The sun., 1915-06-27
HOW MR.BEN WRIGHT
, CAME OFF THE BOAT
And the Measures Arkansas
City Took to Secure His
Departure.
OLD MAN DOES A KIND ACT
BY DAVID A CURTIS.

Greenlaw. speaking in tone that in
Seated his willingness to make allow
snces for one who errs without pre-
meditation. But" he continued, as
n not minded to excuse Mr.. Wright
altogether, "it d "a been a heap sight
better To- al. cncerned IL he'd "a went
asho' some other place
go co'se 1t couldn't be helt ag'in
him, one way O. speakin', seein he
didn't bust the boats bier his own
self. 'Tain't likely he'd "a did that no.
how. an for fac he didn't.
But that amt neither here nor
there. What happened was did some
how. even IL he want to blame first
of. an the upshot on it was he done
come asho' an we done got sho'
'nough undesirable citizen.
"They want nobody 'xpectin' OF
him when he come. bein s the boat
'peared to he gwine on down the river
not havin' no Intentions o maxim
landin'. Some said It served her right
70 not stoppin', bein' s they was
c'nsid'abe freight expected long about
that time, an them I was lookin' TO
It Yeckoned what II d ought 70 to be
abo'd o. her. but she was al'ays mo- r
less unreliable, an the way II turned
out she hadn't took no freight on To-
Arkansas City. an just nachully the
cap'n didn't see no objec' in maxim a
landin'. they not bein' no passengers
abo'd what wanted to git off. Ben
Wright was the on'y one what done
come as twas. an he want recknin'
onto 1t, like I done said.
"But O. co'se We uns on sho' didn't
know nothin' bout that till afterwards,
Bayous a-gwine on down 'thouten
landin' they was c'nsidahle many
hard things said, mo- special by them
t was lookin' 70 freight. an p'tic'lar
by a bow legged little runt name o
Buck Stanwood, what was pticlar
d'sirous o. gittin' to Vicksburg that
week. He cussed mighty vicious first
of, but when he seen the boat bust
her biler, like We uns all seen 1t, he
lowed mebbe twas nigh bout as we'll
what he want abo'd OF ner.
"Fo' that was what she done just
when she come opposite the landin',
bein' sompin' mo- n half a mile I'm
sho'. Happened suddint like, too,
monstrous onfriendly, like I done
said already.
-'Peared like they hadn't nobody
made no preparations 70 nothin' o
the kyind, an I reckon likely them
t was abo'd OF her was nigh bout s
much s'prised as we uns was, but
tn amt no way O. provin' the truth OF
that, bein' IS Ben Wright was the on'y
one on 'em what was ever heer'd Of
later on, an he want in no condition
10 tell nothin'. not 70 some weeks. he
want. an by the time he got so s I
he cd talk reasonable they want no.
body interested into it no mo-. The
freight what was Expected done come
along on the next boat, an bein' S
they want nothin' left O. III old Queen
they didn't nobody care a dam.
What we uns was RELY interested
in was what was gwine to be did
with Ben Wright, him bein' mo- Of a
anxiety n a family o. chillun, an
nobody not feelin' no gre't response
bility into 1t nohow, on'y 'twa'n't
'xactly decent f. to let him lay on the
ground an die. like he was a-doin' Of.
when some o. the rousters done picked
him up.
The wav he come asho' was some
pin scan'lous. Must "a been somepin'
Ike ten mInut = a'ter the biler bust
an the boat disappeared. her bein'
blowed into small bits, afo' we done
seen somepin' comm to'ds Arkansas
City outen the sky.
"Fust off they couldn't nobody
make out what twas was comm, but
afo' long we seen what twas Ben
Wright, an as / done said, he sho' was
one scanlous sight Some'res on the
way up he must "a lose one o. his feet
an nigh bout all they was in the way
O. fingers onto his lett hand, b'sides
havin' all the hair hIowed offn his
head, eyebrows, whiskers an all, but
that want the wust on ii. The man
was stark naked, an o co'se. him not
havin' no cloes on, they couldn't no.
body tell whether he was reel gent
or a deckhand.
"They was c'nsid'able difference of
opinion bout what d ought 70 to he
did with him. bein' IS they hadn't no.
body asst him to come an him not
hsyiR' nothin' to say 70 hisself, but
they had 10 be somepin d!i. an he
was picked up an toted off some'res,
an Doc Peters done looked him over
an said what he wouldn't live mon
about hour, so they want no p'tic'-
lar anxiety felt into him fust off.
But he didn't die, nor he didn't do
ISthln' else TO a hellova while, on'y
lay an git better. They was C'nsd'-
able Expense 'tached to It, an o co'se
:he town had to pay H. an ! was
'pInted a sort O. c'mittee like to see IL
they want some way o maxim him
pay IL pack.
Il couldn't gil nothln' outen him
flost off. 'Pearei like he cn, lG'l't re-
member noihin' oA'y his name, an
even as Regards that thay want no.
body knowed whether he meant it was