Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-14


Stepping May or not She came down
~ the river awhile back in O clinker-
built skiff She was so blamed pretty
- 1t was wonder they ever let her come
down the hanks onto old Mississip' at all; but
then she was, big as life-about five foot seven
ksll, and her lips straight and resentful. but
her eyes twinkling., You see. lady lots OF
times keeps her jaw set square when she'd
rather be smiling two foot wide. Lots Of men
can't let lady grin without thinkin she's
soft on 'em.
The first test seen Of Stepping May was
along about Hickman, KY, one Of those nean
miserable days when the Autumn northers begin
to whisper an growl down out O. the ice cap
mountains. Hadn't begun to rain yet, but hit
was mean. / was into my green cabin boat
which I bought of teller who built it up the
Allegheny in N'York State to trip down TO
N'Orleans, but found the Ohio so big he neveh
had the grit to see old Mississippi at all. Theh
was jes' plumb comfy. an this blamed gal
come along pretty as picture an jes' about
as accommodating. #l%4 &C.
She hearn my fiddle talking along, so she
pulled up an hailed. I stepped outside, not
ti1inkin' what was doing, an course the min
ute that wind hit my warm hddle strings, snap!
An had two broken. J.
E stOh. I'm 50 sorry!" she said. the way girl
does when she knows what she's talking about.
at didn't mean to do thatf' sl5s,.
j.. she was cold, her cheeks red an her hands
reddish. You know how q man feels when ne
knows he ought to ask lady something, but
expects she'll sure, miscue i'm, i had q good
cabin, warm, two chairs comfortable! didn't
know what 70 say, so she said hit herself. II
only iadies'd speak FIRST their feelings. hit'd be
lots nicer, would't it. for men? Lots an lots
Of times man passes up something he'd like
to do, probably he'd oughta do jes-account Of
him bein' 'fraid lady'd be insulted, or like
that.
"Mr. Man." she said her eyes sparkling,
TIN most froze to deathi Won't 20 let me
stand by 20 IRE an warm?"
WHY, say, just told that gal she could
have my whole blamed shanty boat II
hit d 'commodate her any. She laughed and
come aboard, dropping bovine on my bum
per cleat trailing the skin alongside
; give her my fddling chair, but she took
t'other one. We sat theh while she warmed
her red hands an strung up my bow. Whess
r gun to play, she turned her head to listen
sharp!
she listened so blamed interested was WON
dering, for the music was "Caving Bends"
-Yo' know that piece. which started way back
yonder which all the riveh hddlers has piayed
lust natural, till now everybody knows hit?
Played right, yo' can hear the water sucking
an saving along the bend, an then the
Jumping humping down as the ground falls in,
a tree swings out and falls a splashing, and
all good music, which you can dance by.
"Oh, what's that?" she asked.
knowed right away she wasn't riveh gal,
but like me- from up the banks. though more
recent So told her "Caving Bends" Then
told her about some more river music: "Cy-
Tsl0r
Spring Birds" Gold Winds" "Sandbar Whis-
pers"-theh's lot Of those funny musics that
jes' initiate the way the old Mississippi sounds
one time an another, which anybody could
play If he's good at slidin' notes an picking
an knows the riveh.
"Riveh music!" she whispered. "Why-
Why didn't know they had music like that!
You know dance!"
While played Crossing Ripples," she
danced, too. Lawse. that gal was steppih'l
jes' looked at her. She was professional,
could see that-but more than professional.
too. somehow. She had to 'dapt her stepping
10 the music, finding which was best, II Shut
fling and sliding or tap-tap or lifting and
floating. Seemed like played twict as good
rs I'd even played in my life before.
My cabin was six foot four high an there
was about eight by ten foot square she could
dance in; hit want any too much, but she used
all the floor an most Of the roof, so to speak.
Shed dance round or two an then shed sit
an ask me questions That was about the
busiest afternoon I remember, and fore I
knowed hit, night had come, closing down ON
the riveh like a door, taking me right By sur
price!
"Oh, it's dark" she cried, waking up
jumped out. give a look around, an then
pulled for the west bank. Lucky hit was the
foot of long bend, an anchored In the eddy
at the head of the bari don't know which
bar, either. =. Somewhere below Putney Bend,