Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1875-03-02
- IL ,tlanllc Nonthlr,
IN TrWre ON TIE MISSISSIPPI

ug 90 become clowns the nrSt negro mill
str,l show that came 70 our section left US
800 suffering 20 try thar Kind Of life; now
and then We had hope that II We lived and
v,r. good God would permit Us to he
pirates These ambitions faded out, each in
IN IFS mn; bat the ambition TO be steam
boHtman always remained.
once a day a cheap. gaudy packet arrived
upW ard from - Louis, and another down
ward from KeOkuk Before these events
BASEL ranSpired. the day was glorious with
cNuectancv after they had transpired. the
,ttv was "a drrtd and empty thing. Not only
ihe b0ys. but the whole village. felt this
After an these wears can picture that old
time 10 myself now, just as il was then the
white town browsing in the sunshine ~
summers morning the streets empty, on
prettv nearly - one or two clerks sitting m
from, OF the Water Street stores. with their
>plirf-hot'om.d chairs tilted hack against
ilp wall chius 1n breast hats S.oUchctovtr
their 8ce> sSlcep with SainS.c-S4aV.ASS
enough around lo show what broke them
down "a sow and litter of pigs lo2tng
along the sidewalk. doing "a good business
iD watermelon riudS and seeds TWO ui
three lonely little freight piles scattered
about thu .- ieytu . pile ~ ' shid> on The
fragrant town duukard asleep .u The
shadow oi 'heW rvo 0v thrCt W'ot .I'> or
tL. head ~ th. Uu,f. hut nobody o. listen
20 M. peaceful tapping OFF fhg VHyglCt~
grairst fN,m. me Tct Mississippi. the
rgi.,ffc Che magnificent Mississippi. rolling
IFS milc.vila Tide alon-. shining IN ga,
sun nm, dense forest away ou dee other
side. tno point aluvg thc town. arl fu
-.p1ir' below bounding Tho river glimpse
.,,,F ttrr-ne 10 into "a SORT OF sea. and Vi'iEl
, Ntr, sin and brilliant and .m,.H ono
Present., fm ot dark smoke appear
4luy,. uuc Oi those remote points n
,,sntlv "a negro duvmtn. famous Tor hi>
miCk rv, and ro,li-iau- voice, lifts mp 'h"
.rv. .>t-p.a-m-huaf a-c.mn and tuD
~,7ne changes ia. town drnhaul >tr>
rh, clerks wake Ul. furious CHATTER OF
druv> follows every D1u~. and store pour>
oui "a human orD,r It.ou. ard au 10
twink linz 20. dead town rs alive and m.vu-
draws carts. m.u. h.1~. aN -' hurUW-
-ram usu, G.art,r> q. 90 common centre
Cd. wharf Assembled rhenr. thc pc'p',
tI,,.u ,le.r c,,~ upuu tbc conrr- 'e1' 1~
.r.r a wonder tH.y arr seeing .'I iI, N'~'
i.me And th, h.Jf i~ rather hnd~'m.
>-hr to. ~iu IS .Hn- and sharp Hnj ,ru
an3 urrt. >n. ha- $3.50 tI ,,ryN'1piyu
,bimr.,~ with -.d.d device 90 >'ur
Liud Svuu- n,.n.,r heu iauU,iu pilot
EDg>. Isl. class a.a gingerbread I"'C1.n
.r f.lU. t.. -t.lt- I"s '.NuJ ...W
tU....- 4. '.N,- ..I, -H.-...s,- W..lo r.'ut-
.r.N.tI -I.U.J r,t~ a'r,c .b. H,t u.uls
Zine boiler J.,A. 'h, hurricane deck. aod o..
texas d..N .gc fenced and uuJmcuyi With
clean vh'-. ratings here ISs iirc cs.nuiiy
hvir. um fh. HcA->gG thr furnace doors
aic uYtu and tu. fires glazing huVeN jhc
upper G,,h, 1901. black With passengers ihr
uhe cir,au ~aud- r, ilr h.- I.'. eI..u. ma
io>iu.. tlr .r,t .t .l -lta, volumes 81
lht bhth.>. ,muh, arr ROLLING a"J ,umhlmg
...,, ,f .l. .a.mrr,> 81 Iulau)e! -riudeur
created s,.J. 70 l.t 90 pitch ltuc just before
uuit.:- ASA ,,Va DO, ,.,n ary -.'lpcdo on
thief rD,.l>.lc o.. Ou~d -'g-. {, run tSr ont
over the port how and an euvicd decS-hand
stands uictguSluoly on The end oi Wli1
col. o.. rope .n his hand The Veut steam D.
screaming through tho crla-e-co-b- ih'
captain lifts his hand. "a bell rings, 90.
wheels stop then then turn back. DhNU"-
the water jo foam. and the steamer IS $40
r,St Then such "a scramble Is there is o.
yet aboard. and to get ashore, and 20 take in
freight and to discharge freight. aiI al uuc
and the ~Im time and such yelling and
clirS.us a~ tLc mates facilitate 90 al' with
Ten minutes later -Ae steamer Is under way
again. with no flag on the laCN-sia1 and Ho
black smoke issuing from the ClmucFS
After Ten more minutes the town Is dead
again. 5uG 'be town d-uukagi asleep hy The
ski,!s once more
NV iathrr was "a Justice of the peace. and
I susDI~-d Dee possessed the power OF life
a d IA
body thar offended him This was diStinc-
tion enough for me as q general thing but
the desire t0 le "a S.caml eastman kept iutrjld-
ing nevertheless ] ir~, wanted 60 De-
cabin ioy. 50 THAT / could come out with a
white apron on and shake table-cloth over
the >.,i-. where aN my old comrades could
Scy me h'er J thought ] would rather Zee
the deck -hani who stood on the euG of the
sia.e-pank With the coil of ropc ,u his hand
because Do. was particularly conspicuous
Bu, these were only dav-duams -ti-y were
too heavenly to be- contemplated as real
poss.biItic, BY and by one of UIr boys
went AWAY he was ult heard of fcr q
long time 80 JAS, De- tumcl 'ln SIS sppreu-
aice engineer or striker on a Stcamboat.
This thing shouN the bottom out az an mys
~undAy-schoOl teachings That huy had
been no,oriously worldly and / lust the
reverse Vet - was exalted 90 this emincncy,
and .ctt .n ohSCurity and misery There
was nothing generous about this fellow In
his greatness. lie would always manage 70
have d rusty holt 20 scrub while his boat
tarried al Oul own. and he would SIT on the
inside guard md scrub IL. where We could
al SCI him and envy him and loathe him
And whenever his boat was laid ~ he
would come home and swell around the
town in his hlackest and greSSicst clothes.
80 that nobody could help remembering that
he was a Steamboatman and he used all
sorts OF steamboat teChniCaliiics in his talk
as if he were 50 used 10 them that he forgot
common people could not understand them.
lie would sneak OF the '' labbOard' side OF
a horsc in an eaSv. natural way that would
make one wish he was dead. And he was
always talking shout st LOOy" like an
old citizen he would refer casually 10 OC-
casions when he was coming down Fourth
Street, or when he was passing by the
Planters House or when there was tire
and De took q turn on the brakes ~ " the
old Ri. Missouri and them he would 20
on and he about how many towns the size
" ours were burned down there that
dav. Two or three Of the bows had long
been persons OF consideration among Us be
cause they had been 10 ~. Louis once acd
lad a vague general knowledge OF It's Won
fers. bat the day OF their glory was over now.
They lapsed into a humble silence, andlearn.
I'd 10 disappear when the ruthless cub
engineer approached This fellow had mon
ev. 100. and hair oil Also an ignorant silver
watch and a snowy brass watch chain lie
wore a leather belt and used no suspenderS
II ever a youth was cordially admired and
hated bv his comrades, this one one was.
No girl could Withstand his charms lie
cut out every boy in the village. When
his boat blew up al last. il diffused tran.
quill contentment among Us such as we had
not known for months. But when he came