Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1875-12-11
Mark Twain as a "Cub."

| mUTA 1WuIu I'D q NOuUs
A st. Louis correspondent Of tn
Milwaukee Sentinel writes: Whil
sitting IN front Of the Southern He
tel, talking to future great citizel
about the old steamboat days of 81
Louis, when captains, clerks and pi
lots ran the town, and ran 1t unde
= full head Of steam, an ancien
nariaer let up on whiting the arm
of the next chair, turned toward US
and remarked: "You are speaking
Of the old river daysW I'VE was
l replied. "Perhaps, now, you have
been reading some of Sam Clemens
yarns Z" l held up . copy Of thu
Atlantic, opeu 1t Mark Twain's sr
ticle, which had really brought about
the conversation. "Yes, thought
SO; we'll, he don't tell oil he knows,
said the social riyerman, reaching
over for a tobacco pouch which q
gentleman was passing to friend
''There's one little affair he hasn't
worked into print yet, and it isn't
likely he will.7
The social quit of on his remin.
iscence at this point and talked gen
orally about the bad outlook of the
crops and the universal disadvan.
tage Of drynsss. Seeing that moth.
lug but gin and sugar wonld start
him anew, he was persuaded into
the convenient bar-room, and after
hosting in three fingers (held YER.
tically), q handful Of crackers and
several chunks of cheese, he pro.
ceeded with his anecdote, interrupt
ing himself several times to remark
to the bar.keeper, "the same pard."
~ was first engineer of the Alex.
ander Scott when Sam Clemens
(Mark 1'wain) was a cub in the pi.
lot house. He was a clipper young
chap With legs no bigger than a
line and fuller OF tricks than
. mule colt. He worked of jokes
on everybody aboard, from the skip.
per down to the roosters (darky
leck hands), but they were all TAX
IN in good part, only lay by two
or three to pay back. About the
line Sam got the run of the river
rcll ouuugh TO stand alone 1T tho
Wheel the Scott went into the lower
liver trade, carrying cotton from
Memphis to New Orleans. Perhaps,
low, you never see y boat in the
'otton trade burnt Well, you may
over the cotton from stem to stern
With tarpaulins, and keep your don
icy engines steamed up, but if a
park of fire touches cotton enough |
o ill q tooth, your boats q corpse.
t's quicker'n gunpow.ler to burn,
nd no pilot can reach the lower
|eck from the texas in time to save
limself, let alone his Saratoga. So,
'ou see, everybody in that trade is
n the watch, and an alarm of fire
D, a boat loaded with cotton will
urn = mans hair gray quicker'n an
lligater can swsller q niger.
''Sam, being young pilot and
ew to the cotton trade, was told
yer and over again how the profes.
ion would lose . promising cub if
yer a 6re broke out on the Scott,
nd the boy got nervous. Ny strik.
r and me always managed to be in
he lunch.r0Om when Sam came off
'atch, and as he came in We would
slk about the number of cotton
oats that burnt in such a year, and
ow such q cub would have made q
ghtning pilot If he hadn't got burnt
p in the cotton trade, and We al.
ays noticed that Sans appetite
Iiled him after that, and instead of
Ding to bed be would 60 prowling
round the lower deck, and peering
bout the hatch ways, smelling at
very opening like q pup that had
'st his master.
"One day when We backed out Of
[empbis with a big cargo Of cotton,
complained, in Sans hearing, that
,e mate had loaded the boat too
ear the engines. The boy follow.
l me into the engine-room, and,
ithout seeming to notice him, 1
I'D my striker would do my lev.
best to keep that cotton from
stching fire, but that it was . slim
han nee with bales piled up right be.
,re the furuace.doors. Sam got
hiter'n q bulk-head, and went up
, the texas, where he packed his
aratogs ready for any business
lat might come before the meet.
lg. When he went on watch l
oafoA thu nononA olorlx fo lroo,, a q, 4