Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-04-23

was carrying on his back, and thus | llghtened his load.
 Fortunately 1t was a specially good
 saddle, richly mounted with silver and
 otherwise decorated to please the fan | cy of the dandy Federal officer from
 whose dead horse Duncan had cap | tured 1t after its owner had been left
 stark upon the field in the Wilderness. i It brought him now a good price in
 money, and to this the purchaser gen
 erously added little store of pro-
 visions, including. for immediate use, some fresh meat, the first that had
 passed Duncan's. lips for more months
 past than he could count upon the fn-
 gers of one hand.
 A little later the young man sold his
 pistols, but as he pushed onward to-
 ward the Ohio river he found that both
 travelling and living in prosperous
 country were far more expensive than
 travelling and living in war desolated
 and still moneyless Virginia.
 His little store of funds leaked out of
 his pockets so fast that, economize as
 he might, he found it necessary to ask
 for work here and there on his jour-
 ney. It was springtime, and the farm
 CTS were glad enough to employ him
 for day or two each. The wages
 were meager enough, but Duncan ac-
 cepted them gladly, the more so be-
 cause the farmers in every case gave him board besides. Now and then he secured odd jobs as an assistant to me- chanics. In one case he stoked the fur naces of coal mine for week.
 But he did not remain long in any employment As soon as he had trife of money or little stock of pro- visions to the good he moved onward toward the river.
 His one dominating and ever grow ing purpose was to reach Cairo. What fortune might await him there he knew not at all, but since he had scratched that address on the butt of pistol the desire to reach Cairo had daily and hourly grown upon him yntil it was now almost passion. The name Cairo in his mind had become a synonym for opportunity"
 It was about the middle of May when the toilsome foot journey ended at Wheeling. There Duncan, still wearing his tattered uniform, made diligent in- quiry as to stea1hboats going down the river. He learned that one of the great coal towing steamers from Pittsburg was expected within few hours, push ing acres of coal laden barges before her, and he was encouraged by the in formation, volunteered on every hand, that the work of firing up" under the boilers of these coal towing boats was so severe that goodly number of the stokers always abandoned their em- ployment in disgust of 1t and deserted the boat if she made landing at Wheeling, as this approaching one must do for the reason that number of coal laden barges had been left there for her to take in tow.
 It was Guilford Duncan's hope to se- cure place on her as stoker or coal passer, to take the place of some one of the deserters. This might enable him, he thought, to earn little money on the way down the river instead of depicting his slenderly stocked purse by paying steamboat fare.
 With such prospect in mind he ven- tured to go into the town and purchase a pair of boots and suit of clothes fit l to wear when he should reach Cairo. His wornout uniform would answer all his purposes while serving as a stoker.
 When the steamboat, with her vast deet of barges, made a landing Guil- ford Duncan was the first man to leap aboard In search of work. Unfortu- lately for him, there were few or no from in front of the furnaces ,n this trip. He could not secure em- oloyment as stoker earning wages, put after some persuasion the steam CTS captain agreed to let him work ais passage" to Cairo-that is to say, ne was to pay no fare, receive no wages and do double work in return Tor his passage down the river and for he coarse and unsavory food neces- ;ary for the maintenance of his strength.