The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-06-04

Y
pilot In idleness. under full pay, three
months AT "A time. while the river was
frozen up. And one must rcmemO Der TINT
In those cheap times four hundred dol
lars was salary Of almost inconcclyable
splendor. Few men un shore got such
pay as thar. and whom thew did they
were nightly looked up 10. When pilots
from either end OF the river wandered into
our small Missouri village. they were
sought by the best and the arrest. and
treated with exalted respect. Lying in
port under wages was thing which made
pilots greatly enjoyed and appreciated I;
especially If they belonged in the Missouri
River IN the heyday OF that trade Kansas
timesl any got nine hundred dollars a
trip. which was equivalent 10 about eigh-
teen hundred dollars "A month. Here l.
conversation OF that lav. chap out of
the Illinois River. with q little stern-wheel
Tub. accOsts a couple of ornate and gildcd
Missouri River pilots
Gentlemen. I've gotta pretty good trip
for abe up-country, and shall want you
about month. How much will il beg
Eighteen hundred dollars apiece"
Heavens and earth You take my
boat. let me have your wages, and III di-
vide,-
will remark. in passing, that Missis-
sippi steamboatmen were important in
landmen's eyes land in their own. TOO. in
a degreel according 20 the dignity of the
boat they were on. For instance, il was a
proud thing TO be of the crew OF such
stately craft as the Aleck Scott
or the Grand Turk. Negro iiremen. deck
hands, and BARRIERS belonging To those
boats were distinguished personases in
their grade of life. and they were well
aware OF that fact. too. a stalwart darky
4 ~
Orleans by putting on a good many airs.
Finally one OF the managers hustled up
10 him and said
"Who IS you, any way? Who IS you?
OATS what wants TO know"
The offender was not Disconnected in the
least, but swelled himself up and threw
that into his voice which showed that he
knew he was not putting on AL those airs
on stinted capital.
:. Who IS II VINO isl: let You know
mighty quick who / is, I want YOU nig-
gers 10 understan' dat | fires de middle do
On the Aleck ScOtt.''
That was sufficient.
The barber on the Grand Turk was a
spruce young negro. who aired his i'm
portance with baimy complacency. and
was greatly cogried by the circle in which
he moved. The young colored population
OF New Orleans were much given 70 flirt-
ing. at twilight. on the payements Of the
back streets. Somebody saw and heard
something like the fl. blowing one evening.
in one Of those localities. a mddle-aged
negro woman projected her head through
broken pane and shouted VERY willing
that the neighbors should hear and envy. I
" on Mary Ann. come in de house dis
minute, STAMINA out dab fooln' cong
wild dat low trash. an heah's DE barber
oif'n dc Gran Turk wants TO converse 4
viii you.'
My reference, moment ago. TO the fact I
that a pilots peculiar official position
placed him out OF the reach of criticism or
command, brings Stephen W natural \
ly 70 my mind. He was gifted pilot, n
good feilo~. tireless talker. and had both
wit and humor in him. He had a most
irreyerent independence, too. and was
deliciously easy-going and comfortable I
In the presence of age. official dignity.
and even the most august wealth. He \
always had work. he never saved a
penny. he was most persuasive bor-
rover. ne was in debt TO every pilot on
the river, and 70 the majority of the cap
tsins. lie could throw a sort OF splendor
around a bit OF harum. scarum. deyi!-may.
care plotting. that made it almost fascin-
ating-but not TO every body. He made
9 trip with good old spirited Cap
tain \ - once, and Was relieved " from
duty when th{ boat got TO New Orleans.
somebody expressed surprise ut the dis
charge. Captain y shuddered AZ the
mere mention OF stephen. Then his poor.
thin old voice piptd out something like
this -
Why, bless me. wouldn't have such
a wild creature on my boat for the world
NOT for the whole world. He swears.
he sings, he whistles. be yels-I never
saw such an lnjun 10 yell. All times OF
the night-it never made any difference
70 him. He would Just veil that way.
not for any thing in particular. but mere
ly on account OF Kind Of devilish coo.-
fort he got out of it. | never could get
into sound sleep but he would fetch
me out Of bed. all in a cold sweat. with
one Of those dreadful war-whoops. A
queer being-very queer being: no re-
spect for any thing or any body. Some
times he called me JOHNNY And he
kept fiddle, and cat. lie played exc
crably. This seemed TO distress the cat.
and 80 the cat would howl. Nobody
could sleep where that MAINLAND his fam
Ily-was. And reckless. There never
was any thing like IL. Now you may be- ;
lieve 1t or not, but a. sure as | am sitting
here he brought my boat a-tilting down
through those awful snags at Chicot I'M
der rafting head OF steam. and the wind
ALLOWING ike the very nation. at that. !
My officers will tell you SO. They saw il.
And. sir, while he was a-tearing right
Town through those snags. and | a-shak-
ng in my shoes and praying, / wish I IN Y
never speak again Ii he didn't pucker up
lis mouth and 20 to t1histitng Yes. sir
Buffalo gals. can't you come
'ut tonight. can't you come out tonight,
ant you come out tonight - and doing
[ as calmly as five were attending a funer-
i and weren't related TO the corpse. And
when 1 rempnstrated with him about it.