The Meeker herald., 1895-03-02
a LloHr CRAFT.


l sSvy low
A dozen river mon were erouped
about stove In the after cabin OF one
Of tho big packets at the wharf some
nights ego, says the Courier-J ournsl
Ono OF the group told about tho light
est draught boat he ever saw.
"lt's plain you never had q berth
on the Owl" said "Doc," ono of the
best river cooks in the West. .Whv.
the Owl was so light that when q
heavy dew fell during the night tho
captain never took the trouble to skirt
around the bends; he Just out across
the fields"
"Were any OF you fellows ever up
10 the head waters OF the Missouri"
then asked doc" between laughs.
'.Thats tho widest river ever saw.
The river Is in such constant tur-
mol that you have to draw your wash
water at night, so that 1t will quiet
down enough by morning to wash
yourself in"
81 never told you about the first
apprentice / had in the pantry, did II
He was funny-looking little niger,
who queer to say, was fond of work.
After we pulled out OF Louisville, the
first thing told him to do was to get
the liver out OF the ice chest and take
the bone out OF 1t. forgot all about
the kid until an hour afterward. Then
he was standing over the platter with
look OF encouragement on his face.
He had cut the liver up too fine for
hash.
when started toward him he
looked stricken and
whined, Mr.. Doc. l KANT fin no
bone in dis libbah.' He was the same
boy we told the only way to keep from
drowning when he fell in the water
was to drink ice water till it came out
of his ears. The boy was mortality
afraid of drowning, so it needed very
little persuasion to get him to drink
the water. He had a dread OF the
captain, who was a big gruf fellow.
He watched the captain until he went
up on the roof and then he tackled
the water cooler. He drank water
until the attention OF the passengers
was called to him. They watched
him with surprise, and one benevolent
old fellow went up to him and asked
what was the matter
"'Tode,' the boys name, paid no
attention to him, but kept pouring tho
water down him until his eyes bulged
and his waist grew as round as an
alderman's. The old man was really
startled by the boys prodigious
powers of water consumpt ion and
concluded that he was crazy. He
came back to us and wanted to know
II something couldn't be done. We
would have said something to him IL
Tode' hadn't stopped drinking then
and felt painfully about the ears.
Just then the captain came in, but
.Tode was so busily engaged drinking
water that he did not notice the cap
tain. The captain watched the boy
tossing of glasses full OF water with
establishment. His face grew red
with emotion and then he seized the
boy. Here, you rascal, what are you
trying TO do? Want to drink US dry2
Are you crazyP' sputtered the cap
tain.
..Tode tried to take long breath,
but he was too full. He turned his
eyes up until only tine whites could be
seen. BY gracious yelled the cap
tain in dismay the boy is trying to
commit suicide. Is there doctor
aboard?' But Tode was all right. Ho
was only frightened by the captain.
He soon found his tongue and gave
the whole snap away. The captain
kept from laughing with difficulty,
but never had a harder time getting
out OF scrape in my life than had
out of that one. We left lode alone
afterward, you may stake your last
dollar on It,"
v,x,..d In IN. Accidant