The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-09-30

decks and perhaps down into the caoas
home. The little narrow space - -
vavs Immediately clean There ~
nearly always flowers in the little cur
tanned window. and the easy rock1nS
chair is briskly busted for the vis1soe
If one STAYS long enough with then
and shows sufficient interest in their AZ
fairs the captain and his wife VIII eals
very freely about theInseives-of then
simple hopes and aspirations; Oh tns
pleasures and sorrows they have
look back upon. II is thus when ons
zones TO know them Is they Are ms
they cease 70 be a mere remote ana pro
turesque aggregation. and become indS
sidual human entities of real waru
flesh and blood
have never felt a keener and more
t;ngling exhilaraticn than felt thai
corning when. coming upon deck IL
the brisk GOODNESS OF the early daytime
| saw all around me the quaint level d
white-psinted decks. swsrming with Ia
own peculiar Life. the greet wias r3vss
stretching away on al sides, the distant
tugboats straining at the slow-movinn
mass, and Just ahead the open door Of
the highlands standing wide for the
passage of the silyery level Of water Be-
yond- 1t was like fresh drsught Of
The nectar of vitality after long months
II work to awaken into IN existence -
aew as this, so strange. % full of the tn
'erest of unwonted things. % lusty with
its vigorous freshness.
1t had been pretty late when We lsA
New York the evening before. and ~
could only see In q sort Of DARK and Inn
perfect way that there was great lot
Of boats being gathered together In the
sboppy waters thai lie bctwixt The Bat
terry and Governor'sisiapd, and present.
ly that we ourselves were an integer Of
he general whole. Now Il wa the fresh,
keen daylight again; the sun shone ~
bright as lightning and ss hard rs steel
and therc was n swift, cool wind blow
ing that drove whit>caps down the rives
and sent the clouds flying to The east.
ward across the profoundly clear and
fathouless sky. Now we could see how
Dig and busy was the floating town Of
which we and our boat were o COM
ponent part
Everyw are they were washing down
the decks with noisy dashings and
swashings of bucketfuls Of water and
ceaseIess scratching and raxping Il
scrubbing broous. the rubber-booted
men hard At work pattering and siop.
ping about IL the sheets of water. TIA
toilets OF some of the boats had already
been made. and they were now slowly
drying in the sunlight. but nevertheles1
there was a general impression OF the
universal wet GOODNESS. as of the whole
town taking bath. Evsrywhre the
smoke was sweeping away FROM The
cabin stovepipes and there was . pre-
vailing smell OF cooking breakfast I'm
ing the swift, fresh air.
The river bumboats had begun ~
rome OF from the shore There .wss one
lust ahead Of us and another down the
tow, each clingipg like . parasite 70 the
.anal boat beside which 10 hay. These
bumboats-httls steamhoata fitted out
IN the cabin like . psddlsr's wagon
with al sorts of l1nickknaeks and canal
boat necess.tiesand luxuries, from taps
buttons and shoestrings to bananas, IN
bacco and peanuts, from fresh milk "
bottled beer - these bumbosts lurk
everywhere along the river shore. from
the lower part OK the highlands TO W
above Newburgh. From a dozen d.
ferrnt points they come pulling OF In &
tremendous hurry and with a great deal
OF footing OF piping whistles struggling
to catch up with the ssow-paoving tow
and whistling TO let the bcatmen knou
that they are coming. Reaching tbs
tow, they throw out a line as q spide1
throws out n web over n big fly, and a
clinginy 70 The nearest canal bcst
never let go their held until the last
penny is drained from that part Of ths
floating town.-Howard Pyle, in Har
per's Magazine