Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-02-14
ABkLONE STORIES.
where They Pound little Shoe - The
Grip Of the tniyalve.


city to the n. Y. 1fibUiie which keeps
In a showcase an abaloue she'll. 1t u
large. about the size Of a mans two
0utspread bands aud in the center
mass of pearly accretions take the
shape Of a baby's shoe. The story j.
thai wears ago a little child in Msrion
county wandered down to the beach
slipped in between the rocks and was
caught bV the cruel mollusk. which
closed against the tiny shoe and
gripped il close to the rock. Years
after. when every one but the mother
had forgotten the story. and she sat
by the hrcsidc with grown-up daugh-
tiers about her some abalone fisher
found the curious she'll and put il on
exhibition in the window Of his cabin.
There the mother saw it, and, hasten
inc forward, brought the other livile
shoe. which she had found cast up by
the tide on that dreadful day when size
sought up and down the beach in vain
for her child. They placed 1t beside the
wrinked she'll aud every one uttered
cry Of surprise, 50 startling was the
resemblance Aflerward a chemist
cut deity into the bright nacre of the
mass and found traces OF leather
wrapped in IFS shining folds There
the lost baby's little shoe lies hidden
and changed to pearl
The Chinese and Italian fishermen
who live on sand-Aoored bays OF the
mighty cliffs Of the c0nst from Cape
Mendocino southwark to Point Con-
ception know the abalone thoroughly,
aud they never dcspise the muscular
grip Of large one. They carry point
cd bars Of iron with which to pry them
of the rocks at low tide; they cut them
ont Of the half-shcll for the ahalone IS
"univalye mollusk," to use the
phase of the professor of natural hist0-
~. and they broil them for dinner or
dry them for market Bnt they seldom
venture to stoop in -amped position
down the rockcretices TO pluck a giant
ahalOne from his hold without having
the iron handy Three or four times
the body OF "a drowned fisherman. who
tried that once too often. hts been
swept ashore day OF two later when
the moiiu-k released is hold. 0ucc,
down at Point Sur q Chnamau was
drowned in his way, aud the rcst of
the fishers ia the village Of black hpt-
under the yellow clii deserted the
place withinu week, They said that
the ghost Of the dead Chinaman had
turned into au ubaloGC and would ,uek
another and another victim until the
last of his comrades were dead.
rode by that dry with friend aud saw
them pile the dead Chinamans clothes
and belongings ON the beach aud burn
them Then they put sign IN Chinese
on the top of Use elf, and, as | have
heard no Cuinaman Inns ever since
yenmrud to lisu Ia that cove,
Polished abal0ue shells and orna-
meuts made from the "hultous OF
pearl which every large she'll con-
tains. are very common Ia California
bot one sees little IN these days oil the
old native Californian use Of them on
saddle. aud brides ii ,nquero
were too poor Go sport pounds of silver
on bridlc.rcin and saddle leather he
could nj least wear ahdoue buttons,
polished by hand. The shells, TOO,
wcrr Carried lu inland and used on
hundred, of ranches for such homalF
purposes 3S ,uap-dishys and Cnu|ir-
holders Up and down the coast in
willow cupsu- cor set Zoo ~er ut tuit.
are Tine ancient Kitchen Niddcus
where miugjcj Wlth clam and oyster
shells. broken ubaiuue shells often
form inc greater part ot the vast
mound OF debris. Inland too ia The
valleys where Indians once lived,
ubaluue she'd, are found carried there
aee- a1u. irabaiuuv uusl have hgru
ONE ol ur principal inod.resn"gces q
the California -caunl-g ludau-, anal
Ma. uIHHanN exchanged ly l.cn lot
:hc acovU- and pinrJe gathered 10y
the lnit,u- ui the interior
The aWuuuc Is fast di-npunarlp".
TIN Chiuuaau h,- onquewA Tho
profits OF thc moder moaH,N, wHeu
dried and shipped to China for the soup
OF the rich merchants and high official
di-ujtar.rs of tine empire, are SO great
that be J., pursued summer and winter
aud thousands ut tons of him have
been dried sacked, and shipped away.
There are but few large abaloues left.
Ouc can find wlye-Vuru shells on the
beach or in tho deep limestone caves
that are larger than amy NOW ohialuej
Yuu will -ll'l end thousands Of about
the size aud shape of geNtlemanH
watch CRYSTAL but tho shells that are
eight inches across only turn mp al
rare intervals. and are much sought
Tor hy collectors And jewelers. who
know their beauty when polished
Their are two sorts oi ahaloucs ON th1
California coast, one black ou tuC out
side, the other rcd When this outci
shell is ground partly through the eli
feet is either black or red as the cast