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Show /; --,-,-- --- / / • //- I - /-~ ... Jf /\ vi -' I ..... a. ·ked n consicl(•rablc many quP._'tions; w·:tntc•d to kno\\- what we con'n'd up the raft tl1aL way for, and laid by in t ltc daytiine in. t ad of rn11ning· ( - wa. · Jim a nnla\ray --~ nigg r? ~ay.· I- " U oodn0s. · ~a kc , "' \Y uld a l'Ull:t\YU,Y lligg<'l' run sonth ? ., - No, tiH'.Y alhrw<'tl llC \vonldn't. I had to account for thin o·s sou1P "-ay, o l says: " .:\I y folks 'va.' 1 i ,. ing in Pike· 10uni y, in ~lis~ ON THE IL\FT. souri, w l 1er I \VH.' b orn, and they a11 died off but ID<' (UHl pa and 1ny brothPr Ike. Pa, he lowPcl h<,'d break up and go down and liv 'vith Uncle B<'n, "\Yho's got a lit tlc onP-horsc plac on the river, forty-four mile below Or](•an. . I>a wa.' pn'tty poor, and had some· debt.' ; .'O when he\l .. qnar.)cl up th 'r0 'varn't nothing left but ~ixt en (lollar.· an<.l our nibo·bcr r, Jim. That warn't cnouolt to tnk u · ~ l 0 I !Jl fourtcPn lnu.H]n'd 1nile dt>ck pa ·ag0 nor uo otlH'r way. \Yell, ·when the ~·1v ~· ro.·p, pa had a tr0ak of lutk one day; h<' k<'tched th1 ~ p1 'CP of a raft ; o ,,.e rcckon<'<l w ·<l !YO dow11 to ,...., Orl an on it. Pa ·' lnck didn't hold ont ; a :ten In boat rnu ov r the forrard corner of thP raft, oue night, and W< all \H'lll O\?<'rboanl and dov lllld<'l' ih<' whe<'l; Jiu1 ~n1<ln1c cmnc up ;Ill right, but pa wa: druuk, and Ike was only fonr y<"'ars old', so they never co1ne up no 1nore. \ Y'" 11, for tl t(' 11 'XL day or two \Y had consid 'rallP troubl bccau 'P p opl wa!-i ahrcly~ eotnino· out. in kiffs and trying to tak Jitn away frmn lH<', ~aying tlH'~ b 'h v 'Cl h \ra!-i n rnnaway n1gg·<'r. \\~e <.1 11.( rnn <.lny-Li1nes no mor , 11ow; nig·hts tl1 y don't bother us.'' The duke :;ty.- " L 'HX Jnc :_tlotH' to cipher out a way so w can l'tlll in 1 hP day-time jf W wmlf ( . fll think tJ1' thing or r- ['11 lllV<'llf a plan 1hat'll fix it. \Vc·ll let iL alon for to-dclJ, beeau, of cour e w ~ don't wall t t go by tlw t town yond<. r in daylight--it 1nightu ·L b' lt ;tlf hy.' Toward!':l ni o·l1t i L bcgnn t ·) <ll rkcu 11p and look lik( rain : th heat ligbtning was squirting· around, low down in tltc ~l:y, <1nd the lcnxes "\Va"' beginning to hi vcr- it wa , going to b pretty ugly, it \r:1.· ca .. y to s that. ~o th duke and 1 he king went to OV'rbanling our wigwnn1, to · c what tit<' b'd~ wa lik. :\ly b0cl wa. a . traw 1 i k-bctt r than Jiu1's, w lt ieh wa · a corn- hn('l~ tj ·k; th r ·.- alway. ob. around about iu <l shuck tick, and they poke into you and hurt; and when y u roll oYrr, the dry 'hucks sound lik you was rolling OYer iu a pile of dea<.l leaY 's ; it mak )s uch a ru tling that you wak \ np. \\rell, th dnkt• allowed he ·wonld tak 1ny bed ; hut tlH' king all w d l1 · wouldn t. I Ie say ·- "I :hould a r ckoned Lh diffcren e in rauk would a :eje t tl to you~ that a corn- huck bed warn 't j n L fitt n for me to sl· p on. lour Grace ,ll take the ~huck bed your~clf.'' |