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Show i . . MISSISSIPPI DRIFTWOOD j f. A Doorv to Mtxny Poor People Who Live Along ! the) Dtvrtks. ' I k A slight rise In the Mississippi up In Kentucky, said an old river man, la a blessing lo many of the poorer classes of this city. A three-Inch rlso up above brings down a vast quantity of driftwood, drift-wood, and at the floating dorlts of tho ferry landings great rails are formed. You can aee the boya every evetring armed with long poles, with a spike In one end and a coll of rope at the other end, spearing the good pieces of timber Just aa a whaler harpoona a whalo. They grow particularly expert, and I noticed one boy a day or two ago who could hit a log In the center the first throw and bring It to bank. This meant a supply of fuel. Many of the parenta of these lltt.e ones cannot buy the fuel necessary to keep them warm, and the river furnishes It sometimes snd aometlmes It does not. Much nf the timber haa haeu freahly cut and left by the cutlers over night, when the river cornea along and lands It hern. I saw two flue ash logs yesterday, yester-day, enough lo keep a family going for a week, and the waler had scarcely scarce-ly soaked through the hark. Of planka there la a great plenty, and also some barrels and all kinds of things. The river la no respecter of limber or persons per-sons for that matter, and brlnga down the farmer's barrel half filled with pork Just aa readily aa a water-logged and useless trunk uf a repress tree. It has often been a source of wonderment S ui me how many people do actually '.. live from the products of tho river. I J have never sien the figures aa to what . f proportion of the population f the ) l valley subsist on flsh and get their , f wood from the overflows. I have been ' , from Bt. Paul lo New Orleans several ; j times, and at all of the river towns i you will find the boys ready for the y overflow season. This however, ap- plies more particularly to the section ' of the river below Ht. lxuls. Hut all 1 along there la the nailing Industry, lea of It here than elsewhere, because of j tho proximity of salt water, but above here It la a flourishing business. j Heelng the boys spearing logs reminds re-minds me of the rase of a man who agreed In pay the negro ftfly centa a day If he would collect driftwood for ! j blm. The negro worked faithfully, and i the mull waa selling the timber at a big profit, nf course. Finally, at the end of two years, after the white man had grown too proud and too wet off to work, the negro found he had Just tho same right to the timber the whit man had, and he waa the maddest crea- i lure In the boundaries of the United . mates. He Is not over It yet. In fact, he was so disgusted ha will not eaten j wood even for himself. i I A man's woman Is the kind that can '"" take him Into camp whenever aba feel like It. i |