The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-11-16
Of paper with pencil this just legible

| note: - q 'f' .-.
.'To THE CAPTAIN OF THIS Boar
Rodden has robbed me when / was drunk
of three thousand dollars, all / have in
the world. 1 am going to drown myself
Please thank Mr.. Browne for me aud tel
him am sorry I did not hear of him.
= Cd - JOHN GREEN"
This paper he pinned on his vest, and
then quietly jumped INTO the river but
he was not born to be drowned-net chat
time, anyway. There was.a cry from the
watch on deck, of emanpioverboard.
sprang outof my state-roem with Muster
"Save him, Muster !" said T. The dog
did not need another invitation, and he
lCcaught 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 knife
and. showed fight. The boat had touched
at Mem phis, and before anything could
be done he broke away and was clear
His mother, elegant and impcrturbabIe
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 forgot all about the adventure. One
can't remember everything, as the man
said when he went to the woods to chop
and forgot his AK. I got through with
my bushes at Newss0rleans.s 1t was a
city then, full of wealth and beauty, ly-
ing, purple grape in. the sun, full of ,lu
scious pulp and sweetness, Well, it is
just like grape skin now, sucked and
thrown under foot tocbe trodden ION hut
we'll adjourn that subject Eosl
= On the fifth of May left New Or
leans to return North. l went on board
that palace of boat, Black Hawk, and
almost the first person | saw was Rod
den's mother. There she was, with the
same stately presence, the same shaven
forhead, and false 'front.' the same rich
lace and moirs antique, to which were
row added flashing jewels and there was
the pretty little woman, with her baby,
now about year old, and both dressrdlin n
the same snowy manner; and presently
saw the hard. faced gambler, Rodden-
The young mother and her baby looked
pale and i'll the old mother and her hope
ful looked flushed and eager for prey, /
paid SO much attention 10 those people,
and thought SO much of what they had
probably been doing all winter in New
Orleans, that 1 rather neglected the other
passengers; but the day after we started
I observed a particularly green looking
Individual with light 'haxen hair, an awk-
ward slouched hat, blue home-spun PAN
falcons, and butternut colored coat,
which seemed to me both home-spun and
home made: he had old yarn gloves on,
IL, lo fn
on soue old leather or kid one. [ watch
ed the gambler, for it had somewhat trans
pired that this gawky homespun individ-
ual had been tie New Orleans with q con-
siderable cargo of bacon and cheese. /
thought of poor Green and his three thou
sand dollars. One day saw Rodden and
the stranger-"Ike," so he called himself
f-togethcr. -Eass 90 Is no VI
''No matter about my name, mister"
said he, "call me Ike; Pll answer to that,
till the cows come home. You can't
come it over me by calling ne mister
How do know but you are one of them
feAers that plays poker, and allus win !''
Il never played but three games of po-
ker in my life," said Rodden, 'rbut i'll
play euchre with you for the drinks"
"No you don't. Look O. here, mister"
pulling down the lower eyelash, sdo you
see anything green there =, 'i
81 see you have cut your eye teeth, %
said 7Rodden. 81 wouldn't undertake to
cheat you, if cheating were my trade,
which, am happy to say, it is not"
"You don't say Good Elookiu' but ye
can't come in. shah't play for the
drinks, nor for nothing else. Il promised
Susy, when I come away, that / wouldn't
itch kaird the hull time that Iowas off
an no more 1 won't. You see five thous-
and dollars worth of bacon and cheese
wouldn't be no shakes at all to one O.
them fellers that plays poker 81
"That's So" said 5Rodden. 4You are
wise.ps Sc ,ts.i i8soD
Eyes, an that amt the hull ont, for
my moneys in the cap MS safe, and what's
more, it'll stay there till half, an hour
afore land.'' ~ 5dslGlo
"At-?' ?''' said Rodden, suggestively.
IsetsAt t-yes, at-but where at is you'll
have to fnd out, for L told Susy I'd keep
as dark as woodehuck;s s hole, and not
talkto nobody more than was rally nee
essary. As to you, L would notmind tel
lin you, for took to you at wonst You
are Smart, but you can't keep a hotel, OF
| you wouldn't come at me about kairds.-
You might have known ] wouldn't play,
by the looks of me-" .b@ss.rfa5
Rodden was persevering; the man in
hohespun was firm. The young wife
seemed more i'll, terrified and miserable
every hour; the old mother more hard
proud and imperious. She would take
the baby, keep it from its mother and, I
believe, pinch it, simply to torture the
poor woman. Rodden never interfered
to protect her What life that poor
think was leading, and what a fate for
her child!QYUT ,IUDHoa
One evening heard Rodden talking
to the gawky man about playsd 20
-'s'Look O. here now,"'' said the latter, "ef
you ever say kairds to me, I'll pitch into
YOU. I am a man o my word, lspecially