Beadle's Dime Novels No. 38: The Wrong Man — page 71: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE KEEL-BOAT AND ITS CREW. 73 “ When you goin’ to stop that cussed rumpus?” at length he called out, losing all patience at their boisterous mirth. At this moment, the fiddler got his instrument in tune, and shot off on the “ Arkansas Traveler,” two of the hands instantly springing up and slapping their feet down on the deck with a fury that seemed well calculated to burst the bottom out. Their heads bobbed up and down, and they bumped inces- santly against each other in their enthusiasm. The heel of the fiddler went up and down like a hydraulic ram, while bis mouth was so far distended as to render visible the huge tobacco quid which filled up one entire side. “ Ladies cross—up the middle!” he called out, as if direct- ing the different sets. “ Sashea” (with a strong accent on the last syllable). “ Keep trme—liadies sashea.” “ When you goin’ to stop that cussed rumpus ?” again called out the man at the opposite end of the boat, who was no other than Hugh Overton. “Oh! keep your old clam-shell shut,” called back one of the dancers. “ You've been as cross as a crosscut-saw ever since we started. I say, boys, why is Hugh Overton yender, leanin’ on that guidin’ oar, like one of them ancient kings what- lost his son at sea when he was tryin’ to save his daater?” “Give it up, Sam. What is it?” called out several. : “Cause he never smiled agin,” replied the dancer, amida roar of laughter. But the face of Hugh Overton remained immobile as a statue. He continued looking moodily down — stream, and it was manifest he was in excessive ill-humor . about something. * 4 “ Any objections, Hugh, to our hayin’ a shin-dig?” called out another, in a very meek tone.” ee a “ Yes, I have,” he returned, sulkily. - “*Biject away then, and who cares,” retorted the other, springing up and joining in the dance. Every thing was go ing along as merry as a marriage, when their attention was attracted by one of the foremost hands calling out: —., , “ Hallo, Tom! I wonder what yan thing is, that’s bobbing up and down in the west chute, like a Massissippi sawyer. It has a mighty dubous look.” . abe 6 Several of the crew turned themselveg lazily round, and cas their eyes in the direction pointed out. The boat in the mean - comiclooks.conn