The San Francisco call., 1904-07-10

7 low he heaps hisself UP; an twill
be like climbin' a hill t paddle Z the
top"
''Iss. b'y7" Ezekiel was patiently
sure OF JOS wisdom.
The tide-he do.''
They be mar a hill e the say" Eze-
liel cried with scorn.
You be oany lad" 10 persisted.
II low heaps hissef up"
Where do he?"
''T'other side o. the Grapplin' Hook
grounds, where he've no bottom"
Ills barbarous far" Ezekiel regret
fully glanced at the little schooner he
had made. He had just rugged the lib
with pains; he wanted to try the craft
out in the light wind.
'Tis not so far as the suns hoals."
HUH 'Tis not so handy as Tailor's
Nose"
10 stirred himself. BE your caplin
spread, b'y?"
"Iss"
BE un all spread, b'y7"
''Iss," plaintively.
''Usn goa Cast Off"
Ezekiel hesitated. Be your capIin
spread?" he demanded. Then, stern as
a prophet, "God'n damn yo t everlast-
in fire n you lie"
You be cursin' God, Ezekiel Sevior!"
10 exclaimed. "Godu damn you 'Tis
marked down this minute-iss, sure"
With impatience, ''Us'H goa Cast off,
Ezekiel loosed the painter and spreng
to the rowing seat. and 10 bent his
strength to the scull oar and sent the
punt clear of a jutting rock Now, in
these parts the tide has a clutch; the
water gripped the boat and drew her
out-swift and sly as a thief's hand.
Soon the grip was fast; had the young
strength-that now spent itself in
guiding TO escape wreck on the Pan
cake-been turned to fiat resistance, it
would have wasted itself in vain. But
to the children's sight the sea was fair
so they were swept on, singing:
"Lookitl" Ezekiel exclaimed, point
ing TO the shore. He was scared to q
whisper.
"'Tis Bob" 10 said. "Hark!"
Bob, a frowsy old dog with the name
of a fish thief was in the shadow OF a
flake, bowling madly and paving the
shingle.
"'Tis the sign O. DEATH" 10 gripped
the gunwale.
The dog howled for the third time;
then he skunk off down the road with
his clog between his legs.
Josiah Butts-tis he, surel" Ezekiel
exclaimed.
"Noa; 'tis-"
"Iss: It's Josiah. He've handy to
five yards too much t. the spread O. his
mainsl.'
"'Tis Uncle Job Luff, BY" 10 said.
knowingly. II heered un curse God last
even.'
Ezekiel started. What did un say,
b'y?" he insinuated.
"I heered un say" 10 came to a
full stop. Hugh" he went on cum
ningly. Think O. all the cursin' you
ever heered."
"Noa!" Ezekiel said, quickly. Sure
tits a sin { think o. cursin'."
10 grinned. Then. sadly, he said:
"'Tis Uncle Job-iss, sure. Poor Aunt
'Melia Ami"
Ezekiel unused. 'I low tits Uncle
Job" he agreed at last. "He've a rot
ten paddle to his punt
10 spread the sail, stretched himself
in the stern, with his feet on the gun
wales and a lazy hand on the scull
oar, ana began 10 SlnB.
The sun was dropping swiftly, puff
ing himself up in his precipitate de-
scent to the ragged black clouds that
were mounting the sky, taking on a
deepening, glowing crimson, the color
Of flame in dense smoke. The woolly
clouds in the east were flushed pink,
mottled like a salmon's belly-a borrow
ed glory that, anon, fed, leaving
melancholy tint behind. Soon the whole
heaven, from the crest Of the black
hills, far in the unknown inland, to the
black horizon in the mysterious ex-
panse beyond the Graphing Hook fish
ing grounds, was aglow; splashes OF
pink and gray and blue, thin streaks
of pale green, heaps of smoky black
and of gold, glowing, and Of purple and
violets and fiery red. The coast, high
and rugged, with low line Of frothy
white, and a crest of stunted spruce
sloping to the edge Of the precipice was
changed from dull green and duller
gray to blood-red and purple and
black; but this glorious mantle was
soon lifted. In the white line there was
one black space, the harbor mouth,
whence the tickle led to the basin; and
that space was like a rat hole. On
either side, from the tip Of Mad Null
to the limit Of vision in the south. the
coast rocks were like a wall, sheer,
massive, scowling. with here and there,
at the base. great shattered masses,
over which the sea frothed. The boat
was headed for the sun; 1t was slipping
over a gentle lop in a light wind.
"Rede me a riddle" said Ezekiel.
The demand startled 10. The great
descending night oppressed him; and
he had been thinking Of the tide, now