E-text prepared by Chris Curnow, Steven Calwas, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 45640-h.htm or 45640-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/45640/pg45640-images.html) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/45640/45640-h.zip) Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See https://archive.org/details/beggars00davi Transcriber's note: Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). BEGGARS All Rights Reserved [Illustration] BEGGARS by W. H. DAVIES Author of "The Autobiography of a Supertramp," "The Soul's Destroyer," "Nature Poems," etc. [Illustration] Duckworth & Co. 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden 1909 CONTENTS PAGE I. The Nationalities as Beggars 1 II. A Tramps' Camp in Texas 10 III. Daring Beggars 19 IV. Dilemmas of Travellers 27 V. Queer Places 34 VI. Stiffs 42 VII. American Prisons 49 VIII. Experiences of Others 58 IX. The American Lakes 66 X. The Happy Life 74 XI. Boy Desperadoes 82 XII. American and English Beggars 89 XIII. Beggars' Slang 97 XIV. Bony's Wits 105 XV. Favouritism 114 XVI. A Law to Suppress Vagrancy 122 XVII. Stubborn Invalids 130 XVIII. The Earnings of Beggars 138 XIX. Charity in Strange Quarters 146 XX. Enemies of Beggars 154 XXI. The Lowest State of Man 161 XXII. The Lodger Lover 169 XXIII. The Handy Man 176 XXIV. On Books 183 XXV. Narks 191 XXVI. The Scribe in a Lodging-house 199 XXVII. Licensed Beggars 207 XXVIII. Navvies and Frauds 213 XXIX. A First Night in a Lodging-house 222 XXX. Gentleman Bill 230 XXXI. Fallacies Concerning Beggars 238 XXXII. Lady Tramps 247 XXXIII. Meeting Old Friends 256 XXXIV. The Comparison 263 XXXV. The Supper 270 XXXVI. The Literary Life 278