(Late 1890s)
Clemens saw many gamblers during his Mississippi piloting years, from 1857 to 1861, and must also have heard many stories about them. This tale is offered as one he had “heard . . . first in 1860.” In Chapter 36 of Life on the Mississippi he wrote of an attempt of riverboat gamblers to cheat a wealthy cattleman. In that version of the incident, the supposed rancher proved to be another gambler who turned the tables on his would-be victimizers; thus the moral responsibility of the observer—Clemens—was not put to the test as is that of the Jew in “Newhouse's Jew Story.” The courage, humanity, and general superiority shown by the Jew, only briefly treated in this narrative, are more fully presented in “Randall's Jew Story.”
The manuscript pages are numbered 10–19, and the story may be a discarded portion of Following the Equator, which was written between October 1896 and May 1897. The paper is the same as that used in “The Enchanted Sea-Wilderness” (1897).
There was nothing funny about the story, but that is no matter, it had value, nevertheless.Ⓐtextual note I heard it first in 1860.Ⓐalteration in the MS
I belonged on board the Alonzo Child Ⓐalteration in the MS at that time, and one trip we had an ancient pilot along—GeorgeⒶalteration in the MS Newhouse—who had been out of employment a year or two, because of his age and infirmities, and he was allowing himself a pleasure tripⒶalteration in the MS to New Orleans. He used to stand part of a watch at the wheel every day for recreation and practiceⒶalteration in the MS. When he was taking his trick one day, a passenger came into the pilot house and began to be sociable, and presently made a scurrilous general remark about Jews. Mr. Newhouse turned him out of the place.Ⓐalteration in the MS I asked him what he did it for, and he said it had been fifteen years since he would allow Jews to be abused where he was.Ⓐalteration in the MS This, he said,Ⓐalteration in the MS was for the sake of one Jew, in memoryⒶalteration in the MS of one Jew. And then hisⒶalteration in the MS story came out.
The date of it was 1845—that old time of much poker and high gambling on the boats. The professional card-sharp was always in evidence; he was always on hand to fleece the green passenger. Every officer on the boat knew the members of the tribe by sight, and knew their histories. The boat was glad to have these people—at least the quiet and peaceable ones—for gamblers were good bar-customers. There were two or three desperadoes among the gamblers, and theirⒶalteration in the MS presence was tolerated because theⒶalteration in the MS captain and hisⒶalteration in the MS officers preferred not to get [begin page 281] into trouble with them. The worst of these desperadoes was a gentlemanlike man named Jackson. He was cruel by nature, and unforgiving. The average professional did not mind being abused a little by the beggared loser in the game; but notⒶalteration in the MS so, Jackson. Jackson's preference was settlement by duel; no fisticuffs, no vulgar row, but a duel. And not a duel where he was the challenger, but where he could force that office upon the other man and so be able to name the weapons himself. He always named bowie-knivesⒶemendation. As aⒶalteration in the MS rule, that settled it; the meeting was declined; a particularly abject apology was then required; and itⒶalteration in the MS was furnished, before all the on-lookers. Few men like to face a bowie-knife. Now and then atⒶemendation Ⓐalteration in the MS long intervals, a man accepted the terms.Ⓐalteration in the MS And got killed.
One day, coming off watch, Mr. Newhouse met the mud-clerk on the boiler-deck, and the mud-clerk told him that Jackson was aboard, and was in a game with old Mr. Mason, the rich Louisiana planter,Ⓐalteration in the MS and was robbing him. A young Jew stood near, and he asked if this was the notorious Jackson of the bowie-knife—the man who forced challenges out ofⒶalteration in the MS dissatisfied people by getting a deadly insult in, himself, before the other man had time to do it. Yes, this was the one, the mud-clerk answered, and theⒶalteration in the MS young Jew turned away and said he would go in the social hall and have a look at him. The mud-clerk told Mr. Newhouse that Jackson had won all of Mr. Mason's ready money and two slaves, man-servant and maid-servant, and was gambling his daughter's maid away, now. This latter maid was almost white, and was young and beautiful. She had been reared in the house with her young mistress, and had been her playmate and companion as well as servant, from the beginning.
Mr. Newhouse went into the social hall, and found the passengers packed together around the gaming table, holding their breath for interest. The maid was standing there crying. The gambler had just won her, and was chewing his toothpick nonchalantly and gazing across the table in an amused way atⒶalteration in the MS the white-headed planter, who was begging him to let him have the girl back and take his cheque for her value. The gambler went onⒶalteration in the MS chewing his toothpickⒶemendation contentedly, and made no reply. Then there was a stir in the crowd, and the young mistress came flying down the long cabin with her hair down her back and her tears flowing, a young thing not above eighteen or maybe twenty; and as the [begin page 282] crowd fell apart she sweptⒶalteration in the MS through and stopped before the gambler and began to plead wildly and pathetically for the maid, saying she was the same to her as a sister, and she could not live without her, she could not bear to part withⒶalteration in the MS her, they had never been separated in their lives, and he must have pity, God would bless him forever, and she would too, and he should have twice her value in money, and wouldn't he please, oh, please—
The gambler cut her prayer short and said, rudely—Ⓐalteration in the MS
“The wench is mine and money can't buy her.”
The girl's face flushed at the affront, and she said—
“Coward! to insult me, who cannot defend myself.”
An ugly light came into Jackson's eyes, and he spoke across to old Mr. Mason and said, “I can'tⒶalteration in the MS punish a child for that, but I will slap your face for it,” and was just going to do it when that young Jew jumped for him and hit him on the mouth with the back of his hand, and the crowd gave him cheer. Jackson's voice shookⒶalteration in the MS with anger when he said—
“Do you know the price of that? What did you do it for?”
“Because I know your game. You wanted to make him challenge you, and then apologize before everybody when you named the weapons,Ⓐalteration in the MS orⒶalteration in the MS go ashore and get himself butchered. What are you going to do about it?”
“I know what you are going to do about itⒶalteration in the MS. You are going to fight me.”
“Good. It is pistols this time. Will somebody ask the captain to land the boat?”
Twenty people rushed to do it; one would have been enough. The duellists chose a second apieceⒶalteration in the MS and went ashore, and disappeared in the woods. Pistol shots were heard, presently. “Then,” said Mr. Newhouse, “three of the men came aboard again, and we backed out and went on down the river.”
He stopped there, and began to hum a tuneⒶalteration in the MS to himself. I waited a little, then asked—
“Which one did you leave ashore?”
He finished the tune, then winked a satisfied wink,Ⓐalteration in the MS and said—
“WellⒶalteration in the MS, itⒶalteration in the MS wasn't the Jew.”
The manuscript is copy-text. Page numbers, discussed in the headnote, indicate that the story was probably detached from a longer manuscript.