The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1909-04-02

wien. Nate packed and nlle0, as US
ual, telling how busy he was, and how
he hadn't ought to leave, and 50 en.
But Van corks him right up with Q
h~ve-dollar bill and OF they went.
l lugged the milk and butter and the
rest of the truck up to the house and
started In on another stretch of work.
Id had a vacation OF ten minutes or
SO; now twas time to begin again.
After I'd cleared up round the kitchen
and the like Of that, / went off down to
the Dora Bassett and tackled her. Van
Brunt had cut away about everything
but the mast, and I had to rig new
halliards and sheets and downhauls
and land knows what. Drat that Heav-
emily! twas a two days job.
While l was making a start on IL
Hartley comes loafng down from the
house.
Skipper" he says, lets have an.
other n of your chowders for lunch.
will you? They're the real thing"
We'll, I tell you, Mr.. Hartley" says
I, IF we have chowder I'd ought to go
and dig the clans right now, on &C.
count Of the tide. And, honest, / hate
to leave this work I'm on. Still, OF
course, II you say SO, why"
What's the matter with my digging
'em?" he says.
l grinned. why, nothing" l says,
so far as I know, except that it's
something of a job"
Job" he says. It'll be fun. Tell
me where to go-and what to dig EN-
with. and-and how to do It,"
l told him to take the skiff and a
clam hoe and a couple of buckets and
row across to the mainland. There was
clans all alongshore there, / knew.
You go along till you see a lot of
little holes in the sand" / says, then
you dig. Want to look out that they
amt sand-worm holes, nor razor fish.
And when you begin to dig" l says,
you want to lay right into it, cause
the clans are likely to be 'run-downs'
and they get under fast. So"
Hold on a minute" says he. How
am | going to tell a worm-hole from a
clam-hole,or a clam-hole from a-what
was it?-barber fish hole?"
Razor fish," says I. Not barber.
Well, 1 don't know how to tell you, ex-
actly. If it's a sand-hole there's likely
to be a little tiny hole alongside the
regular one; that is, there is some
times and sometimes there amt. And
If it's a razor fish-well, l can tell 'em,
but | callate you'll have to use your
own judgment"
He said all right, he guessed he'd
get along. So off he went, and pretty
loon him and Lord James comes down
and gets aboard the skiff. His lord
ship was loaded with no less than foul
buckets, besides a clam hoe and the
garden hoe and the stove shovel. Twas
the most imposing clam hunt outfit
ever l see. II I'd been a clam ant
see that battery coming my a. II
have took to tall timber.
Sure you've got hoes and bucket.
enough" l asks, sarcastic.
81 guess so,' says he, looking arounc
at the weapons. 1--WE might need an
other pail, perhaps, but if we do II
send James after It,"
His lordship started rowing, takins
strokes first with one hand and ther
with the other, and the fleet got under
way and waltzed, as you might say
zigZag across to the main. Twas a.
calm as a millpond and they hit LAM
up towards the point by the Neck Road
Then the clam slaughterers got GU
and disappeared round behind tn,
point. / went on with my rigging.
1t got to be IL o'clock and no sign
of EN-. Then IL; lunch time. It'd
was coming in fast, you couldn't hav,
got a clam now without q diving outfit
t But still all quiet on the Potomac.
J went up to the house and commence,
to slice ham and fry potatoes. l ha
/ my doubts about that chowder.
Everything was ready by and b
and / stepped to the door to take al
observation. And then I see 'em con
ing, rowing more crab fashion tina,
ever. / walked down to the inlet t
. meet 'em. And such sights as the
was. Blessed if they didn't look lik
they'd been through the war-Lor
James especial.
Hi, Soil, sings out Hartley. as tn
skiff floats in, broadside on. my! Blu
I'm glad to see you. Give James
lift with the CLANS and things, wi
you? I'm done up"
He looked it, He was barefoot an
I barearmed, with his trousers relied u
above his knees and his shirt sleeve
above his elbows. And the valet wa
; the same, and both of 'em soaking we
and just plastered with wet sane an
clay.
gave n glance at them bare lee
and arms.
For the land sakes!" l sings on
Pull down your pants and YOU
sleeves. You're burned to a blister a
: ready"
And so they was. Tender whit
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