Meantime, Orion had gone to Muscatine, Ohio, and acquired a small
interest there; and, after his marriage, he and his wife went to Keokuk
and started a little job printing-office. Here Sam worked with his
brother until the winter of 1856-7, when circumstance once again played
the part of good fairy. As he was walking along the street one snowy
evening, his attention was attracted by a piece of paper which the wind
had blown against the wall. It proved to be a fifty-dollar bill; and
after advertising for the owner for four days, he stealthily moved to
Cincinnati in order "to take that money out of danger." Now comes the
second crucial event in his life!
For long the ambition for river life had remained with him--and now
there seemed some possibility of realizing these ambitions. He first
wanted to be a cabin boy; then his ideal was to be a deck hand, because
of his splendid conspicuousness as he stood on the end of the stage
plank with a coil of rope in his hand.
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