The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-12-15

gambl:n'. Wherefore the Jelse an the
States Attorney. an nebhy five Other
spectators. at nigh, adjour-s to the CABIN
OF q fiatboat wh!cn is tied I'D 1t the foot
OF the levee. SOS they caI divert them
SETS with a little draw poker without
shcckin' the ssas.biit.es OF the ham.es an
ge,,in' themse'fs arrested an fined some
Its gone TO about fourth drink time
after supper an I'm romaEcin atout. maN-
in up my opinions en- a heap of matters an
things. I'm wal;zin' along the ievee-fai
plumb alone. an the town ;tse'f has turned
into its blankets-when I gets sight OF this
yere poker festival ragin' in the cabin
Thar they be. antein'. goiu' i, blind. ss,ad-
din. raisin. before the draw. blufiin' an
bettin' an havin' the ms OF their careers.
It's the sp-ing food. an the old Cum
berland is bank full an stiIl a-risin'. The
iatboat is softly liftin' an faliin' en- the
sobbin' tide. The ocular impulse seizes
me. that away. an I stcop an casts of her
one lire. an that fiatboat swims silently
away on the bosom OF the river. The sports
inside knows nothin' an guesses ies. an
their gayety swelIs on without a hitch.
Its ; O'Clock an ledge Fin, who 8 wen
about a hundred an sixty dollars. realizes
it's all the money in the outfit. an gets c1id
feet plenty prompt. He mu.murs some
thing abou, tellin' MIS-. Finn he'd be in
early an shoves his chair back amidst the
SCOTS an jeers o. the losers. But the good
old ledge dom mind. an openir' the door.
he goes out into the nigh; an the dark an
carefully picks his way overheard into forty
foot Of water. The sell the Jedge eniis as
he makes his little hoe in the Cumberland
is the first news them kya.d sharps gets
that they're afioat a whole lot.
1T amt no pushover resc3oin' ledge
Finn that time. The one hundred an sixty
is in Mexican money. an he's got a pound
or two Of it sinkered about his old frame in
every pocket: 50 he goes 10 the bottom like
a key of nails.
But they works hard. an at last fl hes
him out. an rolls him over a barl to sc.
the water an the money outsn him. Which
onder sech treatment. the ledge d;sgorses
both, an at last comes to u heap an is fed
whisky with a spoon.
"'Havin' saved the Jedge. the others
turns loose a volley o. yeIIs that shoreiy
scares up them echoes far an wide. IL
wakes up a little old tug that's tied in Dead
Nigger's Bend an she fires up an pushes
forth to their relief. The tug hluls EN-
back to warwhocp for seventy dollars.
which is paid out of the rescooed treasure
of ledge Finn. the same be:n' declared sal
wage money b. them bandits he's been
playin' with.
Its 9 o'clock in the afternoon whsn that
band of gamblers ties up ag'in at War
whoop. an they're shorely a saGdcaed par
ty as they files ashore. The village is THAI
in a frowni1' an resentfui body - arrest
'em for them violations. which - &c ordin'
done.
LAT the tire. / resyarcs the play as the
funniest. ondcrstc.. tsEr's ever been
evolved in Tennessee: but my mood changed
as subsekwent events asscomcs = sOmher
tint. Old ledge Fiua goes .urnil l. a5ou- like
a sore head lien an tie re-; is A. hot as
election day il a hornets res. Fa-ds. I'm
a well mar. II they don't inject me foc
piracy on the high seas. an pledge their
words to see me hanged a who e lot before
ever court adjoU-ns.
THAT lets me plumb ont right thar! I
sees the symptoms Of my anpop'iarity In
advance. an don't prccrastinate none I
goes sailin' over tse Divide to Tenneeee.
down the Tennessee to the Ohio. down the
Ohio to the Mississippi. down the Missfs-
sippi to the Arkansaw. UP the Arxansaw to
Little Rock. an thar / pauses. exhausted
shore. but safe as a murderer in Georgia I
never do go back for plumb ten years.
"rNacherally because CT this ycre ex-
I misses my engagement with the
Purple Blossom: also them nuptias I p ans
with Polly Hawks. suffers the complete
kybosh. However. I survives an Polly sur.
wives: she an the Purple Blossom hooks up
a month later, an I learns since they shore
has ofsprinss enough to pack a primary Or
start a public school It's all over. long
ago. an I'm glad the kyards comes as they
do. Still, as I intimates. thar's them mo-
ments of romance to rice me down. when I
remembers my one lone love affair with
Polly HAWKS. the beauty Of the Cumber-
land
"Enright pausrs an we-arl sets stiil .
moment out Of respects to the old chief.
At last Dan Boggs. who's always bubblin'
that AWAY. speaks uo:
(which I'm shore sorry says Dan. 'you
don't fetch the mooeic Of that Purple Bios
excellent lay. an would admire to
learn II an sing it some myself I'D shore
go over an carol it TO Red Dog. an l Offers
to one in hundreds it would rcdooce
them tarrapins to frenzy"
Copyright. 1861. by r.. H. Russell.