Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-04-29

The Daily Story
A Fair Advantage


the Mississippi Leslie Barnet was the
pilot. and we. Barnet and l. We're alone
in the pilot house Neither had spoken
word for half an hour or more, when
the captain of the steamer opened the
door and said roughly;
Barnet. that cursed mate took to the
bank pack there-the fool said he vas
going to get married Tie UP at La
Cross"
The old pilot did not answer: he did
not look at the captain. but remained
motionless, tipped back in his high chair
at the wheel, his eyes resting on the far
water line beyond the raft. The captain
slammed shut the door and walked heavily
over the hurricane deck and down the
steps to the deck below
THAT mate fool?" Barnet reflected.
We'll maybe. and maybe not"
Barnet leaned over to the window for
some tobacco, then began to hll his pipe.
There was no sound but the regular
breathing Of the steamer and the wash
wash wash Of the big wheel at the stern.
BY and by the pipe was .i-h;ei.
ITS a common, uninterestina way folks
got nowadays of getting married" the
pilot began Don't you know it is?
Common old prose from the beg nnin4"
l made no answer.
' do you know-well, it was back IN
SO. l was pulling on an oar on an old
floating raft-we didn't have steamers o.
push EN- then. y young fellow, YOU
know-strong, good looking" He
mo gtip
watched some smoke curl over the pilot
wheel.
Lord! times are different now. Well
there was only one town on the Missis-
sippi them days-that was where she
lvcd-the girl, YOU know. / reCkoned the
days by our coming to that town-other
towns were just sort of landmarks to tell
us how far off we were. Lord we went
slow just before we got to it, She was
| always down on the sand to see US.
We'll sir, there was another fellow on
that raft, sort of clerk and mate or
steersman when the captain wanted to be
. lazN-sort of a general boss, and impor-
tant You know. he figured on the same
girl Poor devil. ] don't know what be-
came of HIM We were going down the
river, spring of '69-Atay-no wind-easy
floating The water was all like that our
there Barnet pointed to a broken bay
OF crimson and green in the water thar
set was above the hill beyond
THE middle of the next morning we
were coming to that only town / was
telling you about You know, that night
| didn't slecp-no work to do either.
dropped down between two big logs, com
Portable, and listened to that raft purr-
the waves, you know. ratified around soft
between the logs Hear that tree toad
then? That Chi-wa, chi-wa? Well, I
heard them that night.
Next morning the wind was blowing
a gale to eastward across the channel
Right-right" the captain kept calling in
his deep voice; 'riGht-rightm-you know,
that way. Good rough old fellow-he's
dead now. Lord! I'd like to hear him
call them signals again. We were all at
( the sweep oars, working-tired! Young
fellow you don't know what it is to be
/ tired"
The old pilot turned to me, then relit
| his pipe.
! NO breakfast that morning." he went
on. 81 don't know why-guess the cook
/ had to take hand at the oars That
happened sometimes. Well. there was
/ that town coming in sight and | was
working to Keep the wind from blowing
/ us right in on the bank i'm front of it,
Pretty soon + see the Girl-wore a white
dress-no hat Same time I saw that
/ clerk l was telling you about We had
/ only one boat on the fleet, and there was
that clerk with a white collar on, making
for to shove ashore in that boat
Right-rght / heard the captain
! Lord, he had a commanding voice, |
! began to pun again with the other fell
/ lows, about 20 of them. Pretty soon I
/ see the captain coming down to the bow
/ where | was. He was whiting a stick
/ The clerk was just about to shove off
| Well, that captan-he was a good fellow
/ there amt any more like him now on
| the riyer-he came down to me and
! stood 4uiet a minute cutting that stick.
| leslie he says, what towns this
| we're coming to-"
&" Let me see, says, beginning to
! look around.
Never mind, he returned 7 see
| you don't know. The winds getting
| high-we'll lay in a mile below he
said soft Leslie, he says, don't be
afraid of getting wet
That captain didn't say another word. !
| He went off whiting that stick. | see
the girl wave to u.s. l see the clerk wave
back and shove off in the boat. l didn't
have time to wave-I jumped in and
swan for it, The other fellows didn't |
make a sound. / thought they hadn't !
noticed.
girl shaking hands Then she was looking |
at me-then the clerk was. | told you 1t |
was May and the water hadn't heated up
yet for the summer, Next thing | was on /.
the bank. shivering too much 10 talk. /
That girl came over and extended her |
hand TO me.
NO. says l. I'm too wet to touch
you
you're fool enough to half drown and |
lose your job, too put in the clerk.
Il didn't have much TO say, waiting |
developments, you know. The clerk was /
looking mean Barnet he says, IN give |
YOU the boat SOS YOU can get back to I
The raft and save your job He started |
for the boat. He knew we were going to /
lay in a mile below as the captain said, |
I'd be doing him a double favor. taking |
the boat back and getting myself out OF |
the way, too
well, says I, I came ashore to say
a word with this girl and - could |
hardly talk-I amt said quite all Of it
yet
That clerk, well, he went over ami |
started TO take the girl by the arm to
walk off. His shoes were shined You 1
know, she wasn't in any hurry.
Look a here. | ddut come ashore !
for nothing. as I explained l says. Lord!
! was hungry and beginning to get mean /
inside like the clerk.
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