, 1875-08-22
THE CARMI CHUMS.

- a. tu'o 'H franz LSsHeI futtsrnfs3 Nelcfp1rf
Inc Carn1 chums vaa the name thsy vent
aA along The river. Most other roustabopts hs
each name OF his own 80 had the earn
Chu1s, Tor that matter. but the men themsalyf
| we're never mentioced indiyidua!ly,-alwara en-
lectlsely. No steamboat Captain who vante
on'y single maa ever attempted to hire ha'f ,
tas Carmi Chnms at time,-as EASY voiId
have been to have hired ha1l Of the SHINES
Twins. No steamoo4t mate who knew them ave
attempted to ''teIl of " the Chuma into differeu
watches, aud any mate who, not knowing them
committed this blunder, and adhere
to it after explanation was made, y1
sure to be two men short imme
d1ately after leaving ths steamers ne1
landing. There seemed no possible way OF sep
| asatlng them; they never fell out with eac]
I other in the natural course OF events: the
| never fought when drunk. - other frieudl
roustabouts sometimes did, for tho Carm
Chums never got drunk; there never spraug u
! any coolness between them because OF love fol
the SANE fady, for they did not seem to ca,e al
al for female society, unless they happened t.
meet sone old lady whom one might love a.
mother rather than ~ sweetheart. Even pro
fesslonal busybodes, from whose presence
HNA1sAoo4sa
"ere unable to provoke the Carmi Chums even
to suapcio1, and thoae OF them who attempted
it too persisteuty we're likely 10 hsve difficulty
with the sligbtar OF the Chums. THIS mau,
who was called Black, because OF tba color
OF his hair, Was apparently forty years
OF age, and Of very ordinary ap-
pearance except when an occasional furtiyo
frightened look came into his face aud attracted
attention. His companion, called Rad. because
bis hair was Of tie hue OF carrots, and because
1t WAS occasionally necessary to distinguish him
from bis friend, seemed Of sbout the same age
and degree Of o.dinariness as Black, but was
rather stouter. more CHEEKY, and, to use the
favorite rouatabout simiie, held his head closer
to the current. He seemed, when Black was
absent-mnded {as he generally was while OF
duty, to be the le,ding spirit OF the couple, and
to 90 tenderly ative to all OF his patners needs;
out observing rocstabouts noticed that when
freight Waa being moved. or wood taken on
board, Black was always where he could keep an
eve on his chum, and when he could demand in
st2us Eepars:ioo from sny wretch VINO trod upon
Reds toes, or who with shoulder-load OF wood
grazed Reds head, OF touched Red with boz or
barrel.
Next to ne1ghborlv wonder as to the exist
eoce OF the friendship between tie Chuns,
with whom tie couple sailed con-
cernad themselves most with the cause of the
bond between them. Their searches after fist
canaes we're no more successful however. than
those OF the naturalists who are eadeavoripg to
ascertain who laid the coamic eeg They gave
put taat they came from Carmi, SO, oace or |
s*lca. when Captains With whom the Chums we're
Engaged determined 10 seek 4 catgo up tie Va |
ia r. r1F1n VII fIr~k~
3uls1t1ve rolstabouts beca ne I,ght-hear,ed But |
HAS, Tor the vanity Of human hopes when the |
boat reached Carmi tho Chnms could not be |
ound, nor could any lnhatitant OF Carmi identi-
V them hY t1a descriptions which wara given by |
nquirng friends
At length they became known. in their coIlec-
i've capacity, as one of tbs institutions OF the
1vPr. CaptaiDs knew them as we'll az they knew
tatchez or. Piaokishaw Bend, and showed them 10
lssinguished passengers As regularly as they
ho~ed Gen. Zach Iaylors plantation, or the
Gene Of the Grand Gull "cave," where q square
llle Of Louisiana dropped into the river one
light. Captains rather cultivated them, in fact,
Though 1t WAS dificu1l bit OF busin ass, for
oustabouts who wouldn't say ''thank yoa for
glass; OF Freuch brady, or genuine. OIL
.ah1on7d "plaotat'on clsar." seemed destitute
ordinary haad!es Of which steamhua: CAP
lin could take hold. Lady pAsengers t ok
considerable notice OF them. and were
lore successful than any one else at
raWlne thom into conversation. The linguistic
OF the Chums were not numer-
Jared, furtlve look when lady addressed HIM.
I'D to see the affectionato detereuce With which
. appealed to Red, until tsat worthy was drawn
ITO the conversation. When Black succeeded
this lAtter-named operation. he woul1, bv IN
'ns'ble stages, draw himself away, and give him
III up to enthusiastic adm.r alton OF his parl-
Or. OF, apparently, OF his conversational ability.
Tbs spnug of 1869 found the Chums IN the
ew OF the Bennett, "the peerteas floating pal
% OF tue Mississippi" u she was called by !
oss newspapers whore reporters had tbs free
IN OF the Dennett's bar; and the same ses-
n saw the Bennets staggering down
70 Mississippi With 80 heavy load Of
ckod corn, that tho gunwales amsdsh1ps
sre fairly under water. Tho river was very
y, 80 tha Bennett kept carefully in the chan
,ich drains lalf the Union is as 6cale a. dis
poiuted lovers declare women to be, and it
8 no more respect for great steamer-loads OF
RI than Goliath had for David. 4 little Ohio :
yer boat. bound upwards, had repo1ted the
dden disappearance OF 3 woodward little
y above Milliken's Bend, where the channel
gged the shore. aud with the woodward there il
d disappeared All enormous sycamore tres, q
iob had for years served AZ 4 ty'n0-post for u
'amers. IA live sycamoses are ebout a. dis t
lined to doat as bars Of lead are the Captxin r
/ pilot OF tue Bennett were somewhat con- II
ned-tor the sake OF the cJrn-.o kuoa the q
act location Of the tree. Half nile from the Il
1t it became evident even to the passengers II
atered forward on tue cabiu-deck, that the y.
amote had remained quite near its old hona, t It
long, rough nipple WAS seen directly across U
line Of the channel. Then arose tile ques- N
j Us 10 how much water Was on top OF the -
q, and whether any bar had had Time to accu- >
late The steamer Was stop, ed, the engines CT
q reversed and worked bY hand to keep the pe
onets from drifting down stream, boat was co
cred and manued the Cnums forming part OF th
crew. and the Second Oticer went down to su
q soundlpgs, "bila the passengers. to whom "a
u 80 small 4 cause for excitemant was god az
d. crowded tna rail aud stared. Ia
he boat shot rapidly down tho stream, head ve
'or the shore end OF the ripple. She seemed ne
ost into the boiling mud IN front OF har wheo pr
passengers on the steamer heard the Mate th'
le boat shout: ~
Back, ali" Ab
no notion Of The oars changed in an instant. IN
q Little 100 late, for heavy root OF tie Ph
n giant. just covered by the waller, caught | rec
little craft, and caused It to caraen SO vio- n
" that oue mau was thrown into the water. 70
be righted. another man went IN. thf
Coufound it," gro~led the Captain, who an'
leaning out OF the piiot-housa window. VI Six
they eau SWIM Still. 'lain't rs had ~ it Jat
Ia be it We had any more cargo to take ttu
rd." fec
It's the Chums. remarked the pilot, who ID
brought glass to bear upon the boat. NC