The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-01-20

....NIH nf a AZ ~ IN A n N
Letter Box ;' al the depot viii be COLLECTED by
Route Agents Ave minutes previous to the de-
partnre Oh eacn man lralh
Wcs'e'" ''ie-"i" times U" the '''s-
ssipP''
By MARK TWAIN.
When was boy there was but one per-
manent ambition among my comrades in
our village on the west bank of the Misss-
sippi river. That was to be steamboat
man. We had transient ambitions of other
sorts. but they were only transient When
a circus came and went il left lis all burn
ing to become clowns the first negro min
strel show that came 10 our section left ms
all suffering to try that kind of life now
and then we had a hope that il we lived
and were good God would permit us to be
pirates These ambitions faded out each
in in its turn but the ambition to be a
steamboatman always remained.
NV father was Justice of the peace,
and supposed he possessed the power of
life and death over all men and could hang
anybody that offended him. This was dis
tnction enough for me as general thing,
but the desire to be steainboatman kept
intrudipg, nevertheless | first wanted to
be cabin boy, so that could come out
with n white apron and shake table-cloth
over the side, where all my old comrades
could see me Later thought would ra-
Their be the deck-hand on the end of the
stage-plank with the coil of rope in his
hand, because he was particularly conspic-
uous. But those were only day dreams
they were too heavenly to be contemplated
as real possibilities. BY and by one of the
bows went away. lie was not beard of for
a long time. At last he turned up as APP
prentice engineer or striker on a steam
boat This thing shook the bottom out of
all my Sunday school teachings. That boy
had been VIGOROUSLY worldly. | lust the
reverse yet he was exalted to this emf
ncncc, and left in obscurity and misery.
There was nothing generous about this fell
low in his greatness. He would always
manage to have rusty bolt to scrub while
his boat tarried at our town, and he would
sit on the inside guard and scrub it where
we all could see him and envy HIM and
loath him. And whenever his boat was laid
up he would come home and swell around
town in the blacklist and greatest clothes
so that nobody could help remembering tina,
that he was a steamboatman and he uset
all sorts of steamboat technicaities in hi,
talk, as if he was so used to them that h,
forgot common people could not under
stand them. He would speak of the ''lar
board side of a horse in an easy, natura
way that would make one wish he wa'
dead. And he was always talking abou
'St. Looy' like an old citizen he would
refer casually to occasions when he iva:
coming down Fourth street." or wher
''passing by tho Planters house" or wher
there was fire and he took turn on the
brakes of ''the old Missouri" and then he
would go on and lie about how many town.
the size of ours was burned down that day
Two or three of the boys had long beer
persons of consideration among us because
they had been to st. Louis once and had {
vague, general knowledge of its wonders
but the day of their glory was over now
They lapsed into an humble silence, anC
learned to disappear when the ruthless
"cub" engineer approached. This fellow
had money too, and hair oil. Also an igno
rant silver watch and snowy brass watch
chain. He wore a leather belt and used M
suspenders. If ever youth was cordial,
admired and hated by his comrades, th
one was. No girl could withstand hi
charms He "cut out every boy in til,
village. When his boat blew up at last, i
diffused tranquil contentment among u.
such as we had not known for months. Blu
when he came home the next week, alive
renowned, and appeared in church all bat
tered up and bandaged, n shining hero
stared at and wondered over by everybody
it seemed to us that the partiaiity of provi
dence for an undeserving REPTILE had reach
ed a point where it was omen to criticism.
This creatures career could produce I'm
one result. and it speedily followed. 30,
after boy managed to get on the river. Tn,
minister's son became an engineer. Tn,
doctors and the postmaster's sons becam
mud clerks" the wholesale liouor dealer
son became a bar-keepcr on a boat fou
sons of the chief merchant and two son
of the county Judge became pilots. PHO
was the grandest position of all. The nj
lot, even in those days of trivial wages
had a princcly salary-from hundred an
fifty to two hundred and Fifty dollars
month, and no board to pay Two month
of his wages would pay a preachers salar
for YEAR Now some of us were left di,
consulate. We could not get on the rive
at least our parents would not let us.
So by and by ran away. said neye
would come home again till | was a pile
and could come in glory. But somehow
could not manage il. | went meekl
aboard few of the boats that Law packe
together like sar lines at the long St. Lou
wharf, and yery humbly endured for III
pilots, but GOT only a cold shoulder an
short words from mates and clerks. | I'm
to make the best of this sort of treatm.r
for the time being. but | had comfortin
day-dreams of a future when | shonlJ he
great and honored pilot. with nlentv ,
money. and could XIII some of these mt,
aud clerks and pay for them.
Months afterward the hope within N