Signs made up mainly of circles, crosses, or arrows can occasionally be seen at the entrance of a house.They suggest that a tramp has arrived.This special sign-language is often used by tramps to tell their fellows whether the people living in a certain house are hospitable or unfriendly, and to save them the trouble of making unnecessary calls .
Quite by chance one day, I came across a real tramp.He is such a rare sight these days that I stopped and watched him from some distance away.He was dressed just as a tramp—in patched trousers and a jacket many sizes too big for him.On his head there was a shabby hat and his boots were so worn that they were almost coming into pieces.
But the man himself looked happy as if he had not a care in the world.He put down a small bag by the front gate, and began studying a sign left by a previous caller.Although the sign was meaningless to me, it must have been favorable to him, for his face lit up with satisfaction.He entered the gate and rang the bell.When the door opened I saw him hold his hat.But the conversation that took place was very discouraging indeed, for before he said a few words the door shut loudly in his face.I felt very sorry for him as he walked sadly out of the house.But just as quickly, his face lit up again and he moved directly towards the gate. There he stopped, looked at the sign and shook his head seriously as if he had made a bad mistake.Digging deep into his pockets, he took out a piece of chalk，rubbed out the existing sign and made a new one in its place.Then he collected his things and began walking to the next house, whistling as he went along.求译文！！!