Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1915-01-09

Used on the brink Of a crevasse IN
| emhankment An ancient culver
here washed out, and the stream
longer confined had cut a passage
rough the fiji. On the opposite side
q end of a rail projected and over
ung It showed rustily through the
Keeping vines which overran 1t. BE
cud, crouching by a bush, a rabbit
aCked across at him in trembling hesi
| 2ucy Fully fifty feet was the dis
ance, but the arrow flashed true,
nd the transfixed rabbit, crying out
sudden fright and hurt, struggled
lainfully away into the brush. The
| 10Y himself was flash of brown sEln
lnd flying fur as he bounded down
he 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 hun
| bred feet beyond, in a tangle of bush
IS, he overlook the wounded creature
knocked its head on a convenient
tree trunk and turned it over to Gran
ar to carry.
Rabbit Is good, very good" the
ancient quavered, but when it comes
to a toothsome delicacy prefer crab
When | was a boy"
Why do you say so much that
amt got no sense?" Edwin Impatient
y interrupted the others threatened
5arrulousness.
What | want to know" Edwin con-
tinued, is why you call crab tooth
some delicacy'! Crab is crab, amt 1t?
No one | never heard calls 1t such
funny things"
The old man sighed but did not an
sWer, and they moved on in silence.
The surf grew suddenly louder as
they emerged from the forest upon a
stretch of sand dunes bordering the
ca A few goats were browsing
mong the sandy hillocks, and a skin
clad boy aided by a wolfish-looking
dog that was only family reminiscent
of a collie, was watching them.
The old man, accelerated his pace.
shifting eagerly as he neared the fire.
"Mussels!" he muttered ecstatically
Mussels! And amt that crab, Hoo
Hoo? Amt that a crab? My, my,
you boys are good to your old grand
sire"
Hoo-Hoo, who was apparently of the
anne age as Edwin, grinned.
An you want, Granser. | got four"
The old mans palsied eagerness
was pitiful Sitting down in the sand
as quickly as his stiff limbs would let
him, he poked large mussel from the
Goals. The heat had forced its shells
apart, and the meat, salmon colored,
was thoroughly cooked. Between
thumb and forefnger, in trembling
haste, he caught the morsel
and carried it to his mouth But it was
too hot, and the next moment was VIC
lently elected The old man spluttered
with the pain, and tears ran out of his
eyes and down his cheeks
The boys were true savages, posses
sing only the cruel humor of the saw
age To them the incident was excru-
eiatingly funny, and they burst into
loud laughter. Hoo-Hoo danced up and
down, while Edwin rolled gleefully on
the ground The boy with the boats
came running to join in the fun.
set EN- to cool, Edwin, set EN- to
cool" the old man besought, in the
midst of his grief, making no attempt
10 wipe away the tears that still flowed
from his eyes. and cool a crab, Ed
win, too You know your grandsire
likes crabs"
From the Goals a great sizzling,
which proceeded from the many mus
sells bursting open their shells and ex-
udng their moisture They we're large
shellfsh, running from three to six
inches in length The boys raked them
out with sticks and placed them on a
large piece of driftwood to cool.
when | was boy we did not laugh
at our elders; we respected them"
The boys took no notice, and Gran
ser continued to babble an incoherent
flow of complaint and censure But
this time he was more careful, and did
not burn his mouth. All began to eat,
Using nothing but their hands and
making loud mouth noises and lip
gmackings. The third boy, who was
called Hare-Lip, slyly deposited pinch
of sand on mussel the ancient was
carrying to his mouth; and when the
grit of it bit into the old fellows mu-
cous membrane and gums, the laugh
or was again uproarious. He was I'M
ere that joke had been played on
him and spluttered and spat until Ed
rim, relenting, gave him gourd of
resh water it'll which to wash out
Is mouth.
Where's them crabs, Hoo-Hoo?"
dwin demanded. "Gransers set upon
-aving a snack"
Again Gransers eyes burned with
readiness as large crab was handed
10 him 1t was a shell with legs and
/, 4 complete, but the meat had long
nee departed With shaky fingers
90 tbo la