The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-08-20
THE CARMI CHUMS.
By Il. A. BARTON.

ter but the men themselves were never
mentioned Observation-Disclosures col.ec-
tively.' No steamboat captain who want
ed only single man ever attempted to
To hire half OF the Carml Chums at time
as easy would 1t have been TO have hlr-
ed half of the Slamese Twins. No steam
boat mate who knew them ever attempt
ed to tell of the Chums into different
watches, and any mate who, not knowing
/ them. committed this blunder, and ad-
I hered to It after explanation WAS made,
/ was sure TO be two men short immediate
/ ~ after leaving the steamers next lahu-
/ ING. There seemed no possible way oil
/ separating them; they never fell out with
/ .,rb other in the natural course OF events;
| they never fought when drunk, rs other
/ friendly roustabouts sometimes dld, Tor
/ the Carmi Chums never got drunk there
never Spraug up any cooiness between
them because OF love for the same lady
TOR thew did not seem 10 care ut all Tor
female society, unless they happened to
meet some old lady, fCrthey did not seem
To care ut all for female society, unless
they happened TO meet some old lady
whom one might love as a mother rather
than A. n sweetheart. Even professional
busvbodies, from whose presence roust-
abolIts arc no freer than church-uembers
were unable TO provoke the Carmi Chums
even TO suspicion, and those OF them who
attempted It too perslstentiy were likely
10 have u difficulty with the slightest OF
the Chums. This man, who was called
BLACK because Of the color of his hair,
WAS apparently forty years Of age, and
IF very ordinary appearar &C, except when
an occasional iurtIve, frightened look
came into his face ard attracted attention
His companion, called Re-, because his
MS nair was of the hue OF carrots, and be-
cause il was occasionally necessary to
gI,lipruish him from his friend. seemed
of about the same age and degree OF or
dInarines, as Black, but was rather stout
, or. more CHEEKY, and, to use the iavorIte
rous.lbout simile, held MS head closer to
/ the current. He seemed, when Black
wa. absent minded Jas he generally was
while of duty, to be the leading spirit OF
the couple, ana to be tenderly alive to all
oI his partners needs; but observing
-ou,tabputs noticed that when freight
ws. helms, moved, or wood taken on board,
Back was always where he could keep
an eve on his chum, and where ne could
demand instant reparation from any
wretch who trod upon Reds toes, or who
viii 81 .boulderload of wood graZed Req
basd or touched Red with box or bar
rel
Next to n neighborly wonder ms to the
existence of the tricudJhip between the
/ Chums roustabouts with whom the
| couple sailed concerned themselves most
/ with the cause 1.-THE bond between them.
. Their searches after &~.t causes were no
more successful, however, than those OF
/ 'na,uralists who are eudeavoring to as
certain who laid the cosmic egg. They
. ga'e out that they came from Carmi, So,
/ once or twice, when captains with whom
/ the ChumS were engaged determined To
seek cargo up the Wabash, upon which
river Carmi WAS located, lnquISltIvo
-austabouts became light hearted. But,
a.a- for the vanity OF human hopes
v.op the boat reached Carmi the Chums
could not bee found, nor could any inhab-
.,aDt of Carmi identity them by the de-
.rriptions which were given by inqulring
friends.
length they became known, in their
collective capacity, Ms one OF the institu-
tlors OF the river, Captains knew them
ms well as they knew Natchcz or Plank
ishaw Bend, and showed them to distln-
cui,hed passengers as regularly as they
showed General lack TsyIor's planta-
tlon. or the scrno Of the Grand Gulf
cave where square mile of Louisiana
lranu.d into the river one night. Cap
tain, rather cultivated them, in fact, al
though il Was 4 difficult bit of business,
for r,u.tabouts who wouldu say "thank
yuu Tor glass Of Frclrh brandy, or a
.-.ruiuc oli-fashoncd plantation CHAR
seemed destitute Of ordinary handles OF
. which steamboat captain could take
hold Lady passengers took considerable
notice OF them, and were more successful
than any enc else at drawing them into
conversation. The linguistic accomplish
p,.ut. of the Chums were not numerous,
hrtt n did one good TO suc Binok lose IN,
scared. turtiye look when q lady address
ed him. and To see the affection ate deer
enc. with which heapp"sled to Red, un-
iii that worthy was drawn into the con-
ycrsation When Black succeeded IN
this latter named operation, be would by
in,ansibl, stages draw himself away, and
gIye hfms lr up 10 enthusiastic admIra-
ton Of his partner, or, apparently, OF his
conversational ability.
The Spring of 1869 found the Chums
in the crew Of the Bennett, 'thc peerless
floating palace of the Mississippi, rs she
was called by those newspapers whose
rcportarS had the freedom OF the BEN
n,tfS bar: and the same season saw the
B,aacn staggering down the Mississippi
with - heavy Iond OF sacked corn, that
the gunwsles am dships we're fairly under
water. The river was very low, so the
E,auc.t kept carefully in the channel,
but the enamel al the great muddy
ditch which drains half tho Union
i, IS tickle rs disappointed lovers
declare women to be and il has no more
resnect for great steamer loads of corn
than Goliath had for David. a little
Ohio liver boat, bound upwards, bad
reported the sudden disappearance Of
woodward little way above Mllliken
Bend, where the channel Rugged the
shore. and with the woodward
there had disappeared an
enormous sycamore tree, which had for
years served as a tying post for steamers.
As live sycamore are as iislnclned 10
float as bars Of lead are, the captain and
pilot OF the Bennett were somewhat con-
cerned-fcr the sake OF the corn-to
know the exact location OF the tree.
Half q mile from the spot it became evil
dent even to the passengers clustered
forward on the cabin deck, that the syc-
smore had remained quite near its old
home, for long rough ripple was seen
directly across the line Of the channel.