Year: 1875

the end OF the stage plank with the
coil Of rope in his hand. because he
was particularly conspicuous. But
these were only day. y.dreams-they
were too heavenly to be contemplated
as real possibilities. BY and by one
of our boys went away. He was not
heard of for long time. AT last he
turned Up as apprentice engineer or
! striker" on a steamboat. This thing
shook the bottom out Of all my Sunday
school teachings. That boy had been
notoriously worldly, aud | just the re-
verse; yet he Was exalted to his erDi-
nence, and | left in obsenriry and
misery. There was nothing generous
about this fellow in his greatnes. He
would always manage to have rusty
bolt to scrub while his boat tarried at
our town, and he would sit on the in.
side guard aud scrub it, where we
could all see him and envy him ami
I'loathe him. Whenever his boat was
laid up he would come home and swell
around town in his blacklist and
greasiest clothes, So that nobody could
help remembering that he wasa steam
boatman; and he used all sorts Of
steamboat technicaltes in his talk, as
| il he were SO used to them that he
forgot common people could not un
derstand them. He would speak of
the 'labboard" sides If house in an
easy, natural way that would make
Que wish he was dead. And he was
always talking about "St. Looy" like
an old citizen; he would refer casual
down Fourth street" or when he was
passing by the Planters House." or
when there was fac ana he took
turn on the brakes Of the cold Big
Missouri and then he would go and
lie about how many towns the size OF
ours were burned down there that day.
Two or three of the boys had long
been persons of consideration among
us because they had been to St. Louis
once, and had vague general knowl-
edge of its wonders, but the day of
their glory was over now. They lapsed
into an humble silence, and learned to
disappear when the ruthless "cub" en-
gineer approached. This fellow had
money, too, and hair oil. Also, an
| ignorant silver watch and snowy
brass watch chain. He wore leather
belt and used no suspenders. Ii ever
youth was cordially admired aud
hated by his comrades, this one was.
No girl could withstand his charms.
He "cut out" every boy in the village.
When his boat blew up at last, it diff
fused tranquil contentment among
us such as we had not known for
months. But when he came home the
next week, alive, renowned, aud APP
peariDg in church all battered up and
bandaged, a shining hero, stared at
wondered over by everybody, it seem.
ed to US that the partialty of Proyi-
dence for an undeserving reptile had
reached point where it was open to
criticism.


This creatures career could produce
but one result, aud it speedily follow
ed,. Boy after boy managed to get
on the river. The minister's son bes
came an engineer. The doctors and
the postmasters sons became "mud
clerks" the wholesale liquor dealers
son became barkeeper on boat; four
sous of the chief merchant, and two
sons of the county judge, became pi-
lots. Pilot was the grandest position
Of all. The pilot, even in those days
of trivial wages, had princey salary
from a hundred and fifty to two
hundred and fifty dollars a mouth, and
no board to pay. Two months of his
wages would pay a preachers salary
for year. Now some of us were left
discunsolate. We could not get on
the river--at least our parents would
not let US


So by and by l ran away. l said /
never would come home again till /
was pilot and could come in glory.
But somehow | could not manage it.
| went meekly aboard a few of the
boats that lay packed together like
sardines at the long st. Louis wharf,
and very humbly inquired for the pi-
lots, but got only a cold shoulder and
short words frnm mates and clerks. l
had to make the best Of this sort Of
treatment for the time being, bat /
had comforting day dreams of fu.
ture when | should be a great and
honored pilot, with plenty Of money,
and could kill some of these mates
and clerks and pay for them.


Months afterward the hope within
me struggled TO a reluctant death and
| found myself without an ambition.
But was ashamed to go home. | was
in Cincinnati and | set To work to
map out my Newspaper. | had been
reading about the recent exploration
of the river Amazon by an explora-
tIon party sent out by our governments