Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1905-07-06
"A Fair
Advantage
By JOHN G. BOWMAN
Copyright, 1905, by John g. Bowman

double raft, was churning its way
down the Mississippi. Leslie Barnet
was the pilot, and we, Barnet and l,
were alone in the pilot house. Neither
had spoken a word for half an hour or
more when the captain of the steamer
opened the door and said roughly:
Barnet, that cursed mate took to the
bank back there. The fool said he was
going to get married. Tie up at La
Cross
The old pilot did not answer. He did
not look at the captain, but remained
mctionless, tipped back in his high
chair by the Wheel his eyes resting on
the far water line beyond the raft The
captain slammed shut the door and
walked heavily over the hurricane deck
and down the steps to the deck below.
That mate fooi?'' Barnet reflected.
We'll, maybe, and maybe not
Barnet leaned over to the window for
some tobacco, then began to fill his
pipe. There was no sound but the regu-
lar breathing of the steamer and the
wash, wash, wash Of the big wheel at
the stern. BY and by the pipe was
lighted.
Its common, uninteresting way
folks got nowadays of getting mar
ried," the pilot began. Don't you
know it is? Common old prose from
the beginning"
made no answer.
do you know-well, it was back in
so. l was pulling an oar on an old
floating raft. We didn't have steamers
to push 'em then. A young fellow, you
know-strong, good looking He turn
ed to me with grin and then watched
some smoke curl over the pilot wheel.
"Times are different now. Well, there
was only one town on the Mississippi
them days-that was where she lived
the girl, you know. l reckoned the days
by our coming to that town. Other
towns We're just sort of landmarks to
tell us how far off we We're We went
slow just before we got to it. She was
always down on the sand to see us.
well, sir, there was another fellow
on that raft, sort of a clerk and mate
or steersman when the captain want
ed to be laZy-sort of general boss
and important. You know, he figured
on the same girl Poor devil don't
know what became Of him! We We're
going down the river spring of 90
May; no wind; easy floating. The wa
ter was all like that out there" Barnet
| pointed to a broken bar Of crimson
| and green in the water that ran from
| the boat to the bank. The sunset was
above the hill beyond
.Irhe middle of the next morning we
We're coming to that only town I was
telling you about. You know, that
| night l didn't sleep-no work to do,
either. l dropped down between two
| big logs comfortable and listened to
that raft pur. The waves, you know,
| ratified around soft between the logs.
Hear that tree toad then, that chi
| wa, chiwa? Well, l heard them that
night.
Next morning the wind was blow
| ing gale to eastward across the chan
mel. Right, right the captain kept
| calling in his deep voice. Right, rightv
/ you know, that way. Good, rough old
fellow; he's dead now. I'd like to hear
| him call them signals again. We were
all at the sweep oars working-tired!
Young fellow, you don't know what it
| is to be tired"
The old pilot turned to me, then relit
his pipe.
| mo breakfast that morning." he
went on. II don't know why-guess
| the cook had to take hand at the
| oars. That happened sometimes. Well,
there was that town coming in sight,
| and l was working to keep the wind
from blowing us right in on the bank
| in front of it. Pretty soon l see the
| girl-wore a white dress-no hat. Same
time saw that clerk was telling you
about. We had only one boat on the
| fleet, and there was that clerk, with
! white collar on, making for to shove
| ashore in that boat.
He had commanding voice. l be-
| gan to pull again with the other fell
lows, about twenty of them. Pretty
soon I see the captain coming down to
the bow where l was. He was whit
ting a stick. The clerk was just about
| to shove off. Well, that captain-he
was good fellow-there amt any
more like him now on the river-he
came down to me and stood quiet a
| minute, cutting that stick.
Leslie he says, what towns this
we're coming to?
"'Let me see,' says, beginning to
| look around.
Never mind he returned. see
you don't know. The winds getting
high. Well lay in mile below he
said soft. Leslie he says, don't be
afraid Of getting wet
THAT captain didn't say another
word He went off whiting that stick.
see the girl wave to us. l see the
clerk wave back and shove off in the
boat. didn't have time to wave-I
| jumped in and swan for it, The other
| fellows didn't make sound. thought
they hadn't noticed.
pretty soon / see the clerk and the
girl shaking hands. Then she was
looking at me; then the clerk was. I
| told Won II was Nav and the water