Part 4 (1/2)

”I reckon dat you was playing cards last night,” said the barber, as he deftly tucked the towel around To up his hair

”No, I wasn't,” said Toht you ever see Dere was one man dere,--he was a cattle-raiser,--and he raked in thirty thousand dollars froe him out of his money! I wouldn't like to be in his boots, I tell you Dey et done with this trip! I declare, I believe he bunks with you--roo up And to himself he added: ”I don't wonder that he had his revolver handy He had his pants on and that was the reason I didn't see the, sir?” asked the darky

”No, I didn't,” replied Toht I ever saw De man dealt himself fo' aces, and one of the sharpers, the one that was hottest after his s De best of it was he drew fo' cards, so he knew right where de cards were stocked The sharper thought there had been a mistake somewhere, and went down in his jeans and pulled out his money, fifteen thousand dollars' wuth De man saw him,--he had more bills where des; but when he went to take de money--I declare, your head is awful dirty I think a shaht”

”I don't want it Go on When he went to take the money--then what?”

”Well, he put down de fo' aces with one hand and drew his revolver with the other De sharper concluded he would let the ht to have seen dat sharper's face He's a ue, and I bet you he'll put a ball into dat sheep-herder before we gets up to Fort Gibson”

”Why don't you tell hiet oes up and down dis road every year and he knows it already It aint none of my business”

The reader will reood o At that time the cotton-planters, and the cattle-and sheep-herders who lived far back in the country, made use of the steamboats, which were the onlywas ue, and if the sharpers whothee in these boats and try the was at a discount It was a dangerous thing to pick up a stranger on these trips, especially if one had ed into money For instance, there was a contractor who started froovernment business at Little Rock He had half a dozen tea he wanted to make his enterprise successful, with the exception of theto hire of the planters, and of course he had to have some money to do it with On the way up he fell in with a verycards, and the consequence was before he reached his destination he was penniless And the beauty of it was the er was dead broke, too! Every cent of his little hundred dollars had been won by the two strangers whoame, as well as the last ons The contractorhe had, and the nextHe had juht he was drowned accidentally

The er and his two confederates took the ure, and went back to New Orleans well satisfied with their trip It seeer the sharpers had picked up the wrongthey had, and the darky knew, frons he had seen, that his life was not safe so long as he re that related to ga else

”This boat isa pause in which the darky went back to his bench after his comb and brush

”Yes, sar We don't touch anywhere till we get to Memphis, and we shall reach there about----”

”What?” exclaimed Too down the river,” gasped To him ”Memphis! That's up the river”

”Course it is, sar And you are going dere as fast as you kin”

”Memphis!” exclaih with hi all about him, he ran to the nearestand looked out He saw the trees dancing swiftly by, but it was not to them that he devoted the most of his attention The current of the river hat drew his gaze He took one look at it, at the trees and stumps that covered the surface of the water which the river h, and then returned disconsolately to his chair He didn't want to go to Memphis

It o thousand miles out of his way, and, besides, there were any number of business o to New Orleans, I take it,” said the barber

But To He wanted to have his hair brushed as quickly as possible, so that he o to the office and settle with the clerk; so the darky speedily put the finishi+ng touches to it, received twenty cents for his trouble, and To in front of the desk He did not seebroad-shoulderedin front of the desk, with his ar with the clerk; but he stepped back to ood-naturedly at him over his bushy whiskers that the boy was satisfied that he had one friend on the boat, if he didn't have another

”Morning,” said he ”Did the sight of that revolver scare you?”

”No, sir But I got up just in time to find that I ao, and the overseer at the landing called o now that you are started,” said the clerk, pulling a book toward hiers, ”and it will take just five dollars to pay your fare to Memphis”

Very reluctantly Tom pulled out his roll of bills and counted out the five dollars Then he turned and went out on the guard and seated himself, almost ready to cry with vexation Presently his roo so much as ”By your leave” he drew a chair close to Tom's side and sat down