Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1864-10-14


ed himself an excellent judge Of charac
d ter, and as sharp as a needle.
/ The night before we were to reac
] Memphis Rodden and Greene wer
o playing, and Greene was flushed wit
D his luck and drinking more than usua
Browne watched them until be was tired
: and turned in about eleven o'clock
A Then Rodden and Green drank more, o
I stronger drinks than usual, and the,
, played for higher stakes. It was the oil,
story-iniatuation, madness, n d, o
course, the loss of the last dollar Green
t had in the world. Then came abothe
insanity, worse than that of the drunkar(
aud the gambler-the insanity Of despair
Instead of going 10 his berth, he ascend
ed to the hurricane>deck. Then be took
off his coat and vest, and wrote on :
scrap of paper with a pencil this just leg
ible note -
"To THE CAPTAIN OF TINS Boar
Rodden has robbed me when | was
drunk, Of three thousand dollars, all
have in the world. I am going to drown
myself. Please thank Mr.. Browne for
me and tell him I am sorry | did not
hear to him.
"JoHN GREENE
This paper he pinned to his vest, and
then quietly jumped into the river but
he was not born to be drowned-not at
that time, anyway. There was a cry of
man overheard from tie watch on deck.
| sprang out of my state-room with Mus
! ter "Save him, Musterl" said /. The
dog didn't need another invitation, and be
caught him and held him up, just as he
showed you, until the steamers boat pick
ed them both up, and brought them on
board again. The captain came down
on Rodden, but Rodden drew bowie
knife and showed fight. The boat had
touched at Memphis. and before any
thing could be done he broke away and
was clear His mother, elegant and i'm
pertuFbable as ever had their baggage
taken ashore, and we were soon on Our
way, like the river, and life, and all that
sort of thing, and l forgot all about
the adventure. One cant remember ev-
erything, as the man said when be went
into the woods to chop and forgot his ak.
l got through with my business at New
Orleans. 1t was city then, full of
wealth and beauty, lying, purple grape,
IN the sun, full of luscious pulp and
sweetness. Well, it is just ike a grape
skin now, sucked and thrown under foot
to be trodden on but we'll adjourn that
subject. .....
On the fifth of May l left New Orleans
to return North. I went on board that
palace of boat, Black Hawk, and almost
the first person ! saw was Rodden's
mother. There she was, with the same
stately presence, the same shaven fore
head, and false front, the same rich lace
and moire antique to which were now
added flashing jewels; and there was
the pretty little woman with her baby,
now about year old, and both dressed
in the same snowy manner; and present,
ly | saw the hard-faced gambler, Rodden.
The young mother and her baby looked
pale and i'll; the old mother and her
hopeful looked flushed and eager for prey.
| paid so much attention to those people
and thought so much of what they had
probably been doing all winter in New
Orleans, that | rather neglected the other
but the day after we started
| observed a particularly green-looking
with light faxen hair, an awk-
ward slouched hat, blue homespun panta-
looms, and butternut colored coat, which
seemed to me both homespun and home
made he had old yarn gloves on, which
he never removed except TO put OF some
old leather or kid ones. l watched the
gambler, for 1t had somehow transpired
that this gawky, homespun individual
had been to New Orleans with consid-
erable cargo Of bacon and cheese.
thought Of poor Greene and his $4,000
One day l saw Rodden and the stranger
Ike, so he called himself-together.
"No matter about my name, Mister"
Iaid be, "call me Ike, I'll answer to that
ill the cows come home. You can't come
t over me calling me mister. How do I
know bat that you are one of them fel-
ows that plays poker and allus wins ?"
II never played but three games Of ,
'oker in my life" said Rodden, ''but III
'lay euchre with you for the drinks"
mo you don't. Look "a here, mister,'
,ulling down the lower eyelash, do you
zee anything green there p
II see that you have cut your eve ,