The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1864-12-07
q Good STORY.
TDONE By TOR
A TALE OF THE MISSISSIPPI.

We are going to New Orleans, and at
Cairo we took aboard n party that was
not happy to see, not a bit Of it. l don't {
like snsgs walking about on two legs
Tho party consisted of a man about
thirty or thirty five years old, with his
wife and young baby, and his mother.
The young man was what l call hard
character. He wore grey coat and
pants, and purple velvet vest, with n mas
sive gold, or it might be gold plated,
chain across the breast. His long black
hair was curled and shiny, and smelt like
BARRIERS shop. He had a red puffy face
and his eyes were black and wicked He
had been what many people call good
looking good, do not think he could
have been with such a mother. She was
= tall and stately woman-quite as tall as
her son and about half a century old
She wore false front, and her forehead
was shaved 10 make it look more expan-
sive and intellectual. l can't answer for
her age very accurately, for she was
made up altogether in the most elaborate
fashion, and was dressed, even on the
steam boat, in the richest moire antique
and the costliest lace. There is not
sin OF the civilized world that was not
written on that woman's face. have
seen great many women, with little
enough that was womanly about them,
but l never saw one who seemed to me
90 bad "a this gamblers mother.
The fact is, it was party OF gamblers.
The poor little wife was trained stool
pigeon. and even the pretty little baby
was dressed To attract and lead to ac-
Quaintance The wife was very pretty,
but struck me a. a strange compound
She seemed loving and gentle, as l dare
say she might have been in other cicum
stances She was dressed too well, and
wore too much jewelry. This l after
wards found not her fault She was made
90 play her part in attracting her hus-
bands ,ictims. The coquetry of her ap-
pearance did not correspond with the ex
preston Of her face There was sad
look in it that made me pity her. They
had come from Canada. they said, and
were going to New Orleans. l kept my
ewes on them and so, l found. did the
experienced chambermaid. who had been
on the river too long not TO know such
customers at first sight.
Among the fellow passengers was
gentleman who called himself Mr.. Brown,
who seemed to me to be either an actor
travelling incog. or gentleman who in
tended 70 adopt the dramatic profession.
We GOT acquainted over sherry cob
bier, became intimate with our noses in
our two first mint juleps, and when we
had little private party in our corner.
he amused US By initiating those on
board. or others we happened to know,
very cleverly. Among the rest, he took
OF the roue- looking gambler. Rodden. as
he called himself, and the stately mother.
He had made up his mind about them
pretty much as had made up mine.
Among the occupants of the great
cabin, where society gets about as well
mingled as YOU ever find it in the world,
was young man, a Mr.. John Greene, a
master carpenter from Chicago, going to
Memphis. He was simple, honest, and
o. verdant as his name. He got &C
Quainted with everybody. and told OF his
means, intentions, and prospects, As if be
thought everybody as innocent As him
self Rodden made a set at Greene as
no. by making the first advsnces. The
old lady talked with him in the most
motherly way about his home. his pros
poets, and sweethearts. The young wife
who seemed at times TO scorn everything
about her. smiled on him sweetly. and
gave him her baby TO hold. Whoever
she may have feared or hated, she loved
the baby. 1t WAS, believe, the bond
that held her to that gambler and his
mother, and made her do their internal
bidding. But for the baby, che might
have jumped into the river to escape