RAFTING WITH THE GOOD "TEN BROECK" 147 



him to his mother and gave her a full report of his loss. 



I did not go to see her then, but offered a reward and 

 notified the fishermen to be on the lookout when the ice 

 went out in spring. I came down from LeClaire one 

 day late in March and learned that Mike's body had 

 been found and would be buried the next day. I drove 

 over to see her, and with a rain coat and small cap on 

 with my five feet seven inches in height in that outfit my 

 appearance was not impressive. 



I found the poor woman in tears. She had been tell- 

 ing a neighbor woman all about it and was naturally 

 agitated, but when I gave her some money, saying, it 

 was to enable her to make a good showing at the 

 funeral, she wiped her eyes and a funny smile broke 

 over her face when she said : "Well of all things! Are 

 ye Captain Blair?" Well before God now I never 

 would have thought it!" 



"Why. not," I said; "don't I look like I could run a 

 steamboat?" 



She put her hand up to her cheek and with laughing 

 eyes said : "Well, ye must know back on the 'ould sod' 

 where I was born, it was a busy seaport town. When I 

 was a young girl in me teens I knew the captains of all 

 the boats and they were all large, fine-lookin' 

 MIN." 



And one early spring day while the usual repair 

 work kept me busy getting the many things needed 

 from up town while waiting at Ripley and Second 

 streets for a Rockingham car, I had my arms full of 

 packages and a small coil of three-eighths Manila rope 

 over my head and one shoulder. 



An old German approaching said, "Cap, I don't like 

 to see you with a rope like that. By Golly that's the size 

 most of them use!" 



