Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-04-01

Think you can get through the
| crossing tonight, captain?"
Don't know; reckon, though"
'Lnoks rainy up north; Bob won'ttry
! IL IL 10 rains, l don't reckon, will hep"
Don't know; he says the devil can't
get through In black weather. Like
enough he can't, maybe. Idon't know.
| l amt doing it, anyhow. What's your
hGrry?"
"Well, you see, captain, I am on nv
way to see my wife, who amt expected
to live from one hour to another, and
every minute lose on the road lessons
my chance of seeing her alive just SO
much"
Rough, amt ftp"
$50, you see, If we tie up tonight,
faint likely I'll ever see her again"
"Well. stranger, l can't do nothing
as can see. You can go up and tell
your story to Bob, and maybe he'll
stretch point TO help you out"
"All right, captain, I'll go up and
talk to him anyhow"
Hello, Bob, said he, entering the
pilot house.
"HOwdy do" without turning his
head
"How's she floating?"
Fair to mddlin'."
$50. Going to have o dark night,
amt we?'
Most likely, from the look of
things"
II reckon you don't know me, do
you?" -.
"Can't get hold of your handle. Z"
| docking up SUDDENLY "Seen your
.phiz' som'eres, though"
up and down the river, mayoe2"
~ reckon"
Think you'll get through the cross
ing tonight"
Al don't reckon So"
"Tle up most lik'lyP"
yep"
Think It's going to rain hardP"
"Iordl | don't know; strikes mo
you're looking for information, amt
"What do you thInkP" Have a
chew?"
'Iooks that way to me-"
"Well, Bob, I'll tell you. 1 amt
looking for information so much a. I'm
looking for a man TO do me good
turn. and l don't reckon I'll have TO go
! further'n you"
"How's that?"
"Tbis way. Some years ago was
aloafng along the river here apicking
ND dollar or two now and then-some-
| times one way and sometimes another,
but mostly In having the right paste
boards where knew how to get at 'em
easy. The year I'm talking Of the
crops didn't happen TO be mUre'n mid
/ dim good and money was about as
scarce as Testaments at Cheyenne
| war dance. Us fellows, who had kinder
shook hands with labor, got mighty
down in fortune and had rough and
tumble scufle with long streak Of
| dead tough luck.
1--WE hung along the river here like .
swarm of hungry catfish, ready to
swoop down upon any unsuspecting
traveller if the roll was worth the TAX
ing.
.The river men were pretty good
marks to strike az in those days-mak-
ing good money and want so darned
particular how they spent 1t, neither,
most on 'em.
Late one afternoon the steamer
Dexter backed out OF New Orleans and
started up the river. A lot Of US fell
lows were on board and we were alook-
ing for about anything that was likely
| 10 turn up, and alooking in the hardest
kind of a way. You could have made
an even bet that, II any one had dropped
I silver dollar it never would have
struck the deck.
There was woman along whom a
! hard fate had allotted TO be my wife.
She had stuck TO me through thick and
thin. and, in ali the ups and downs in
the precarious life we led, accepted the
good aud bad without murmur, and
was the means of keeping my head above
water more'n once. When had dropped
J from the respectable l begun by using
! her as q 'steerer' for gambling house |
I opened in Memphis, and afterward she
herself presided over first-class room
At New Orleans: but at last hard luck
reduced US to almost absolute poverty,
and this afternoon, as the Dexter crept
slowly up the river, things had Got to
about that point when something had
TO be done or throw up the sponge.
at knew that one OF the pilots had a
pretty good sized roll and we cooked
up a scheme to relieve him OF IL. Kate
was acquainted with him slightly and
gave her the word to cultivate him a
little during the of watches. She fol-
lowed 1t out to the letter, and every
thing was going lovely.
"At Natcbez the boat tied over till
morning, waiting tor her trip, and ev-
ervbody went ashore during the even
ing. Before l left 1 gave Kit the tip
to hook onto the pilot, as We needed
some OF his 'wad' In our business.
''At first she demurred, but upon my
| telling her that, If we made good
| stake I'd make break to become
! respectable, she finally got out her
'grspplers' and presently l saw them
90 I'D the hill together. knew Kate
would deluge him internally with
stuff enough to throw dozen pilots
out-5f their lines, but 1t was getting
pretty late when she rounded him into
a place we had fixed for his reception.
He was going under shifting ballast and
careened and yawned wildly, but Kate
cluag TO his arm and steered him like
an old liner
There were three OF rs In the deal,