The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1875-01-13

thought gave to the subject. l new,
er was great. in matters If detail /
packed my valise and took passage on
an ancient tub called the Paul Jones,
for New Orleans. For the sum of six
teen dollars / had the SCARED and
taruished splendors of "her" main sa-
loon principally to myself for She
was not a creature TO attract the eye
Of wiser travellers.
When we presently got under way
and went poktng down the broad Ohio,
became a new being, and the subject
of my own admiration. | was trav-
eler! A word had never TASTED SO good
in my mouth before. / bad an exuIi-
ant sense OF being boun for myster
ious lands aud climes, which | never
have felt in so uplifting "A degree since.
| was in such a gloriiied condition that
all ignobie feelings departed out Of
me, and | was able to look down, and
pity the untrayeled with a compassion
that had hardly trace of contempt
in it. Still, when we stopped at vii
lagos wood yards, l could not hel p
lolling carelessly upon the ratings of
the boiler deck to enjoy the envy of
the country boys on the bank. Ii
they did not seem to discover me, |
presently sneezed to attract their at
tention, or moved TO posnir. whr1-c
they could not hel p seeing me. And
as soon as | knew they saw me | gaped
aud stretched, aud gave other signs OF
being nightly bored with travelling.
kept my hat off all the time. and
stayed where the wind and the sun
could strike me. because | wanted to
get. the bronzed and weather. beaten
look of an old traveller. Before the
second day was half gone, l exper-
fenced joy which filled me with the
purest gratitude; for | saw that the
skin had begun to blister and peel off
my face and neck. / wished that the
boys and girls at home could see me
now.
We reached LOUISVILLE in time-at
least the neighborhood of it. We
stuck hard and fast on the rocks in
the middle of the river, and lay there
four days. / was now beginning to
teel strong sense of being a part of
the boats family, a sort of infant son
to the captain and younger brother to
the officers. There is no estimating
the pride l took in this grandeur, OF
the affection that began to grow and
swell in me for these people. could
not know hoN the lordly steamboat.
man scorns that sort presumption in
mere landsman. particularly long.
ed to acquire the least trihe of notice
from the big, stormy mate, and l was
on the alert for an opportunity to do
him a service to that end. 1t came at
last. The riotous powwow of setting
a spar was.goiug on down on the fore
castle, ard | went dowa there and
stood around in the. way--or mostly
skipping out Of it-till the mate sud
denly roared ont n general order for
somebody to bring him capstan bar
| sprang to his side and said: "Te.
me where it is-Pll fetch itT
If q rag,picker had offered to do
diplomatic service for the Emperor of
Russia, the monarch cnuld not have
been more astonished than the mate
was. He stood and stared down at
me. II took him ten minutes To ssrspe
his disjointed remains together again,
Then he said impressively: "Well, il
this don't beat hill" aud turned to
his work with the air Of man who
had been confronted with a problem
too abstruse for solution.
crept away and courted solitude
for the rest of the day. ! did not 60
to dinner; | stayed away from supper
until everybody else had flushed.
did not feel So much like uemher OF
the boats family nov as before. ilowsi
ever my spirits returned, in install
ments, AS we pursued our way down
the river ] was sorry ! hated the
mate 81, because il was not'in (young)
human nature not to admire hiR. He
was huge and muscIlal, his face was
bearded aud whiskered all over; he
had a red woman and blue woman
tattooed on his right arm--one on each
side of blue anchor with a red rope
to it; and in the matter of profanity
he was perfect When he was getting
our cargo at landing, | was always
where | could see aud hear He felt
all the sublimify of his great position,
and made the world feel il, too. When
he gave even the simplest order. he
discharged it like blast Of lightning,
and sent a long, reverberating peal Of
profanity laundering after it. Icouid
not help contrasting the way in which
the average landsmap would give an
order, with the mates way of doing it.
If the landsman should wish the gang
plank moyed foot farther forward,
he would probably say; "James or
William, one Of yuu push that plank