The Yale expositor., 1903-02-06

His castnet! Paul surveyed II
proudly as Il hung in the failing light.
Fully eight feet long. close.meshed
sea-island with n bag that would hold
a hundred mullet. How many hourA
OF patient toll Il represented. ONLY
Paul Joiirlon knew. Hours made up
OF minutes snatched from n fisher
mans ovcrcrowded ne. Stitch by
stitch while the other boys rested ut
dinner or smoked cigarettes in the
soft aftcrglow or snored before the
blazing plne-knot fire. So had the
castnet grown. Sometimes TIC broad
shoulders bent 20 their task and
ached from the strain OF the days
labor: very often the tired fingers had
crampcd with WEAKNESS. but the lads
stubborn will had never faltered.
The day he had brought home his
store or Irvine. the sea.island account.
cd the best OF Us kind. and whitfield
out the soft-plne needle. All. that
had been a proud day. With that
day had begun the thoughts that kept
him awake and working. while others
slept.
Sometimes catch plainly. some.
times mebbe not catch any. Say. mex
II even. say catch feefty mullet every
night. Two mullet To- five cents. Das
twenty-five timo FIVE cents. Das Eve
quarters. Say mex one dollar and n
quarter every day Say Il costs me
quarter day TO leevc. bout das.
with tobacco. Das leave me six dollar
a wik. Tres bon. | buy him"
Tho him" so joyously referred TO
being a little tworoomed cabin.
nestled upon n point that ran out into
the gulf IL was owned by a grabbed
old fisherman who insisted that the
house and Us half.dozen sandy acres
was worth fifty dollars. because she
done fenced on tree side already"
Fenced By the blue waters OF the Mex.
lean Gulf! Everybody said that the
price was prepostcrous; the cabin
was on the verge OF dilnpidation: for.
~ dollars was enough and 10 spare.
But Paul was resolved TO have a..
even. as he told himself under HIS
breath. even II have TO gcove forty
ile dollars To- a."
And why?
All because certain dark.eyed
daughter OF the "old man" had praised
the spot
She was a pretty girl. was Margucr.
tie. and her pet name of B6he seemed
comlcally out OF keeping with her
high head and flashing eyes The
"old man" was proud OF his daugh.
ter and skillfully kcp, the young men
AZ a distance. Not but what they
were welcome to his house. very wei.
come So welcome that he talked TO
them himsclf.-all the time Never
for n moment deserving his sclf.ap.
pointed task.
Il fought I'd sect him out. me-"
one Of tho boys reported Il stay
till dark. vas. Late. But das old
man. he wouldn't even go feed hes
horse No"
Paul was not ore Of the boys who
had tried 10 outslt the odd man" ON
the old mans front gallery. lie had
a holder plan.-whcn his castnct was
done and
And at last II was done and from
thence forward every moonless night
when the tide was in Paul might
have been found waist deep in tho
water listening for the ruille OF tho
mullet. The strong cord OF his net
noosed around his left wrist. n lead
between his strong front teeth. over
his right arm the folds OF net care.
fully gathered for spreading. Instant.
ly. at the rufIie OF an oncoming school
the alert figure roso higher and bent
backward In unison with the back.
ward swing OF the trained right arm.
gathering force for the throw. The
arm swoops forward and the body
with e.; the lead flies from between
his teeth: the net from his arm. An.
how beautifully II spreads and sinks
over that school OF mullct Truly a
prince OF castnets. Slowly he draws
in tho line on his left wrist. His