Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-08-24
CHAPTER w.

hut no did not shrink. s long a
i his provisions lasted 4 pusne'
forward, stopping only In woou
lands or by the wayside forfeep ant
for eating. BY the time ting MS pro
visions were exhausted he q passel
the valley and had crOssedhe cres
Of the Alleghanles.
ue was now in countr that had
not been wasted by war, alsuntry IL
which men Of every class sened 10 Dc
reasonably prosperous an nara al
work.
There bv way of reple shing his
comm,ssariat. he sold thsaddle he
was carrying on his bag ana mus
lightened his load.
Fortunately it was sclally gooc
saddle, richly mounted W silver ana
otherwise decorated to pse the ran
cv Of the dandy Fcder8fflcer from
whose dead horse Duun had cap
tured it after its ownerid been lef'
stork unon the field In I Wilderness.
II brought him now aOod price in
money, and to this thelrchaser gen.
erously added a littlstOre Of pro-
visions, including, for mediate use,
some fresh meet thfrst tnat had
passed Duncan's lips more months
past than he could co upon the I'm
gers of one hand.
A little later the y9 man sold MS
., ;.ols but as he ped onward to-
uard the Ohio river found that both
travelling and living u prosperous
,m,ntry were far inexpensive than
travelling and living war desolated
md still moneyless glnia.
His little store of As leaked out OF
his pockets so fastt' economlze as
he might, he f0undlecessary TO ask
for work here andere OH his jour
nov. It was syringe, and the farm
ers were glad end to employ him
for n day or tw1lch. The wages |
wore mcacer END but Duncan ac-
cepted Them GLAD the more so be- |
cause the farmer every case gave
him board besideNow ana then ne
secured odd jOb4n assistant TO me-
chanics. In one he stocked the fur
naces of coal lor week.
But he did nemaln long in any
employment. 9oon us ne had q
trife of money! little STOCK OF pro-
visions to the ne moved onward
toward the rivs
His one dorrng ana ever grow
ing purpose WI reach CAIRO. What
fortune mlghtlt MIN there ne knew
not at all, bVce ne had scratched
that address he butt Of pistol the
desire to rea,airo had daily and
hourly prowion him until it was
now almostpassion. The name
"Cairoo In mind had become a
synonym opportunity"
1t was aboe middle or May when
the toilsomot journey ended at
Wheeling e Duncan, still wearing
his tatteredorm, made dillgent In
quiry as t6mboats going down the
river He led that one OF the great
coal tOwirfamers from PittsDurg
was expeGithin few hours, push
ING acres bal laden barges before
her and is encouraged by the in
formation Inteered on every hand,
that the iof firing up" under the
hsilers re coal towing boats was
90 4yere a g0odly number Of the
stokers rs abandoned their en-
ploymenlsgust OF IL and deserted
the boa'she made a landing at
Wheelig this approaching one
must dfhe reason that a number
Of coatn barges had been left
there ri to take in tow.
II WI lford Duncan's hope to Sc
cure al on her as stoker or coal
passerake the place of some one
of thSrters. This might enable
him, rght, to earn little money
on ths down the river instead Of
depicts slenderly stocked purse
by p$teamboat fare.
Wpi prospect In mind he ven
tureS into the town and purchase
a paoots and a suit of clothes fit
tn when he should .reach Cairo.
His ut uniform would answer ali
his les while serving as a stoker.
Wie steamboat, with her vast
aedhrges, made a landing Gull
fol-, ian was the first man to leap
aha search of work. UnfOrtu-
mar him, there were few or no
de, from in front of the furnaces
DRIP. He could not secure en-
ri as stoker earning wages.
lyf some persuasion the steam
efaln agreed to let him work
kage" to Cairo-that Is to say,
d to pay no fare. receive no
and do double work In return
passage down the river and for
jrse and unsavory food neces-
Tor the maintenance OF his
a,