The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-08-27
THE CARMI CHUMS.

HE CAKnl CHtMS.
The Carmi Chums was the name they
went by all along the river. Most other
rOustabouts had each name of his own;
so had the Carmi Chums, for that mat
ter, but the men themselves were never
mentioned individually always collect
lively. No steamboat Captain who want
ed only single man ever attempted to
hire half of the Carmi Chums at time -
as easy would it have been to have hired
half of the Siamese Twins. No steam
boat mate who knew them ever attempted
to "tell off " the Chums into different
watches, and any mate who, not know
ing them, committed this blunder, and
adhered to it after explanation was made,
was sure to be two men short immedi-
ately after leaving the steamers next
landing. There seemed no possible way
of separating them; they never fell out
with each other in the natural course of
events; they never fought when drunk,
as other friendly roustabouts sometimes
did, for the Carmi Chums never got
drunk; there never sprang up any cool
ness between them because of love for
the same lady, for they did not seem to
care at all for female society, unless they
happened to meet some old lady whom
one might love as a mother rather than
as a sweetheart. Even professional busy
bodies, from whose presence roustabouts
are no freer than church members, were
unable to provoke the Carmi Chums even
to suspicion, and those of them who at
tempted it too persistently were likely to
have q difficulty with the slighter of the
Chums. This man, who was called
Black, because of the color of his hair,
was apparently forty years of age, and
OF very ordinary appearance, except
when an occasional furtive, frightened
look came into his face and attracted at
tentiOn. His companion, called Red,
because his hair was of the hue of car
rots, and because it was occasionally
necessary to distinguish him from his
friend, seemed of about tIe same age
and degree of ordinariness as Black, but
was rather stouter, more CHEEKY, and, to
use the favorite rOustabout simile, held
his head closer to the current. He
seemed, when Black was absent-minded
Gas he generally was while off duty, to
be the leading spirit of the couple, and
to be tenderly alive to all of his partners
needs; but observing roustabouts no
ticed that when freight was being moved,
or wood taken on board, Black was al
ways where he could keep an eye on his
chum, and where he could demand in
slant PREPARATION from any wretch who
trod upon Red's toes, or who with q
shoulderload of wood grazed Reds head,
or touched Red with box or barrel.
Next to q neighborly wonder as to the
existence of the friendship between the
Chums, roustabouts with whom the
couple sailed concerned themselves most
with the cause of the bond between them.
Their searches after first causes were no
more successful, however, than those of
the naturalists who are endeavoring to
ascertain who laid the cosmic egg. They
gave out that they came from Carmi, so,
once or twice, when Captains with whom
the chums were engaged determined to
seek a cargo up the Wabash, upon which
river Carmi was located, inquisitive
roustabouts became ight-hearted. But,
alas, for the vanity of human hopes
when the boat reached Carmi the Chums
could not be found, nor could any inhab-
liant of Carmi identify them by the de-
scriptions which were given by inquiring
friends.
at length they became known, in their
collective capacity, as one of the institu
tions of the river. Captains knew them
as well as they knew Natchez or Pianki-
shaw Bend, and showed them to distin-
guished passengers as regularly rs they
showed Gen. Zach. Taylor's plantation,
or the scene of the Grand Gulf "cave,"
where q square mile of Louisiana drop
ped into the river one night. Captains
rather cultivated them, in fact, although
it was difficult bit of business, for
roustabouts who wouldn't say "thank
you" for glass of French brandy, or a
genuine, old-fashioned "plantation CT
gar" seemed destitute Of ordinary han
dies of which steamboat Captain could
take hold. Lady passengers took con-
siderable notice of them, and were more
successful than any one else at drawing
them into conversation. The linguistic
accomplishments of the Chums were not
numerous, but it did one good TO see
Black lose his scared, furtive look when
lady addressed him, and to see the
aifectionate Difference with which he APP
pealed to Red, until that worthy was
Drawn into the conversation. When |
Black succeeded in this latter-named
operation, he would by insensible
stages draw himself away, and give him.
sen up to enthusiastic admiration of his
partner, or, apparently, of his CONVEX
sational ability.
The spring of 1869 found the Chums
IN the crew of tine Bennett. sthe peer
less floating palace of the Mississippi"
as she was called by those newspapers