The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1878-06-07

could lire, I'D work the Flat plantation.
and ask no odds Of any man. But
there's no use
A-grumbl:ng. +" interrupted the girl,
chcerily. "Bymeby you'll rastle out o
this, and get your home t'o:her side OF
the slough. That is, II you don't fume
yourself into the ager again. There,
there's your oyeralls. Now I'm 60
ing"
Missouri Flat is one Of the many
islands that dot the Mississippi River
between Cairo and New Orleans. Riv-
or pilots know il BY its proper number,
its local name, Missouri Flat, being Civ
en- TO II by the small colony Of humble
folk from the State Of Missouri, who, in
the hope OF lettering their condition,
had settled on the island which, like
MANY others, was luxuriantly fertile,
n 'aducing, az small expenditure of la
Dor, abundant crops Of the finest cotton,
as well as grain and vegetables. AS
usual, where such exuherance of vege-
table life is found, there is also found
malaria. and the unfortunate settlers on
Missouri Flat came, in time,to deem the
name flung at their island in the ironi-
cal speech Of passing boatmen no mis-
homer.
Misery Flat, indeed, it proved to
many Of them.
Mike Flynn, bright young man Of
Irish parentage. with his young wife,
rosy, healthful Missouri girl, had come
with the small colony TO the island full
Of the hopeful enthusiasm Of youth, and
had set about the work of cultivating
the soil and building up an honest home
with commendable zeal. Before they
had been a twelvemonth on the Island
they found ont that wealth could only
be gained on Misery Flat at the ex-
pense Of health. Over on the rolling
lands OF the main shore it was health
full. II only they could secure home
there. To accomplish this Mike toiled
early and late, carefully boarding ev-
ery dollar of his earnings. But sickness
and death--three baby forms were laid
away in the neighborhood graveyard on
the hillside beyond the slough-had
brought consequent expense and loss,
and Mikes hoard increased but slowly.
Mandy's health gave way at last, and
then all things seemed to 90 wrong
Mike. by nature more thrifty and
saving than the average Irishman, grew
close, even covetous. 1t troubled Man
dy to witness the growing change.
When they had first come to Misery
Flat they had found but one plantation
on the island. Its owner, thriftIess
Tennesseean, was eager to sell out his
claim to Mike for small sum of ready
cash. With the plantation he turned
over to the Flynns small child Of
about seven years Of age, with but the
excuse that she was q none o. their'n,"
and as she had come to them "'thout
bein' sent fer, so she mout stay thar
'thout more o. his fotchin' away"
OF the child's history he knew moth
ing. Only he allowed she'd been
lost off some steamboat. One had burn
ed to the waters edge on the opposite
shore only the night preceding the day
on which the little creature had made
her appearance at his cabin-door. In
his phrase 9 he'd KEEP her long till this
present, but he didn't allow as he'd any
call to tote her round the kentry.-
Mike and Mandy, with true, warm
hearted hospitality, took the little waif
into their home, and treated her, If not
as their child, as least rs their sister,
teaching her TO read and write and fig
ure respectfully, and 10 perform house
hold duties quite creditably. She learn
ed also 10 paddle skiff and, what was
far more difficult, 70 manage dugout,
and to swim in the river. AT fifteen
Lowry was, as Mike phrased il, a girl
worth somebody's while to look after.
And truly, somebody Of late seemed to
be looking after the unknown in way
that was causing Mike no little concern.
Upon the night-robc in which the little
waif was clad at the time Of her advent
upon the island the planters wife read
the name which the child said was her
own, Heloise Mason. Ii had a profane
sound to the uncultured Tennessee ear,
and was accordingly modified into Low
Ivy. OF the little ones simple recital
they could make out only that she was
on big boat going to see papa, and
that mamma rocked her 10 sleep
ia her lap, and when she
woke up she was all stuck fast in some
bushes, and wet and muddy and hun
CRY; and that while she was looking
around to find mamma and sister she \
came upon the cabin and sought its
shelter. Conjectrre only could
supply the missing chapters Of the baby's
story. Some strong swimmer, perhaps,
had sought 10 save the sleeping child;
but in the confusion had struck out in
the wrong direction, and becoming ex-
had, upon reaching the island,
placed the child on dry land and, freed
u his burden, sought 10 make the
farther shore and find means Of rescue.
But nothing was known, and as
neither inquiries nor searchers ever
reached the island, conjecture itself at
last died out
Altar 4 .Irxxttnr swtn 49,.