CHAPTER XVI.
THE MEANING OF SOME QUEER SIGNS.
Arthur said he would gladly read to the tramps if they cared to hear him, and at the same time he wondered what valuable information the man could possibly give him.
Then all the tramps gathered as near to him as they could, and Arthur, sitting where the firelight shone brightest, with one hand laid protectingly on little Rusty, opened his precious book, and read the first story he came to, which happened to be that of “The Ugly Duckling.”
It was a striking picture, that of the fair-haired child, sitting in the red glow of the firelight, and reading a fairy tale to the rough men crowded about him, their uncouth figures half disclosed and half hidden in the dusky shadows. Close behind the big tramp, who was his father, sat the boy with whom Arthur had fought, still looking sullen and crestfallen over his recent defeat, and occasionally casting glances of mingled envy and hate at his rival.
As the tale proceeded, his hard, young face took on a softer expression, and when it was finished he heaved a great sigh.
“Well, Kid,” said the big tramp, turning to him at the conclusion of the story, “what do you think of that for a yarn? You are a pretty ugly sort of a duck yourself, and who knows but what you may turn out to be a swan after all, some of these fine days.”
“It’ll be a goose more like,” muttered one of the men; and Arthur, looking pityingly at the lad, wondered which it would be.
Now it was the big tramp’s turn to fulfil his part of the bargain. This he began to do by taking a bit of chalk from his pocket and drawing with it several rude figures like these, ❌︎ ❌︎ ɸ — ✓ on a piece of birch bark. Showing them to Arthur, he told him that these were signs understood by all the tramps of the country, and that whenever they saw them chalked on gate-posts or fences or other conspicuous places near houses, they knew at once what they meant. “This, for instance,” he said, pointing to one of the signs, “means ‘Stingy people in this house; won’t give a poor tramp anything.’ This one means, ‘Savage dog in here’; and this, ‘Good people, and plenty to eat.’” Another meant, “Man here keeps a gun for tramps”; and still another, “Only women folks here; no danger.” He also said that the older and best-known tramps had their private marks or autographs, which were very generally known and recognized by all the others along their particular lines of travel.
Arthur was greatly interested in this, and made copies of several of the marks thus shown him, so as to impress them upon his memory, though at that time he could not foresee that they would ever be of any use. At the close of this novel lesson, the big tramp told him that his name was Sandy Grimes, and showed him his own private mark or autograph, which was M̥, and said that Arthur was at liberty to use it, in proof of their friendship, whenever he found himself in company with any other tramps.
The boy thanked him politely for this favor, though thinking to himself that he hoped the time would never come when he should care to claim such a friendship. Then Arthur said he was tired, and would like to go to sleep, whereupon Sandy Grimes showed him a bed of dry leaves beside a big log near enough to the fire to feel its warmth, and told him he could lie down there. So there the tired little fellow lay, with Rusty nestled close beside him, and watched the stars twinkling overhead until he fell asleep.