At 0730, the dapper gambler in the black suit and slouch hat, newly shaved and smelling of Bay Rum, boots polished and derringer secure, stepped out of his passenger cabin and locked the cabin door with a large, ornate key.

Dropping the key in his pocket, he strolled for'd along the promenade deck, admiring the broad waters of the Mississippi in the early sunlight, the far cry of landbirds mixing with an occasional gull, the fresh smells of churned river water and rich shore loam, hot galley bread and chicory from the deck below.

He lit his first cheroot of the day and looked across the amazing vista of the great, rolling river early in a new morning.