The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-06-06

Cent LOT Il pllDt.
1t was just this that made Carter 50
bitter. Three times had the Tom Ben
ton been aground when the Silver Cres-
cent came gliding by -=ith the people on
board of her yelling. cheering and
laughing at the pilot OF the rival Graf.
the women waving handkerrhfefs and
the "rousters." even. on the lower deck.
Joining in :he fun. And up in the pilot
house. cool. serene, perfectly groOmed.
Dandy Jim stood at the wheel. obliv-
icus to everything but his business.
never by any chance showing that h.
knew there was such a boat as TIE Tom
Benton or the river.
And Sally, loyal TO her father and
proud of her fathers boat. hated II.
Crescent and shared in the bitterness
against Taliaferro.
One Of the chambeTmaIds on tho Tom
Benton was Mary Drakeson. Mary lived
i'll Clabb"r alley in St. Louis when she
was al home. and one time during her
river career she had worked on The
Crescent. Here she had heard great
tales Of DANDY .Jim's" genius as q
pilot and of his proficiency a. a singer.
dancer and of his banjo playing. And
after hearin" him sing one song wh;l@
the boat WAS tied up al ST. Louis on an
occasion of Capt. Powers wife comin"
on board she conceived Il wild admi"..-
ton for him. MARS Dandy Jim" was
10 be a veritable god.
On the Tom Benton she had the sam,
ecStatic admiration of Miss Sa!lv."
And secretly she thought that MARS
Dandy Jim" and Miss Sally" would
make the fines couple in the world. 50
she hcmoaned the eEmity between the
two boats, and one day while Miss Sally
was going down the river on the Benton
Mar venturcl to remark: You doan
know Mars Dandy Jim. does Won. Miss
Sally?" To which Miss Sally answered.
ma ieSticlliy: No. indcrd. He say
De captain Of de Tom Benton de be>'
man on de river; de- idcel captain. Mas
Jim say" continued Mary. oh. well.
Mary" said Miss Sally, ''n"yer mind
what YOU near" and she turned away.
Hut the words had struck home. She
had always imagined the rival pilot a
hating her father and tn" Benton a.
heartily aS possible. Even IN her fl
theirs bitterness. however. she Tccol-
lrctrd that he had TIM and again adj
mitt"d the infinite superiority of Toll
liver over any other man on the river.
So little by little the subject of Dandy
.!im" became 4 favoritc topic between
Mary, Who always looked after Mis-
Sally, and her mistress whenever she
took the trips with her father. ami
Mary sang his praises with = most cum
ming tongue.
One night there was a masked ball at
the house Of one of Miss Saily'S friends
and Miss Sally attended AZ Cleopatra.
One of her most persistent admirers
was a tall figure attircd as Mephis-
tophclos. After the masks were re-
moved she recognized with 4 tremor of
fear and curiosity the feature OF Tolli-
ver in M"phisto's garb. IN introduce
ton followed. and il seemed rs if Dan
dy Jim and Miss Sally" fell in love at
first sight. For the fleeing chances at
the pilot perchcd away up in his little
pilot house were not TO he reckuncd.
They met again ard again. always AT
the houses of mutual friends. and final
~, when the crash came. they cx-
changed the usual keadstrong and emo
t~ionally surchargrd VOWS OF youthful!
lovers. The next morning early Tolliver
started for mis- BOAT and paused on the
rough Cobblrstoncs of the river front
TO mark again the picture he had so
often seen. Boats were wing all along
the river bank. outside of and next to
the wharf boats. and being rapidly
loaded with freight. Long lines of cot
ton bales were strung across the levee.
together with heaps OF bar iron and
piles of pig lead. Cnors of chickens.
hoop poles. thousands OF barrels of flour.
sugar, molaSSeS. whisky and other mcr-
chandise We're hcaped and scattered all
around. Some @u!ls were flying around
one of the wharf boats and a flock of
pigeons were picking up scattered grain
near Il bale. He stood and pondercd.
Then he walked dowa 10 the Silver
Crescent. went aboard of her and
learned that she would not GO until
thrcc o'clock p. III. instead OF eight a.
m, as had been the original intention.
Ills mind was filed with the events |
o. the preceding night. He was very
much in love and he realized that Capt.
Carter would rather Shoot his daughter /
than to let her marry DANDY Jim Tol-
liver" the rival pilot on the river boat
n the rival trade on the Big Muddy, as
the Missouri was facetiously called.
Why not end it right now, he thought.
Get Sally. stop off ut Ecckett's landing,
hunt up The baptist minister. get mar
RED and have done with it. Capt. Carter
would never give his consent And he
was Il cruel man, was Carter, thought
young Tolliver, and his eyes lit with a
first-time hatred of a maj who could
be. as he deemed it. so obstinate.
So he went back TO his boarding house.
dispatched a messenger 10 Miss Sally, |
and in half an hour met her ut the house
of her best friend. Here he made his
plea with the ~cloquence of a mar in
earnest and in love.
I'VE might wait a century, Sally" he
said, ito get YOU fathers forgiveness.
let us do our Waiting together" And
after awhile the girl consented to go.
Her friend agreed to accompany them,
for she secretly thought Capt. Carter