The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1886-06-24
A DARK MYSTERY.
The Extraordinary Incidents of Trip O
Lake Michigan.

The Extraordinary Incidents of q Trip On
Lake Michigan.
We had no sooner left Petoskey than
something got into the old steamboat.
She began to bow and duck and kick up
and perform in such queer manner
hat we held meeting and appointed
committee to wait on the captain and
ask for information. The committee
never returned Whether the captain
threw 'em overheard, or they got tired
out and lay down under the piano to
rest we never knew.
Pretty soon after that Lake Michigan
began to act like q born fool. 1t would
rear up in front and kick up behind,
and such horse-play on the part OF
lake fifteen thousand or twenty thous-
and years old was disgusting. We held
another meeting, but as we failed to
fasten the responsibility on any particu-
lar person no resolutions were passed.
have always been sorry we didn't lay
it to Christopher Columbus and give his
memory hail Columbia.
Half an hour after being out it SEEM
ed as if some one ought to 60 to the
captain and ask him if there was any
particular object in the boat behaving
! in such a manner. A man on the
! wharf might be greatly amused to see
| steamboat trying to stand on its head,
! but a man aboard of her takes it more
seriously. There was fat woman
| from Chicago among us who insisted
| that il was altogether irregular and be-
yotd endurance, and she started out to
| tell the Captain. The next time | saw
| her she lay under one of the tables, her
head iammed into basket of buckle
berries and her feet kicking the ribs of
| a dying young man.
Some folks might think it made a
difference to a passenger which end the
| boat stood on, but we really couldn't
see any. 1t was when she rolled from
side to side that we felt relief. During
| these rolls we were pretty sure OF bring
ing up against sofa instead of piano,
and we could feel the difference right off.
We were very friendly for mixed
crowd. There were some Chicago arls-
tocrats aboard, but they went with
| the rest and made no objections.
| saw a lumberman worth million
dollars pitch head-first under table in
the society of half-breed Indian worth
| less than two dollars, and he never
raised an objection when the Indian
came out on top. The friendly spirit
cropped out n<suggestons. We sug-
gested lemons, peppermint, sassafras,
| ammonia, camphor and various other
| things. and a man who had pint of
cod-liver oil in his sachel generously
/ offered to divide with the assemblage.
We passed a resolution of thanks, but
he had gone to rest before he could be
notified.
There were several things wanted to
speak to the captain about, but for some
reason he held aloof from me. wanted
| to ask:
l. "IYill we ever reach port?
2. How deep is this part OF the
| lake?
3. Don't you think you could stand
three months on dry land?
t. "Why not try castor oil? I'll
donate a four-ounce bottle.
s. "Is sucking the head of cane any
better than biting the leg of tablet
g. "Do yot1 think the conduct of this
boat is Guided bv honorable motivesp
T. 'Whv not give fellow his choice
| between ClOlcEa anu SedSlChl6oo!
As | said, the captain held aloof. but
he was serene in the presence of such as
hunted him and asked him to head the
| old boat for the bottom and end the un-
certainty. He acted as unconcerned as
if we were heathens.
After about an hour the few of US who
still sat up drew closer together, and
feeling of confidence was manifest.
Each wanted to unbosom himself to the
hers. We owned up to stealing hens,
alves, sheep and horses-tO robbing
stores, banks and churches-to murder
log drovers and tin peddlers and book
| egents.
We all felt better for these confess
SONS, and as we buckled on life-pre-
servers and shook hands and whispered
our sad farewells the hour was i'm
pressive.
Whether we went down or got to
land in safety | have never been able to
remember, and have never met one of
the passengers who would come square
" out and inform of the truth OF the
matter. Whenever | have accidentally
run across one he has seemed to avoid
me as if was a man to be stunned
N. Quad, in Detroit Free Press.