The Ohio union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1849-1854, 1853-06-08
'yarIrtu.
SKETCHES or LIFE IN The
SSgSSIPPIYA AL LEY,

M SS1SS1PP lf AL Lac !.
.avsaaN 8 - Hzras4Gc-tl
las evvamgls sallry; heavy clouds are
'loonfingu up heiSrc " as We go passing %
,he' o hmrwS.erdowa stream. The-white
paint on The railiago Of Tho Beautiful Maid
feels hot and sticky To the hand. Wonder
suckerfrom Hliaoishss cartied OF a square
foot Of il on the back Of his homemade
coat. lie was leaning upon itan spite Of
warning given him by the waiter, aud now
all the arpen,iGe in his mothers medicine
chest wOn'tcleaHse him. .si
Yhe clerk hes betdken himself 10 a .cor.
ner t,est where we sit, and we hear him
relating the following good aoecdoto
abOat-- ,gi7-
The orhan Girl and the Steamboat.
There was a lady took passage with us
at Pittsburgh some lime in the year 1917
who hooked herself as Mrs. Winslow for
New Orleans, having fer her compm,ion a
girl seven or eight years old, evidently her
daughter. This lady was quite reserved
aad distant in her inannes and to all in
our IS made NJ her in that spiSit Of free.
DIM that grnws'out ofa lnng trip Of This
sort, she only gave itto be understood thai
she was going down 10 join her husband,
an officer in the Mcxcaa war, al New
Orleans.
The INhe girl, Ellen BY name, vas one Of
those lively, Au'eriae things yoa some
times sec, that ln(use jos INTO every be,
h | er. never saw a creature rha, so much
fitted nay idea af an angel; so innocent
so ignorant of double mcaBings and de.
ceilful ways; 5 o unsophisIirated one
could not but feel that i, was a pity 10 eda-
cate such a creature, seeing that she mus
Learn SO mauy things that would unfit hel
TO return 50 heIvrn.
This sweet child had been instructed by
her mother 10 lell the truth always. so che
said, and 10 do what she was bid. Il
would nave been ludlcrous sometimes had
it not been so irresistibly touching, tc
hear her plain truthful replies 10 the ques
lions the passengers were continually ask.
ing her about herself what size drought o
them; OF their looks; of their actions; o
God and Of other things.
Capt. Seelry. an old, weaiher.beaicr
man as there was on The river, was a con
summate swearcr, and rarely finished a sen.
ienee ghen oul ol hearing Of the ladies
without an oath. The day after we lief
Pitsburg, little Ellen was sitting on a guar
amidst a circle Of listeners to her childisI
prs'tle, when The captain joined them AM
asked her what she thought Of him! Sh,
replied villa an arless emile, that sb,
theSght God would forgive him for his oh
er sins, Il he would not swear any more
The old nan flushed up, tears filed hi
eyes aud he turned away unable to say
word; but frem tina, hour he sought every
space Rinate 10 draw little Ellen 10 hi
side and converse with her.
II was a touching contrast, that wicket
old man. thirty years on the western wa
tiers, and that spoIless lille soul jusl slartin,
upon her first travel! All The passenger
nuliced IL. They attempted indeed, 10 raj
ly him upon il; but be gave them such
gruiT reception that II was thought irnPru
dent to make M further jest Of The matter
and they let him alunc.
So we passed Cincinnati and Louisville
and in due lime emerged from La bell
%ririere into tue muddy Father Of waiers.
Mrs. WinsiUw saw Without inlrrposinl
any objections, the inluencehPr child wa
exercising over The old captains mind bu
she sleadlasIly refused every advance finn
eilher himself or oher persons toward
turning acgutintances. She was ~rvitlea,
ly a vic im 10 griei; her c%OGllensnce wa
fixed in a settled gloom, and she rem ,intt
all day rerlined upon a suia solitary sn'
Engaged in the perusal Of the Bible.
Ohe morning, twas when we had 60
about half way 10 Memphis, The chamber
maid announced thai Mrs. WiasluW va
very ILL.,. Llule Ellen in coming oul 4
breakfast informed The lady passengers lila
she had sal b. her mothers bed all nigh
long holding water, of which she dranl
necessarily. II was found on examma
lion by a physician IN board that she wa
in a fever and already deranged. Sii
died Just as VIC rounded Oul lrum Mem
phs; was laid ia a coffin made by tn,
hands Of the boats carpenter, AMI buriel
in the grave,a ard at Hrlena.
Nothing cnuld be found in her trunks t
deuoe her husband or ule. Where sh,
had lived; who we're her parents wha
was the cause uf her melancholy was a 10
tai blink. There was about fifty dollar
in gold. a few lrinkels, a good stock O
garments Of fine quality and make, but n
papers.
Liule Ellen soon recovered The shocl
orcasioned by HE loss Of her mother, an
b, fore VIC had passed Virksburg had re
sumed with the happy elasticity Of child
hood, her 'pralling parties" as tn
passengers termed them, aud long confer
enccs with the captain.
b. this lime the old man had joine
T his heart To hers with a feryor that was al
soluicly painful to observe. lie made he
sil by lis side at The public lable,-unprt
ecdemed violation of the steamboat rule'
took her upon The hurricane deck an
into The wheel house with him; and
leaked o through the steward. that aGC
hrr mothers death, The lntle orphan eve
shared his berth and slrptin his arms.
Wei we goi 10 New Orleans and di'
charged our cargo; ionk IN another Loaf
and advertised 10 return tn PIusburg.
/, luuked every day To see little Ellen's fail
or come aud take her away. | watche
nYprv nnifnrm and ihern waa nlrniu