Weekly Trinity journal., 1876-04-08
Z" BLOWN UP"


full Of danger from three sources-snags,
gamblers, and explosions. Snags and
gamblers were MS thick as mosquitoes in
the brake and The engineer who could
not excel in race had no other honora-
bic resort but to blow up his craft and
cry Foul" Any traveller who had new
er rued snags, hot steam and "quiet
game" was yet in his verdancy.
Five years since l was a passenger on
the Great Repu6tic from New Orleans
to St. Louis. / am little dapper man,
with black eyes and snow-streaked hair,
inconsequential look and slow to wrath.
1t was the first trip ! had taken for many
years, and most of my time was spent in
quietly rejecting over a few Of those old
time incidents Of river travel. Shortly
after the great throbbing steamer bore
away from the Vicks burg levee, an elder
ly gentleman approached me, where sat
abaft Of the wheel house. There was
something peculiar about his face which
led to q closer examination. He was tall,
spare, with leathery light features, and
somewhat ministerial in his Manners
His white neck-cloth and dress indicated
the same. He used travellers license
TO address me, and much to my aston.
ishment spoke my name.
''lIow do you do, Mr.. Schwartz?
"Well, / thank you-let me see, we
met before at"
"Can hardly recall the place." he re-
piled, recognizing the interrogative ma
turo Of my remark. but there are two
things | never forget-a name or face. u
"Ah, indeed !" said /, noticing a small
deep scar under the corner Of bis eye,
which seemed to send out fushes over
his cheek "that is rare and happy fac
ulty-I say so the more readily as / pos
fess it to some degree myself-bat your
name has-quite--"
Hamilton, at your SERVICE" and two
or three nervous fushes shot from the
scar to the skin.
A monotonous conversation followed
during which Hamilton gave evidence OF
excessive WEAKNESS,
At last an hour having glided away
and most of the travellers having queted
themselves in sleep or euchre, my new
friend yawned, blnked, stretched his
arms, and suggested "a game of cards
remarking that 'litte game of poker
would make it 1t lively"
Something about that expression awak-
ened unpleasant memories; my eye:
opened with surprise, but if / made any
discovery, or noticed more particularly
the flush darting down his cheek from
the old wound, subdued all expression
OF it while his glance was yet averted.
| thanked him, and observed that !
had not played game of cards in fifteen
years.
"Possible !" he exclaimed, with still
averted gaze.
"Yes, quite possible" I replied, icon.
sidering the nature of the game | las
played. 1t makes quite an exciting sto.
ry with what now appears to be its deter
IliiluIIOIIs lDiull / Itldlc IL.
"Oh, yes, indeed; l shall be most
happy"
We both settled down comfortably in
our chairs, and | began, keeping keen
watch on the face of my companion, who
seemed just a little unnatural, but not
enough to attract the notice of others.
"If you are at all conversant with
steamboating," ! said, "you know that a
man on bis first trip, in former days, ran
gauntlet Of gamblers"
To which statement he grunted assent.
"Did you ever run foul of the cloth ?'
/ carelessly asked.
"Never," he innocently replied, sex
cept to my sorrow"
"Nor /. In the summer Of "a | took
passage from Cincinnati to New Orleans
as a messenger for banking house, with
ten thousand dollars in my valise-a bal
nnce due the New Orleans correspondent.
took the Bette Isidnd, as handsome a
packet MS ever scTaped rocks with cop
per bottom.
"You would naturally suppose, Mr..
Hamilton, that | kept a close eye on that
vaise. Such was the case. 1t was my
first trip but felt fully equal to any
thing, especially as the amount OF money
was not large for a messenger to trans
port.
"At the insignificant swamp town of
Cairo, a gentleman with genteel, cult
waited appearance boarded the Belle and
booked himself for the Red River coun-
try. You see | remember all the partic-
ulars. He was active in making my ac-
quaintance, at which / did not wonder.
for the passengers were few and of the
rougher sort. In the course of two DAYS
we were very familiar with each other,
and had tired out almost every game of
cards known to us except poker-a game
which occupied other tables constantly.
"The second day we had been playing
'cut-throat euchre' with third gentle
man, who apparently came into our midst
accidentally. Millbank-he you knew
him No? Well, that was my friends
name-kept the sherry flowing around
pretty lively. You know that in those
days everybody drank wine and PLAYED
cards. Poker with trihing stakes was
popular enough. As we became pretty
jovial and somewhat noisy, Millbank
suggested the idea of adjournng to the
stateroom, where we could make as much
noise as we pleased, to which | readily
nssented.
"'Hold on, Schwartze, said he, as we
were passing down the cabin, you have
'tateroom by yourself, haven't you p
THERE'S whopping big Hoosier in mine.
now.'"