"New Orleans? Why buy a railroad and ride down," replied the party addressed, leisurely turning over on his side, with his face toward our friend's.
"Oh, come, partner, give us a square answer," expostulated Tommy. "We want to get down there."
At this the man sat up on the cotton-bale and requested a chew of tobacco, having obtained which he leisurely continued:
"You can go to New Orleans lots of ways. You can walk down 'long the levees. Lot's of 'em does that. You can beat your way by boat. Lots of 'em does that. You can go from here to Cairo by boat or rail and then beat your way from Cairo over the Jackson and Great Northern. Lot's of 'em do that. That's the way most of the lake men go down in the fall, and the cotton pickers come up in the spring. The other big north and south road for the bums is the Texas route. And a very good road it is. After you get to Poplar Bluffs—that's the end of the first division—it's clear sailing down to Texarkanna. That's a boss town too. Stands half in Texas and half in Arkansas. That's where it got that name. You can shoot a man in Texas and go across the track and be in Arkansas, or wicey wersey, which makes it very convenient for the inhabitants. That road runs catacornered across Arkansas, and its got to be a great cotton route from Texas, which has made it very convenient for tramps."
"Yes, that's all right; but how about the New Orleans route?" interrupted Tommy, afraid lest the new brother if he continued would get over into Asia and commence barge-lining the Ganges.
"Well, as I was a saying, you can go from here to Texas, easy as you please, on the Iron Mountain road. I 'spose four thousand tramps go down along it every winter and come up every spring. They're the Texas Rangers of '76—1876!" and he grinned.
"But is it a good route to New Orleans?" asked Ben, who was afraid the professional was again about to desert his subject.
"No; it's a better route to Texas," replied he.
"But we want to go to New Orleans," protested Cleveland.
"Don't you be a fool and go to New Orleans when you can get to Texas," advised their irrelevant informant.