The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-10-16

DOuI, ana his ole woman RAISES lew
chickens and ducks, and dey gets all de
money dey needs dat way" During
this performance, every one had no
ticed the absence of Mr.. Kelly, and it
was supposed he had retired to his
stateroom; but soon after its conclusion
he reappeared and hisnumerous friends
condoled with him on his not having
witnessed it. He replied that he did
notregret it at all, as he had seen so much
of that sort of thing that it wearied
him. The fact was that the performer
was Kelly himself, who was sailing I'M
der pseudOnym to conceal the fact |
that he was the noted burnt-cork min |
strel, Luke West.
Next day the weather was as beauti-
full as the most fastidious could desire,
and it continued so during the remain
der of the trip. The delight of breath
ing the balmy air, freshened by passing
over the water, and of sitting on the
guards or promenading on the hurricane
deck, viewing the beautiful scenery on
each side of the river, is something to
be remembered. Four or five days thus
vi llLCu plCdSduGly away WlIu Dub low
incidents to disturb the even tenor of
the way. OF course the mischievious
boy was on board, and like all of his
kind was always doing something dan
gerous to himself or others. Having
observed the deckhands drawing water
from the river in bucket attached to a
rope, he watched chance to try his
hand at the feat Not understanding
the trick, he was very suddenly jerked
overheard as soon as the bucket caught
in the water Then there was a great
TODD. The steamer was stopped and
boat sent out for his rescue, but he was
nowhere to be found. After the search
was abandoned the boatmen saw the
bucket drifting some distance off and
thought they might as well save that
anyhow, and on attempting to pull it in,
very much to their surprise, found the
boy clinging to the bail. The bucket
had caught some air in turning over,
making 1t sufficiently bouyant to keep
the boys nose above water. He APP
peared to be less disturbed by the ad-
venture than any of the passengers,
and when he was drawn out, the first
words he uttered were: Didn't | hold
on like a good fellow?" There seems
to be a special providence watching over
the mischievious boy, and he is certainly
the favorite of fortune, for when he
comes to be a man, nearly all the big
hings of the world are done by him.
At Baton Rouge a singular incident
occurred. The boat was tied up to the
bank for some purpose just above the
city, and some article was accidentally
dropped overheard, which the mate
thought he could recover with a rope
and hook. Whilst he was fishing for it
his hook got entangled in something AZ
the bottom, and, being unable to pull
it loose himself, he called several deck
hands to his assistance. As they gave
"a long pull, strong pull and a pull
altogether something broke loose and
they all tumbled over backwards in a
heap.
When the rope was hauled in there
was found caught in the hook piece of
heavy gold chain about five feet long,
1t was about the size of an ordinary dog
chain, and was very roughly and clum-
silly made, as if by an ordinary black
smith. The fragment weighed over
three pounds, and what its use was no
one could tell. 1t was suggested as
probable that a large gold cross was at
tached to the end left in the river, hut
as the boat remained only a few minutes
at the landing, there was no time to
make investigations.
l had always heard that the river at
New Orleans was higher than the city,
and as we neared that famous Southern
port | looked with some interest to see
such a curious sight, and was quite dis
appointed at being unable to discern
anything OF the kind. | afterwards d s.
covered that it was only when looking
towards it from the city that the river
is readily seen to be the higher.
After discharging his passengers and
cargo at New Orleans, Captain d. con-
cluded to make a trip up the Wachita
river, for the navigation of which his
boat was peculiarly fitted, and as | was
bound for no place in particular, | con-
cluded to 90 along, The Wachita
empties into Red river few miles above
the confluence OF the latter with the
Mississippi, and its source is in the
northern part of Arkansas. 1t is one OF
the most remarkable of rivers, and on d
first view it seems strange that it should
be called a river at all. 1t has much
more the appearance of an artificial,
canal. The country it runs through is
for the greater part almost on dead
level, and the stream is so narrow thai
at almost any part of it one might JUMP
ashore from either guard of the boat
1t is always "bank full, and the grass
on the margin hangs over into thu
water. There are but occasional points
where boats can pass each other. Sig
nails are always given there with tn,
whistle, and if responded to the boa
hugs the shore closely and waits for tn
other boat pass The water moves 5,
slowly as to appear still, and it is hart
to conceive that such narrow, sluggiSl
stream can have any depth, but it has
and a novice is surprised to find a plum
met reaching down twenty or thirt