El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-09-10
The Herald's
Daily Short Story

! the scattered and wary harbor-seals
/ Pat Walen got among the Greenland
/ seals at last and set briSkly to work
I he had left his gun on the shore-ice
| for the boys to use; and so. travelling
light. he was long way from the
cabins of Riggers' Cove before he gave
the matter OF his position any serious
thought.
The thing that brought it TO his mind
was puff of off-shore wind. When
he felt that he glanced swiftly round
then ceased his work with the bat and
set quickly to sculping the seals he
had already killed Caution told him
to get the pelts and let the dead seals
lie, and run for the shore-ice; but
greed held him to the work of skinning
and towing. At last he ran-but it was
too late.
BY the time Pat reached the inne-
edge Of the floe. channel of open
water over so yards lay between him
and the outer edge of the shore-ice.
Like many another dweller on the
coast, Pat Walen could not swim
he was in a desperate fix, and no
mistake.
An hour passed. bright and cold. and
the floe continued to drift southwark
very slowly, and always spreading and
Spi SdNluS IT'S " ABROAD on the
grey water. Pat Walen's pan, guided
and held by a coastwise current. kept
to its course at a distance of about
500 yards from the shore-ice.
\ second hour passed, as bright as
the first. but = trifle colder
I'll just be maxim a bit O fire. for
I'll be OFF Dipper Bay afore long re-
marked Pat to the Needless elements.
On one Of the pelts he started q tiny
fire, first building it with shavings
from the handle Of his bat, and adding
to these, when they were well aIight,
narrow strips of blubber, 1t sent a
thin stream of black smoke aloft.
Then happy idea came TO him He
cut OFF and skinned fat flipper and
began to broil it at the fire. While
he was broiling the flipper out there
on the drifting ice-pan, the smoke of
MS bIubber-fire was sighted by the
inhabitants Of Dipper Bay. Now. Dip
per Bay is not a bay at all, but a tiny
cove with a settlement of only six
houses above its land-wash The able
bodied men of the place eight in num-
Der, We're all away with the sealing
fleet; so 1t fell to the lot of old Corney
MOTIFS to put out of the cove and res
cue the man on the ice.
Old Corney pulled on the heavy oars
III 0AAOhCS, SIdnclnS over MS shoulder
every minute or so.
Old Pat Walen watched the ap-
preaching skiff IN a silence as COM
plete as Conveys, though he was might
/ lily relieved at the sight.
The skiff was within ten Yards of the
ice before either of the men recognized
the other. Pat let the fragrant flipper
drop into the fire and lie there unheed-
ed -Corney pulled close to the pan, and
then faced square around on the
thwart
Pat Wa1en. will We tell me the trut'
now?"
Is been tellin' We the trut' for twen-
~ year, Corney Morris, replied Pat.
IL L leaves ye there on the ice, twill
be what ye deserves" said Corney.
Then, in gentler voice: Pat by.
confess that We was tryin' to rob that
pan o swiles. an l take We aboard an
pull We safe to Dipper Bay"
Away wild We. Corney Morris" cried
Fat Did L ask We to take me often
this here pan? I'll bide here till 1
starVes to deaf wild cold and hujger
afore I'll let We make a liar o. me. we've
tried 1t long enough, Corney Morris. -
Corney pushed his fur cap high up
on the top Of his head and scratched