The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-03-22
New York SUM-

lnOOSns an tndL Is as now tneTe s
/ slathers on 'em expectin' what they
won't never get. Pears like them was
the wisest what takes things as they
I is an makes the best or em.
Il ben on the Mississippi river ever
since | was a boy, an / knowed them
I that was old men when / begin, an
they'd ben on the river since they was
boys, an none on 'em knowed half as
much about il as some O. the smart
Alexis t amt no NOR n boys now, on'y
they ben to school.
ANY one O. these here upstairs what
comes down here with books an meas
urin' rods an their heads full o fool
I idees II tell you all about how to fix up
the river SOS t there won't be no more
| floods, ner sandbars, per snags, an
pears like every one on EN- expects fer
to straighten out the hull business, per-
| vidin' the gov'ment II spend money
enough for to pay for it.
| when / was younger we didn't know
/ so much about what had ought for to be
/ did, but pears like we knowed more
about the river. Them days people was
satisfied With the way the good Lord
/ done made things, an usin' the river
/ like he done meant 'em to use IL they
got heap O good outen it, We know
/ the river a'ays had done just what it
/ durn pleased, all through the valley, an
/ we knowed ii alays would, so all's we
/ tried 10 do was to find out what it had
/ did an make the best t we could ont.
| Consequence was Z travflin' on a
Mississippi boat them days was nigh
about the finest thing there was to do
OH earth. Feared like everybody t
was anybody done Travelled the river
more or less, an there was more diddin'
| onto fiTst-class packet nor there was
| lnEN here else n
You cd get everything on the boats
what you cd get anywheres. whether
twas fried chicken an egg bread you
wanted or whether twas draw poker.
an what you got was the best there
was An talk about excitement,
" Pears to me there was more 'xcite-
ment trav'lin I'm st. Louis TO New Or
leans nor there was into the hull Civil
war-some trips. that is. o. course
there was times when things d be as
peaceful an ca m as a settin' hen I'm
one end o the trip to t'other. but that
Wa Mt gently when there was any
pfessionals abOd the boat iookin' fr
suckers. an mostly there was
Il amt sayin' what them there poker
games was the best thing in the world
an I wouldn't go so fur as to say I I'd
like to see things again Just as they was
them days, but I sure would take some
enjoyment Outen one mo- such a trip as
We ulster make afore I cashed in. There
was things a-diddin' frequent what'd
turn strong mans stomach. but there
sure was 'xCitement into it
Il reckon there's Professionals enough
these times, same's ther was then. but
you don't see EN- on the boats no mo.
not the old kind. I mean. They was
dogs for sure, oncet in q while one on
EN- d do somepin' t ID make you think
he hadn't forgot he was a man. oncet.
1 Feared Ike that 4 be SO main you'd
forget all the pizen things they'd did
afOre an you'd think he was a heIIova
good man after all.
There was one on EN- L called his
self Hank BlitheTs, what useter travel
the Creole Belle when I was barkeep on
her. o course that want his real
name. Nobody never heerd of a name
like Blithers 'Xceptin' him. but they all
on EN- took names to suit themselves.
He was sinner FIN Sintoun IT
sure, an I never knowcd him to do
nothin decent but once, but that uu
was SO ALFRED decent I people called
him hero. just IF that He we're
goOd-lOOker, all right enough
"A good many on 'em was that. bein'
as they took care o themselves an had
10 pass off fr quality as wells they
could, SOS 10 get to set in with quality
at poker They all on 'em dressed 10
kill, an they wore more iewelry IN
anybody does nowadays, an Hank
BlitheTs sure did wear heap.
He were a fighter too. like most on
EN- was d offended to be high toned
Feared like fightin was part o. the
game, an what was past Hank Blithers
want no part O the game.
Feared like they'd as soon take
mans life as his money when il comes
to showdown. Likely they knowed
their own lives want no great value,
an they reckoned it was the same way
with anybody else.
Il en- call to mind one time Hank
Biithers set into d freezeout with an
other p'fessional name o. Jim Carter
when there want no suckers abo'd t
was worth while. They played toTab!e
nigh all night, an Hank win all Car
ter's money.
Then, Carter bein dissatisfied. they
played fr Carriers niger what he trav-
eled with, an Blithers win him. Then
they played fr Carriers diamonds an
watch, an Blithers win them.
Then Garter says. I amt got uothiu'
left but a gun an I'll play you f-r that
agin a double ca gle So they played a
showdown f'r that. an Bhthers win
again. So Carter got up an come into
the baTroOm an asst me 10 stand him a
drink, bein' as he was all in, and O.
course I done it.
While he was dTinkiu Biithers come
in fr his nightcap. an Carter says, Do
me a favor, Hank speakin' easy an
careless like. as if 'twa'nt no great mat
ter, but Blithers says, very short. Don't
ask me FIR no money, Jim, fr ! amt
loanin' to losers
But Carter laughed. an he says, I
amt no such fool as to ask you fr mon
ey. Hank. / Just wanted to know il
you'd loan me that gun o. mine fr a
minute. TIL amt nothin' f'r me to do
but blow my head off I reckon, an
Hank says. Sure, an handed him over
the gun.
Then Carter blowed a hole i'm his
head, sure cough an fell dead afoFe
1 cd get round the bar to stop him.
1T were consid able of a shock to me.
bein' as / hadn't never saw q man shoot
hisself afoTe that. but Hank on'y
laughed cruel like. an reached over an
took the gun back An he put il in his
pocket an went off to bed.
That's the kind OF a dog he was. but
bein' as nobody expected nothin' else
I'm a pfessional an he was as we'll
liked as any of 'em, there didn't nobody
but me pear to hold it agin him, an
ain't sayiu' but what mebbe I wouldn't
have. either. on'y I happened to see II
did an II maxim me sort o. sick.
Wen. we KEEP on tTayein the Creole
4