Beginning Tomorrow Today - By Timothy Sherman

small cooking fires. Many of them would get drunk on cheap wine or other liquors while cooking. They would play with their knives or sharpen them, play cards, and tell stories and yarns about all kinds of subjects. They wore old raggedy clothes and looked very poor and sad. When they were drinking they would become funny, exciting, and sometimes a little scary. Since I lived next to the train tracks that ran through my town, I was very interested in these fellows because of their stories and the fun they seemed to have.

Sometimes I would stop by in the early morning or after noon while walking to and from school. Most of my friends, especially the girls, wouldn't go into the hobo jungles. I seldom

"You will not touch him; go back t o y o ur Business."

went with anyone but once in awhile a friend would go in with me. I would occasionally encounter a couple of evil men, and sometimes women, who would begin to threaten me for some evil purpose. I was never quite sure what that purpose was, but it made me back away and get ready to run, and run I could. On more than one occasion a clean-cut, well-dressed hobo would come from nowhere, stepping in between me and them as I was getting ready to run. He would extend his hand toward them and would speak a quiet but firm sentence, "You will not touch him; go back to your business!"They would leave without hesitation, pout ing and murmuring as they turned away. I would think, "Wow! How did he do that, and who was he?" I was amazed at these wondrous happenings. This mysterious one would instruct me to listen to my parents and use caution in all contacts with these fellows. He told me that he knew my mother prayed for me and said, "We are watching out for you, always." I would wonder what he meant by "we." I was always curious as to how he and others like him on various occasions in my life could come and go so suddenly, without my being able to see their entry or exit. To this day it still 24