Tobias woke the next morning as the sun started to light the sky. The men packed up camp and hopped the first westbound train. They taught Willie the ways of the rails—the difference between a bum, a tramp, and a hobo. A bum was a no good, dirty, rotten thief that would rather steal from you than work for anything. A tramp is the type that only works when forced to. But the noble hobo was a traveling migratory worker.
He learned it was far better to be of the fine upstanding hobo variety. Those that joined the ranks of the Hobo Brethren did so for various reasons. Some caught the wanderlust of the road—travel was in their blood. Others had no choice—the rails called to them because work dried up back home. Hobos lived by a code of honor. Their most important rule: Never steal… always work for your food.
Willie and his four unlikely companions continued westbound across the rails all day. By nightfall, the men were comfortable in the spot they carved… finish reading Episode 4 at Coffee House Writers.
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