The Wrong Man — page 59: what you’re looking at

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

- A FLOATING OBJECT. 61 fary that seemed well calculated to burst the bottom out. Their heads bobbed up and down, and they bumped incessantly against each other in their enthusiasm. The heel of the fiddler went up and down like a hydraulic ram, while his mouth was so “ar distended as to render visible the huge tobacco quid which dlled up one entire side. “ Ladies cross—up the middle!” he called out, as if directing the different seis. ‘* Sasiea” (with a strong accent on the last ayllable). Keep time—iadies sasheu.” “ 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, Kee your old clamshell 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 J that guidin’ oar, like one o’ them ancient kings what lost his son < at sea when he was tryin’ to save his daater ?” ¢ _ “Give it up Sam. What is it?” callea out several. “*Cause he never smiled ag'in,” replied the dancer, amid a roar of laughter. But the face of Hugh Overton remained in mobile asastatue. He continued looking moodily down-strear , and it was manifest he was in excessive ill-humor about some- Se ns objections, Hugh, to our havin’ a shin-dig?” called out another, in a very meek tone. “ Yes, I have,” he returned, sulkily. n “"Bject away then, and who cares,” retorted the other, spring- ing up and joining in the dance, Every thing was going along _ 8S merry asa marriage, when their attention was attracted by _. One of the foremost hands calling out: - “Hallo, Tom! I wonder what yon thing is, that’s bobbing af up and down in the west chute, like a Massissippi sawyer. It has a mighty dubious look.” Several of the crew turned themselves lazily round, and cast “ their eyes in the direction pointed out. The , in the mean . while, was moving in a part of the river where the current was awiftest, and rapidly approaching the object. r May I never a wild-cat!” replied the one who had been ~ addressed, “if it ain’t powerful like a man’s head. There, by * =——T!” exclaimed he, as an eddy turned tlre face of the corres F aeeaty roan a . ee te harents _ then, anc I'd bet the E on ver" a ug-out, it's some pvor devil that’s been drowned. rte . 3 ‘The attention of the man at the helm being drawn by these ____ exclamations to the floating object, he guided the boat toward _ it, directing the hands at the same time to get out their poles. _. They jemped with alacrity to their feet, and dropping their , re iron-pointed setting-poles over the side, pluced the ends to oS ders, and waiked along onc after another, to the - Comicbooks.com 7