The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-03-15
CNew York SUM-


Natchez. an I've got SOS I amt
nose surprised at notin is said. Pears
like the less a man knows about it the
quicker he is to fire off his mouth about
it,
But it's them that's lived on the riv-
er, man an boy, like have, an
grOwed old a-travelin' it that RELY feels
the most about it. TIL OF Mississip 5
a heap mon just river TO me.
Hits home an a friend an hell
roarin' ugly customer when it's on the
rampage, an it's all sorts O. things diff
ferent times; an more'n that faint
never twicet alike But whatever tits.
the man t stays onto it long enough
learns to love il more'n he ever loved
the oil black nanny I nussed him
when he was little. Likely he loves ii
so well t he'd ruther be buried into
the water nor to be put in a hole i'm tn
ground when his time comes
Sure is queer how it gets so 5 t
man is plumb witched. like hoOdoc a
been put onto him. just FIN bein' on
the river long enough to learn to love IT.
Don't ask me what tits he loves
dunno. He just cant stay away from
it.
90 course. it's a mighty sight
different now I'm what it was years ago
Then everybody travelled the boats
when they went anywheTes. Nowadays
pears like ever body is in such hellova
hurry what they don't have no time to
take the boats, an they'll take the
chanel o bein smashed up into a rail-
road just so 5 to get scmewheres day
or two quicker. Temptin Providence,
call il.
In the old times there want no livin
anywheres in the world what was equal
to Twin on the boats. The best there
was was on the boats. an peaTed like
everybody knowed it. reckon that
was why everybody what wanted
change OF 'peared TO be yearnn' FIR ex-
element arays took a boat f'r some
place.
There was a many t got that feelin
SO strong { they give up most every
thing else just to ride UP an down. 7
rec'Iect a fine old gentleman I'm Hell
ena, Ark. what come to be reg'laT
traveller on the Creole Belle. where l
was workin them days, what 'peared
to be drawed to the river like some men
Is dragged down TO drinkin'.
Judge PIKE was his name, an he
was reckoned the best lawyer IN the
state when he was in his prime. They
made him a Judge when he come to be
some old an they said he was tired o
practicin' He was rich as mud an had
the handsomest house in Helena an a
fine wife, but no young uns.
"Mebbe if he'd had them it'd been
different but peared like he come to
have spells I'm time TO time when not
in suited him. an he'd walk down to
the levee an get aboard boat. Most
" he'd get on the Creole Belle, bein' as
she was the crack boat them Gays, an
he'd stay on her no matter which way
she was goin'. till she got back to Hell
ena.
First off. when he ulster come with
us ne wouldn't do nuthin' but set on
deck an look at the river all day long.
Feared like he'd come fr a rest an
didn't care nuthin' about nothin' else.
I reckon somepin' must a been givin'
way into his head. ionS o him do n so
much work. an he was tryiu to case
il up.
He didn't drink none to speak OF.
more N to take his toddy oncet or twicet
a day. an he didn't pear to- take no
interest I'm that more n he did in any
thin else. Bimeby it got to be so : t
he'd come 5bo'd oftener an oftener. an
sometimes he'd make two or three trips
I'D an down the rver afore he'd get of.
An he got so : I he'd walk up an
down the deck most O. tn time stead
o settin' quiet like he used to first off,
but still there want nothin' did about
it. He was his own boss. an nobody
dast interfere. though it come to be
knoved as he was negiectin' his home
an his court somepin' shameful
Must a been four OF five year I've
KEEP on thisaway. not shown no gins
O. nothin' bein' the matter with him 50
/ fur as his looks went. but gettin more
90 ~ lilo n
more an more time onto the Creole
I Belle. It was just the river tight'nin
up the grip L gets onto a man.
Then he come to takin' more notice
O. what was diddin' onto the boats.
/ He didn't talk to nobody much. but he'd
( watch 'em. an alter spell we seen he
was watchin' the poker games almighty
I close what was gOin' on most o tn
/ time into the saloon.
Them days there was aTays poker
/ goin' on in the saloons an nobody
/ thought of interferin with IT, 'thouter
| some p'fessional was caught playin
/ crooked an either shot or run ashore
some'res. There want no show fl
them I had the luck to be caught
Then later on the old judge he be-
[ gin to play oncet in a while. an 'twa nj
/ long alter that afore he was settin' in
all the time. He'd play an lose. never
{
payin' up like a man every time.
An still there want nobody to in
/ teTfeTe 1t was MANS own business
/ if he played, an mostly everybody did
play in them days
| Nobody knowed how much he lost
/ for there want nobody to keep tabs OF
I him. but finally it got so : t he spent
most o. the time on the Belle. He'C
/ get off at Helena. sometimes most likely
/ when he'd go broke. just to ra Sc some
more money, an he'd come abo'd agar
/ the next time we landed there. We be
gin to hear I he was in trouble fol
/ money. but he'd aTays come BACK witt
/ a wad an stay abOd till he'd lost thai
an then go home fr more.
90 course the Professionals got most
O. the money. Cap'n Foss. what had
/ the Belle then. was consid able strictel
n a good many cap'ns was then. an
I ne wouldn't have none on 'em Twin or
| his boat, like they did on a good many
An he wouldn't stand FIR nothin
| crooked if twas knowed. but even b.
didn't quite see his way to sIOppin' {
/ p'fess. onaI FIN FOin' I'm one place t.
another on the Belle if ne wanted TO
an nobody thought o such thing a:
stoppin' a game O. poker IF it looked t.
I be regular So just nachully il come 7
there was some p'fessionals I got OF
Judge Pixies trail an useter meet III
with up him amazin frequent.
/ "One O. these was a hellyon I'm BatoT
/ Rouge Z had about as bad a name az
/ the worst He was a slim. pale. biacl