Beggars

Front matter

Reading edition

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: Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See https://archive.org/details/beggars00davi

BEGGARS

BEGGARS

W. H. DAVIES

AUTHOR OF "THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A SUPERTRAMP," "THE SOUL'S DESTROYER," "NATURE POEMS," ETC.

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

XXXVII. The Sport of Fame 285

XXXVIII. Beggars in the Making 293

BEGGARS