Smyrna times., 1875-01-27
mise e//0W e OmS
Old Times on the Mississippi,
MARK TWAIN.

NIISSISSInh
River. That was, to be a steamhoatmsp
We had transcient ambitions of other sorts
but they were only transient. When a circpc
came and went, 1t left Us all burning to become
clowns; the hrst negro minstrel show that
came to our section left us all suffering to trv
that KIND OF LIE; now and then we had hone
that II we lived and were good, God wouId
permit US TO be pirates. These ambitions
faded out, each in its turn but the amh;t;on
to be a steamboatman always remained
Once day cheap, gaudy packet arrived
upward from ST Louis, and another downward
from keOkuk. Before these evsnts Nj
transpred, the day was glorious with exnect.
ancy after they had .ranspired, the day wa
sdsad and empty thing Not only the bows,
but the whole village, felt this. After all these
years can picture that old time 10 myself
now! JUST ASH was then; the whitetown drows
lug 10 the sunshine OF summers mornino
the streets empty, or pretty nearly so; one or
TWO clerks sitting IN front of the Water Street
store, with their splint bott0msi chairs fitted
back against tbe wall, chns on breast hats
slOuched over their faces, asleep-witb shinrIn-
shaving enough around to show what broke
them down; SOW and a litter of pigs loa6nU
along the sidewalk, doing a good business in
Watermelon rinds and seeds: two or tbrao
lonely little freight piles scattered abovt tL',
'levee; piIs of ''Skids'' on the sIdna of tho
stone-plved wharf, and the fragrtnt town
drunkard asleep in the shadow OF: them two
or three wood flats at the head Of The wb.rE
out NOBODY to listen to the peaceful lappin0 Of
the wavalets against them the great Missis.
sfppr the maJeStlc the magnificent MisSissinS;
roiilng ITS mile-wlde tide along, shinine in the
Euu ths GenSe forest away en- tho other side
tn9 point above the town, and the .sno;nt''
below bounding the river glimnse and tnrn.
ing It INTO sort of sea, aud withaI very stiiI
ana brilliant and lon4ly one. Presently film
oil dark smoke appears above one of those 70.
mote points" instantly negro dravman
famous for his quick eye and prodigious voice
HI's up the cry, y tie am boat a-comin ~
ana the scsne changes! The town drunkard
stlrs, the clerks wake up, furious cIatter of
drays follows, every house and store norrs o,,t
human contribution, ana all ia twinkline
the dead town Is alive and moving. Draws
carts. men, boys, all go hurrying from many
quarters to common centre, the wharf
Assembled there, the people iasten their eve.
upon the coming boat as upon wonder tbev
are seeing for the first time. And the boatSf.
father handsome sight, too. She slono an1
sharp and trim an pretty: she has fwo e taH %Ip
fancy-toppei chin ieys, with a eilded deS;c.
OF some klng swung between them: a fsnoifnI
plot mouse; AT -g'ass- and ''ginpprhras,9 J;
perchsd on top Of the texas deck beb;nd
tnem; the paddle boxes are gorgeous with =
picture or With gilled rays above the boat's
uSme; the boiler deck. the hurrican deck and
t'le texas deck are fenced and ornamented with |
ciTan Wn'te raiIIngs; there is flag CALAMITY |
nylng from the jack staff the furnace door,
are open aud the fires glairing brsyelv. ,bo
upper dscks arc black with passengers the |
captain stands by the big boil calm iIr,ns;n.
the envy OF all great volumes of, the blackast
smoke are rolling and ttmbli3g out aI tbe
chImnsys-a husbanded grandeur created with
a DIT OF plteh nine Just before arriving at |
t9"n the crew are grouped on The forecastle
tne broad stage is run far out oVar tha no,,
bow. and an enyiel deck hand stands n;stsr
sesquely on the end Of it with a coil of rone in
mana the pent steam is screaming through
,ne guage cocks; the captain lifts his hand
nell rings, the wheels stop; then thew turn
back, eharning the water to-foam. and tn
steamer IS at rest. Then such scramble 10
!nere Is to get aboard, and.tQ, get ashore, and
20 take IN freight and to discharge freight, All
=. Gne ana the same time; and spcb yelling
S anu cur'ing as the mates faeiIiats it aU with
len minutes later the steamer is undsr wav
ssg'in, with no flag On the jack staff and no
black smoke issuing from the chimneys After
uSh more minutes the town is dead ag ,in. and
the town drunkrad asleep by the skids ence
My father was a justice Of the peace. and 7
supposed he possessed ths power of life and
Death over all men and could hang ANYBODY
mat offended him. This was distinction
enough TOR me as general thing bht the
desire to be steamboatman kent intrnding
nevertheless. first wanted to be cabin. bow. ;
30 tnat could come out with a white apron
On and shake a tabe-clOth over the side where ,
aIl my old comrades, could see me :; later I
thought would 'rathersbe the deck hand.who /
$1,000 on the end OF the staee-piank with the {
coll OF rope in his hand, because he was par.
IIculariy conspicuous But these we're only I
contempiated as .possibiIitios. and kv {
one OF our boys went away. He was not heard a
OF Tor long time. At last he turned un as t
Apprentices engineer or "striker'' on a steam r
boat This thing shook the bottom out Of all 4
my Sunday school teachings. That boy had $
been notoriousy worldly; and just the reverse: O
yet he was exalted to this eminence, and left a
in Obscwity and misery. There was notbinS b
generous about this fellow in his greatness v
lie would always mauage TO have rusty bolt
TO scrub while his boat tarried at our town N
andshs wonld sit On the inside guardand scrub n
Il, where we could all~see him >aad envy hi15 d
and lOaths him.. And whenever his boat was il
laid up he would come home aud swell around tC
the town in his blackest and greasiest clothes RI
70 that nobody could help rene mbering that al
he was a steamboatman; and he used all II
sorts OF steamboat technicaities in his talk HI
- II he were 80 used. to themt be forgot 70
= ni9mmon people could not understand them.
ths would speak of the .'labboard' side of re
norse IN an easy, natural way thaf would make st
o1s wish he was dead And he was always b;
tSalkIng about ''St. Loo" like an old citizen n
ns as would refer casually, to occasion when he II
ascoaIing down Fbarth IStnS@Gs . OF then as
ae % was passing By the Planters House." or 30
shnea n. there vas alfre and he took . turn on in
'Ss 'Ss erakes Of 'ths old Big Missouri" and II
Iasn he would 90 on and. lie, about how many Be
,SNhs the size Of ours were burned down there WI
Iaa1 day. I've or three Of thei boys had long ar
sssa sa persons of consideration among us because
,.y s.y mad been Co ST. 1ssuis oncsS and had he
Hkus general knowledge of its wonders, but ca
lHG .fTH I've