The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-22

space O. time was my terbacker an one shirt,
cause, ye know. I'm not hard on clothes.
But Hank Jordan bought enough clothes to
cover a regiment an while they'd be showin'
em in the street Hank'd be sittin' in the
eack yard. with bit O. chalk an board,
tryin to hgser out how to stave off the rent.
/ never could see the sense O. it. In the las
nine years I've only had the chilblains an tho
quinsy, but Hank Jordan had everything from
pumps to milk rash-not him, ye know, but
them as he was mainly responsible fer
/, The man across the way tossed pair Of
oyster tongs down into the clean boat and
whist1ed for a ragged-looking dog playing
about the towns edge. Then, with it beside
him at the tiller, he ran UP the small sail
and steered out into the mist of the river
marshes An hours run brought him over
the ledges, where with sounding splash the
stone anchor was dropped, and down. down
went the hungry tongs for the first clutch.
Down on the sandy ledges he hoped to find
his happiness and wrench 1t from the bottom.
There was scssors-like motion of the long
arms, twisting, tearing, sucking grapple Of
the teeth; then up, up, up. came the swayinS
poles, the water trickiing back over the hands
that hauled, and with noisy clatter the
catch Of grimy things was dumped into the
boats bottom and SO on through the long
day, sometimes staring stupidity out over the
gray shifting desert at a passing steamer
slowly 'plodling up the channel or eying in
silent wonder yacht sweeping slientiy anu
swiftly by his little craft. =
1t was in the. afternoon. The boat was
half filled with muddy shells.
'Lemme see, Regs," said the man. WHATS
the date terday? The tenth? So 1t is.
'Tain't agoin' to be very long now, Regs
He slowly counted a number of deep scratches
| upon the thwart. Some of them were crossed
over with a counter scratch. There were
nine not tailed. He got out a knife and rude
ly crossed another. Eight more days 10
wait he mu.tered-"eight more days.,
= "Then won't there be fine time, Regs?"
he commenced gayly. The dog cooked his
head sideways and whined an appreciation.
! s'The whole vil1age'll talk O. it, an the
place'u be fine. Coin to have Sam Law
der's house-that new un-an' there'H be a
sea scene over the door an a raft o curtosi-
| ties on the mantel, sides rocking-chairs an
sofeys an all that sort O. thing. Nut, say.
tRegs, derned il ever see such a fog as is
| gittin' up The peered off into the
| dense yellow cloak that had shut down upon
| him silent and awesome. He pulled up. the
| anchor and started to row home
The dull monotonous clang of a lighthouse
| bell came at intervals from somewhere. He
| knew not exactly where. He was getting be-
wildered in this smoky: cloud of fog. Then
he rested upon the oars, letting the boat drift,
| and listened intently for the mysterious note
| of the bell. It was farther oft seemed So
and which way?
Suddenly strange humming noise reached
! him-wind Or He fshed hurriedly into a
| side locker for horn and sent two long,
=. harsh blasts across the unknown waters. A
/ loud, swishing sound could be heard, grow
| ing nearer above babble of impotent noise.
I A bell rang, and the hoarse cry of a siren
. brought him terror. About the boat were
! only the moving mass of cloudland and a
| few feet OF tapping water-no heaven, no other
thing but that motionless, and the sobbing
noise. The man screamed -shrilly, feebly,
i Aboard there!' 49,.
! Then a great, dense. shape loomed up out
) of the sea like a ruthless, grasping hand to
crush him. Immense, terrible, 1t lowered
moment over the boat. There was a crunch
of splintering wood, a weak excited bark Of
] "a frightened dog, a despairing wall from a
man and white wave of foam drpped back
from the beak OF the monster. It passed on
with a rushing roar, satisfied. a burst OF
!, changing and clanking came from the silence
, and died away again. A belch Of reddish hre
lighted for an instant the yellow pail and
then left. it as before. The thing dissolved
= like a ghost in the mist. The waves churned
Il for moment rag of canvas. Then every
: thing dfsappearedi and ethe silence settled
down the quiet of eternity. 49,.
E The whitecapped waves raced and tossed for
time, worrying some little bits OF splintered
wood. Then they began again the old, old
} chant signing mournfully in tune with the
3 twilight breeze, slowly lifting the fog. OFF in
the distance a single point Of light gim-
Ihered nlStlly, pointlnS "ue way noLie. he
winds told the tale to the shores in the black
/ watches of the night.
II A old man who had once again claimed his
seat by the rotting ways f1shed from the toss
ing lips of the wateraa bit of board.
e whats this?" he asked of another who oc-
cupied himself cutting piece Of chip. They
examined it curiously together
2 '::Looks like the -thwart O. a boat" said the
man. !:
; "Here-here What's them marks?" point
i ing at a number Of rude scratches in the
wood: .~!.~':;
t II dunno" said the other, slowly shaking
l his head in doubt. Never saw them on
+ boats. thwart before. There's eight o 'em
) not tailed see Wonder if that's got any
) thing to do with: it,!