The Washington herald., 1914-04-19

What is money. Granser?"
boy recoIlected and triumphantly showed
his hand into d pouch under his bearskin
and pulled forth a battered and tarnished
silver dollar. The old mans eyes Elisten-
ed, as he held the coin close to them.
Il can't see." he muttered. You look
and see if you can make out the date.
Edwin
The boy laughed.
You're a great Granser." he cried de-
IightedIy, always making believe them
little marks mean something"
The old man manifested an accustomed
chagrin as he brought the coin back
again close to his own eyes.
'.2ol2" he shrilled, and then fell to
cackling grotesquely. That was the year
Morgan the Fifth was appointed Presi-
dent Of the United States by the Board
the last coins minted. for the Scarlet
Death came in aol3. Lord, Lord!-think
Of it! Sixty years ago. and I am the
only person alive today that lived in
those times Where did you find it. Ed
winT'
The boy, who had been regarding him
with the tolerant curiousness one ac-
cords to the prattlings Of the feeble-mind-
ed, answered promptly:
II got it of Hoo-Hoo. He found it
when we was herdin' goats down near
San Jose last spring. Hoo-Hoo said it
was money. Amt you hungry. Granser:''
The ancient caught his star in a tight
er grip and urged along the trail. his
old eyes shining greedily.
81 hope Hare-Lips found a crab. q.
or two" he mumbled They're good eat
ing, crabs, mighty good eating when
you've no more teeth and you've got
grandsons that love their old srandsire
and make a point Of catching crabs for
him. When 1 was a boy"
But Edwin, suddenly stopped by what
he saw. was drawing the bowstring on
a fitted arrow. He had paused on the
brink of a crevasse in the embankment.
An ancient culvert had here washed out.
and the stream. no longer confined. had
cut a passage through the Ill. On the
opposite side. the end Of a rail projected
and overhung. 1t showed rustily through
the creeping vines which overran 1t.
Beyond. crouching by q bush. a rabbit
looked across at him in trembling hesi-
fancy. Fully fifty feet was the distance.
but the arrow flashed true: and the trans
fixed rabbit, crying out in sudden fright
and hurt. struggled painfully away into
the brush. The boy himself was a flash
of brown skin and flying fur as he
bounded down the steep wall Of the gap
and up the other side. His lean muscles
were springs Of steel that released into
graceful and efficient action. A hundred
feet beyond, in a tangle Of bushes. he
overlook the wounded creature. knocked
its head on a convenient tree trunk and
turned it over to Granser to carry.
Rabbit is good. very good" the ancient
quavered. but when it comes to a tooth
some delicacy I prefer crab. When 1 was
a boy"
why do you say so much that amt
got no sense?' Edwin impatiently inter-
rupted the others threatened garruIous-
ness
The boy did not exactly utter these
words, but something that remotely re-
sembled them and that was more gutteral |
and explosive and economical Of qualify |
ing phrases. His speech showed distant |
kinship with that OF the old man. and |
the latter's speech was approximately an
English that had gone through a bath of
corrupt usage.
What I want to know" Edwin con-
.inued. lis why you call crab 'toothsome
Crab is crab, amt it? No
,ne 1 never heard calls it such funny
things
The old man sighed. but did not an
,wer, and they moved on in silence. The
surf grew suddenly louder. as they
emerged from the forest upon a stretch
If sand dunes bordering the sea. A few
goats were browsing among the sandy
lillocks, and a skin-clad boy. aided by
wolfsh-looking dog that was only faint
Y reminiscent of a collie, was watch
n5 them. Mingled with the roar of the
urf was a continuous. decp-throated
PARKING or believing. which came from
I-clustetof jagged rocks a hundred yards
,ut from shore. Here huge sea lions
lauled themselves up to lie in the sun or
'attle with one another. In the immediate
arose the smoke of a fire, !
ended by a third savage-looking boy.
near him were several wolfish
ogs similar to the one that guarded the
oats.
The old man accelerated his pace,
niffing eagerly as he neared the fire.
''Mussels!" he muttered ecstatically.
Mussels. And amt that a crab, Hoo
loo? Amt that crab? My. my. you /
oys are good TO your old grandsire" 1