, I hn<l s<xm bUMHM way and nonchalant manner, he didn t look to be any more , J n _. y .™.« -Tfrfo zz; As he came up to the neat little cottage he though. This ** 80 eaMV 1111 * have just been looks like a likely place to get a “hand out** and he decided to try it. As he opened the hack gate, Johnnie immediately saw him and ran^into the house shreiking something about ], a tramp to his mother. By this time the tramp had reached the hack door and had knocked. umm * -1 - • -n • it.,it *. > .* • il ‘.im jMH. Martin, a young woman of perhaps twenty-six you years of age, opened the door immediately and demanded in the a rather cross vote* what he wanted. ' |L * • v F . k' “Lady,” he said, M could you spare me a bite to eat**? ] 1^ 111 t 'i i I i ! hi * \ J “If all of you tramps would wora more and beg less, the whole world would be a lot better off. Tell me," she said, “why did you ever start bumming around the country. Because of mere lasineas?" all thank you for /the kindness you have had bettor b* moving along to new ! hat night as James Martin i4ami home he said, “Bess, >sem to have something on your r »nd. Is there anything matter or has anything happened today?” «r evaded him by sayiag, ' I have had a fa and I’m not feeling so well.** L i r I - . r thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Johnnie’s ^Mother . MARCH, i - to, Johnnie," i u 1 * all tramps mean mem?*’ • j ft *%•'T- | Jr’i 4m said, "not all of {hop.” IJ ! \ * 1 - If * S Li 1 ; v l ’ mi f ! ■ - ' i || * 1 • * » 1 - r * . J