Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-03-22

"Come north, along of me, to where
your husband Is. I'll tell you about
Dana"
about whaty'
Il sailed with DANA" cried the old
man, hoarsely, over the rock. with
Richard Henry Dana in the Pilgrim
away back in the thirties. You read
"TwO Years Before the Mast p
"Oh, surelyv' cried Mrs. Hatcher.
making such jump to the shore that
Jones rubbed his eyes.
Come away; I'll show you where We
threw the hides down." he said.
"Hurrah" cried Mrs. Hatcher; and
sprinted on the sands to meet Hatcher.
What do you think! This old exhibit
was with Dana"
The exhibit came toddling along.
Here" he mumbled,, executed, pulling
them by the clothes. you can't see
the place unless you come away to the
north"
Old Jones could make pretty fair
time himself when he had a mind to.
Hatcher was laughing, to Jennie's
disgust and she hit him on the back.
But it was all tragic to Jones. The
sweat stood out on his brow.
When they came to the summit of
the northern rocks, he stood wind
shaken ana dialpidated under the cir
cling gulls, and pointed to a distant
cliff.
"Yonder," he said, Eve threw them
down. The ship was gathering hides
from the Mexicans to sell in Boston.
To every old n sion up and down the
coast we went. Oh, me. Queer days.
The captain was tough one. At San
Juan Capistrano, behind that noun
tain, they collected many, and brought
'em yonder. We climbed up there, and
threw them to the beach. Oh. how
they would skim and fly like birds!
Oh, me. And right in the middle Of
that cliff they let Dana down by a
rope for one that stuck. Seems yes
terday. Dana was brave striplin',
but he had a mean streak"
"What!" cried Jennie, rebelling.
EYES," said Jones, she done me
dirt"
The old man would say no more
Watchful, feeble, he chung to Hatcher
and his wife all day like a leech. They
agreed to so south no more till they
could do 1t secretly. They felt sorry
for the webbing old cOdger.
At night Mrs. Hatcher ate dozens Of
slices Of bacon, not to mention eggs.
ooh, Mrs. Miggs!'' she whispered, 81
know we can pay for our vacation
with abalones. The sea Is so good for
Harrison! In three years we will be
out Of debt, and maybe build house
Of our own
And Mrs. Miggs ratified a new kind
of clans that she had in her pocket,
and laughed her easy laugh.
Jennie slept like top, AN extraordi-
nary, a miraculous, slumber, till a.
m. And then up she woke Of sudden
as though she meant business for GER
tain. She heard rustling outside her
door. Ah-to be sure. But two things
In the world rustled like that-old
Jones feet. She was going to see,
was Mrs. hatcher, and creeping to the
door, opened it a crack. AT the end
of corridor was a gable window over
the sea, and through it moonshine fell
She came close, and found Jones with
his head sticking out in the moonshine,
staring at the Pacific. He seemed to
be crazy and in pain. He wept pite-
ously.
II will not live to find It," he said.
Il am dead. Oh, the tides! You white
lunatic moon, you make them. 1 see
the Pilgrim now. Captain, we'll get
them down. Oh, captain, don't fog me
no more, I'm old. never done no
harm to you. Don't beat me no more
1 can't see where the place Is In the
rocks; it was in that direction; the tide
has never been low enough. These
modern houses bother me. But it will
be low enough. Why couldn't 1t have
been tonight"
He put his head down and sobbed
CC1lulC AedttACA pANhCO A1W Il&uL uD,
and bundled him to bed; just hustled
him right along. Then she slept like a
top till ten minutes of eight, and Mrs
Miggs' ham rose through the whole
house on the breezy wings Of the morn
ing.
This day Jones was too feeble to get
up, fact which crazed him the more;
when they went out to hunt for aba
lones they left him raving. Mrs. Miggs,
scared, was sending off for the doctor
I'm going right where he said not
to co. said Jennie. There's some
mystery about that. Anyhow, there
are coolies of abalones."
They went, free Of old Jones and
his eye at last. Everybody in Laguna
had remarked on the tide to-day, low
est in sixty-two years, when Mrs.
Hatcher plunged into the sea under the
southern rocks. 1t enabled one to hunt
abalones to the best advantage, and the
sea YVES as smooth as a new Los An