John Smith's Funny Adventures on a Crutch: Or The Remarkable Peregrinations of a One-legged Soldier after the WarHill, A. F. (Ashbel Fairchild)
History
John Smith's Funny Adventures on a Crutch: Or The Remarkable Peregrinations of a One-legged Soldier after the War
Hill, A. F. (Ashbel Fairchild)
Disabled veterans -- United States -- Fiction; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Veterans -- Fiction
They finished that game of euchre—for amusement—then Mr. Greeney, with a
most extraordinary expression of countenance, arose from his seat at the
table, and, in a rather husky voice, said he believed he wouldn’t play
any more: he seemed to have lost all interest in the game: and he walked
away _whistling_.
Whistling? Yes. But, O, what a dull, dry sort of a whistle he made of
it! The sudden loss of eighty dollars is not very elevating to the
spirits of a person in moderate circumstances; and who can say what the
poor dupe suffered? Notwithstanding all his attempts to appear
unconcerned, and to emit a forced whistle, it was plain that he was
suffering no ordinary mental torture.
How remarkable it is, that when a man feels right bad, and don’t want
the fact made public, he tries to turn it off with _whistling_! There
seems to be something soothing in a strain or two of this species of
music, if only executed with any skill; but a man who is suffering
inward “pangs” can rarely get the right “pucker” on his lips. Poor Mr.
Greeney made a miserable whistle of it, and if he had wept aloud for his
lost cash, he could not have more clearly exhibited his anguish to the
unsympathizing spectators.
The game being ended, Mr. Sharper purchased a good cigar at the bar,
lighted it, and, taking an armchair out upon the cabin deck, seated
himself, rested his polished boots on the railing, and laid back in his
chair, quietly smoking, and at the same time regarding the picturesque
shores of the river, with a calmness and self-satisfaction that must
have been agonizing for poor Mr. Greeney to look at.
When the Captain learned what had happened in the cabin, he went to Mr.
Sharper, and told him he must leave the boat at Cairo, as soon as a
landing could be conveniently effected, as he could not tolerate a
gambler on his boat.
Mr. Sharper coolly replied that he had not intended to go further than
Cairo, anyhow; but, if he had——
The Captain interrupted him with a friendly warning against any thing
bordering on defiance or insolence. He remarked that he had not picked a
blackleg or thief up by the neck and heels, and pitched him into the
river, for nearly a year, and that he was beginning to feel marvelously
like taking a bit of such exercise; and that he would assuredly do so,
if so much as one more articulate sound should escape him (Mr. Sharper).
The latter appreciated the warning, and during the remainder of his stay
on board the Nightingale, maintained a commendable silence.
At Cairo, where the Ohio river empties into the Mississippi, we landed,
and laid for a couple of hours before proceeding up the broad
Mississippi; and Mr. Sharper promptly left us.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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