New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-01-07
"sWKARING OFF.n
The stsamboat Captains Flight with Ap-
Rstite.


During the first day of the trip, Crayme
made no trouble for himself or Fred; under
the friendly shelter of night the two men
had two hour chat which was alternately
humorous, business.like and retrospective,
and then Crayme fell asleep. The next
day was reasonably pleasant ont of doors,
so the captain wrapped himself in a
blanket and sat in an extension chair on
the guards, wheve with sole nm face he re-
ceived some condolences which went far to
keep him in good humor after the sympa-
thizers had departed. On the second night
the captain was restless, and the two men
played cards. On the third day the cap
tain's physique reached the bottom of its
stock of patience. and protested indig-
nantly at the withdrawal of its customary
stimulus; and it acted with more consist
ENJOY, though no less ugliness, than the hu-
man mind does when under excitement and
destitute of control The captain grew
terribly Respondent and Fred found am pie
use for all the good stories he knew. Some
of these amused the captain greatly, but
after one of them he sighed:
Poor old Billy HOokess told me that the
only time l ever heard it before, and didn't
we have q glorious time that night! He'd
just put all his money into the Yenesei-
that blew Hp and took him with it only o
year afterward-apd he gave us a new
kind of punch he'd got the hang of when
he went East for the boats carpets Twas
made of two bottles of brandy, one whisky,
two rum, one gin, two sherry, and four
claret, with guRvs jelly, and lemon peel
that had been soaking in curacao and honey
for month. 1t looks kind of weak when
you think about it, but there were only six
of us in the party, and it went to the spot
by the time we got through. Gollv, but
didn't we make Rome howl that nightw
Fred shuddered, and experimental upon
his friend with song; he was rewarded by
hearing the captain hum an occasional &C.
| compartment; but, as Fred got fairly into
a merry Irish song about one Terry Ram,
| and uttered the lines in which the poet
states that the hero
took whisy punch
Every night for his lunch"
| the captain put such world of expression
| into long drawn sigh that Fred began to
| feel depressed himself; besides, songs were
not numerous in Fred's repertoire, and
those in which there was no allusion to
| drinking could be counted on half his fin
gers. Then he borrowed the bar-keeper's
| violin and played one tune after another,
| the airs which had been his favoFites in the
days of his courtship, until CrsYme ex-
claimed:
Say, Fred, we're not playing church,
| give US something that don't bring all of q
| fellows dead friends along with it."
Fred Redeemed, swung his bow viciously,
and dashed into "Natchez Under the Hill"
an old air which would have delighted Of
fenbach, but which will mover appear in q
collection of classical music.
"Ab! that's something like music" ex-
| claimed Captain Cryame, as Fred paused
suddenly to repair q broken string. 81
never hear that but think of Wesley Tree
| poke, that used to run the Quitman; went
afterward to the Rising Planet, when the
| Quitman'P owners put her on new line as
an opposition boat. Wess and / used to
work things so as to make Louisville at the
same time, he going up, l going down, and
then turn about, and we always had a
glorious night of it, with one or two
lively boys that we'd pick up. And Wess
had q fireman that could fiddle off old
tNatchez' IN way that would just make q
corpse dance till its teeth ratified and that
fireman would always be called in Just as
we'd got to the place where you can't tell
what sort of whisky tits you're drinking
and, tell you, twas 80 heavenly that q
fellow could forgive the last boat that beat
him on the river or stole a landing from
him. And such whisky as WeRs kept He
used to go cruising around the back coun
try, sampling little lots run out of private
stills. He'd always find nectar, you'd bet
ter believe. Poor old boy! the tremens tool
him off at last. He hove his pilot over
board Just before he died, and put bulle
into Pete Langston, his second clerk-the.
| HdEO OOtn btyAhB W hOAP hALlI gOu bOO-Uu
they never laid it up against him. 1 wish
knew what became of the whisky he had Oh
hand when he walked Off-nO, l don't
either; what am thinking about But
do, though-hAnged if dOn'tp
Fred grew pale; he had heard of drunk
, ards growing delirious upon ceasing t.
drink; he had heard of men, who, in DE
, RODS of alteration, were impelled by th
. motive of the last act of recollection whic
!, | strongly impressed them; what if the car
| tain should suddenly become deliriOus an
! try to throw him overheard or shoot hin
Fred determined to get the captain at ono
Z upon the guards-no, into the cabin, wher
! there would be no sight Of water to sugges
!, anything dreadful-and search his room fC
: pistols. But the captain objected to Oein
moved into the cabin.
: 1.-THE boys" said the captain, alluding
! the gamblers, "are mighty sharp in the eye
= and like as not they'd see through my littl
game, and then where'd my reputation bt
!, Speaking of the boys reminds me of Harr
. Genang, that cleared out that rich Kel
lucky planter at bluff one night, and the
a swore of gambling for life, and gave goo
g bye supper aboard the boat. Twas just
= the time when Prince Imperial champagT
? came ont, and the whole supper was mao
2 2 up of that splendid stuff. l guess l mu
= have put away four bottles, and if 1
q known how much he'd ordered, could ha'
- / hWdJ q oOuPAof Fo aAWoJb bOs
y sorry didn't.
y Fred wondered if there was any subje
70 of conversation which would not sugge
y liquor to the captain; he even brought hiI
Io self to ask if Crayme had seen the ne
y Methodist Church at Barton since it hi
n been finished.
y "Oh, yes" said the captain; 81 started
u walk Mosher home, one night, after we
- punished couple of bottles of old Gro
4 whisky at our house, and he oaved in all
rs a sudden, and laid him out on the ste
- y of that very church till l could get q CT
=, riage. Those we're my last two bottles
crow, too; it's too bad tie way the go
AZ things of this life paddle Of"
"a The captain raised himself in his bert
% sat on the edge thereof, stood up, star
oU out the window, and began to pace his roc
n with his head down and his hands behil
N his back. Little by little he raised
~ head, dropped his hands, flung himself in
- a chair beat the DEVILS tattoo on the tab
y sprang up excitedly and exclaimed:
ef "I'm going back on all the good times
% ever had"
~ you're only getting ready to try nj
kind, SAM" said Fred.
"Well, I'm going back on my friends"
"Not on all of them; the dead ones won
pat you on the back if they got chance
ry IA world without whisky looks internal
he dismal to fellow that isn't half done
be ing"
es at looks first rate to fellow that has
AZ | got any back-dOWn in him"