The San Francisco call., 1904-12-25

in some twist of keel or bottom
Job Luns punt was most Won
drOusly constructed; to the casual
eye, which was invariably cOntemptu-
GUS, she was stubby and stupidity squat.
With all her heaginess of outline-her
loggy. sullen guise At anchOr-she had
an evil reputation fOr nerves, the bad
name of d slender rake OF q craft, and
she was damned as q reprobate crank
in three harb0rs for the lives that had
been lost from her. The gossip of the
fake and the stage. had she but under
stood, would have touched her true old
heart 10 the quick When they rallied
Job Luf on her ways he made vague
allusiOn TO a salmons belly; so il may
be that her perversity proceeded from
q crank in her keel or bottom for Job
had fashioned both in secret. She was
well-intentiOned punt; all she de-
manded was mOdicum Of faith and
sympathetic hand on sheet and steering
oar, which is TO say that she craved to
be understood. She nosed her way
through high seas with gusto. In the
sight of Job Lum her only fault was
that she was laggard in a light wind,
and he freely fOrgave her that.
II was in the image OF this Job Luff
that she was made: a tawny lout
frowsy greasy, shiftless. with d queer
twist TO him-a CLINT in his eye, a
feck Of red in his shifty glance.
In the days before the tide lured
little Skipper Jo and Ezekiel Sevior
into the NAV Of the sea (when all
the mysteries Of sea and sky and will
derness We're revealed in "A fiash)
never great wind came but they
sped 10 Lookout Head to see Job Luff
beat in.
IN the hot days between the times of
caplil and herring. when there is no
bait and the fish are jigged from the
swallows, Job Luff followed the sign to
Windy Cove. with Billy Luff. his boy.
at the bow oars, to keep the head Of
the punt Up, If luck should he with
them; and there he found the cod. nine
iathoms deep, dawdling in the shadow
OF the rocks. The fish had eluded the
feet for three days and now that the
neet was stupidly hanging of shore in
the sun-soakeC breeze, tossing in the
lop. and flOclIed like aimless sheep
Billy kept the boat out Of the break
ers grasp while Job jerl5ed up the fish
on the prOngs Of his jigger
Never the f"sh OF a scale got TO the
spying eyes oI the feet. for Job IuFT-
the tawny old reprobate-worked the
5igSing lire with one hand and held his
pipe IN the other, meantime giving
great and delusive clouds 20 the b-eazs:
and he slipped the catch over the gan
vale under cover OF the great body
and, with q sinful chuckle added il
TO the rising heap under the tarpauiin
The feet lO0kouts kept keen watch on
another. They shot many a glance To
windy Cove. on the alert for the
CLEAN Of 2 fish: and they Whispered to
their mates st the Unfruitful lines that
JOB Luh was laying the day away in
the shade Of the shore, catching lo,h-
iEg.
do they be cotchin' anything off
shOare. b'y2" Job asked.
Mar 4 belly do I sea z,rr Te-l1,,
Luff.
The fish were thick. Jobs arna was
wearing out He hauled in 2 great cod
caught by the tail, and Slid il unde,
cover
~Eleazar Manuel do have his eye on
we, zur," said Billy.
Dunderhead," chuckled Job. Where
be they now. b'v2"
They be taggin Jacob Sevior to"
DO he be comm this way by?"
Job asked in alarm.
Sure, noa, zUr; he do be goeia'
wing an wing for the grounds off the
Null, zur- They be handy to his
starn."
At the last il was a gunwale load
The catch overfiowed the holds. fore
and aft-lay glistening everywhere: the
punt was sunk low with its weight
Lord, how gOOdly a catch il wasl What
a triumph in the sight OF men, Here
was q fat fellow. almost as big as Billy
himself II was the promise of a Jews
harp and a buliseye and a picture of
the Queen. The sea had been plunder-
ed Of six OF that weight-siX fat sleepv
fellows. There they lay. Tapping
their shiny tails When the tradar
should bring his treasureship into the
harbOr they would be turned into
raisins and a RED handkerchief Job
vowed il then and there The silver
bellies in the afterhold rippled with
smiles.
They dazzled the eyes of Job Luff.
Here was length of calico for the lit
tie maid. Here were mOlasses and tea
for more winter evenings than one
Clean chased CLEAN over the scales in
the forehOld. The catch shot silyerv
flashes back at the sun. This was a
plug Of tobacco; that one would go
With the brOose for breakfast: this
would put pane in the loft window
when the snow flew; that would give
the good wife a new spade. There was
q song in heart Of the man. 1t was the
song Of the victor Such catch il was
He would work no more for three days.
He would lie in the sun Of the hillside.
He would climb the cliff and watch the
gulls circle over the sea. 1t was a gun
vale load The sea had been plum
dered while she slept.
The feet do be runnin' hoame. zilr''
said Billy Luf. They be scootin' for
1t was not yet night. "Hoame, by"
exclaimed Job.
"Iss zur. Eleazar Manuel do be in
the lead. He've reef to his mains'l.
They be goain' fast, zur. Jacob Sevior
do be reefin' his sail now"
The sea. as visible from the cove, was
placid; the sky was an unruffied blue.
They must be wind t'Other side O. the
Head" said Job. Pull out, by"
Billy Luff pulled out, with his heart
IN a futter Of fear.
II was the gale from the northeast
the raging Of the sea; il had burst from
those moody distances which are be-
yond the ken OF the coast; wherein, in
the experience of the men of the place
peril turks always. It had come like
a force bent on ravage. There had
been no premonition in sea or sky;
II had caught the little fleet of Ragged
Harbor mapping OF Mad Null The
zenith was overcast with thin clouds,
which the wind had torn TO shreds.