Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1916-04-08

occupied large room that overlooked
the quay. Even if there had been
better hotel in town he would not have
moved
He was not lonely He wandered
interested through all the struggling
city When he was too lazy to go to
the city he sat in the precarioUs bal.
cony Of his room and watched the city
come to him.
Almost month had passed since he
landed on his Lethean shore. and it
/ had served him we'll The world
seemed TO have time-servers in small
regard. He began to think of his moth
| er. He strolled over to the cable sta
ton. The offices were undergoing re-
4 pairs. The ground floor was unfur
nished save for q table and one chair.
In the chair sat a chocolate-colored
| employee with a long bamboo on the
| floor beside him. Gerry's curiosity was
| aroused. He went in and wrote his
| message to his mOther-just a few
| words telling her he was all right The
| chocolate gentleman folded the mes
| the bamboo and stuck it uD through
a hole in the ceiling to the door above.
| Gerry smiled and then laughed at the
| gravity with which his smile was re-
| ceived. The man looked at him in
astonishment. These English were all
| mad and discourteous. What was
there to laugh at in a man at work?
Gerry went out and rambled over
| the city. Night came on. He was
| restless. He wished he had not sent
| the message. 1t was forming itself
| into link. He dined badly at a res
| taurant and then wandered balk to the
| quay. Arriving steamers were posted
on a blackboard under a street lamp.
The mail from New York was due to-
morrow. The consurs papers would
be full of the latest New York society
scandal-his scandal He went to his
room and sat on the balcony watching
the varied craft preparing to drift out
on the tide. Suddenly he got up and
went down to the quay.
A long, raking craft was taking on
its meager provisions. Gerry engaged
its captain in a pantomime parley. The
boat was bound for PenedO to take on
cotton. Gerry decided to go to Penedo,
Two of the crew went back with him
to get his baggage. The hotel was
closed. Gerry was the only guest and
he had his key. He had paid his
weekly bill that day, so there was no
need to wake up anyone. In half an
hour he and his belongings were
| slowed on the deck of the Josephine
and she was drifting slowly down to
the bar.
-Four days later they We're off the
mouth of the San Francisco They
doubled in and tackled their way up
to Penedo. There was no life in Pen
edo. 1t was desolate and lonely com
pared with the Hotel d'Europe and the
lively quay; so when a funny little
stern-wheeler started up the river on
its weekly trip to Piranhas Gerry
went with it.
Piranhas was town Of mud plas-
tered against a barren cliff 1t made
no pretense TO being alive. Here a
dead man could live in peace with his
| surroundings From fifteen miles up
the river came the rumble of the
mighty Paulo Alfonso falls. singing a
perpetual requiem. Gerry established
himself in a hovel of an inn that even
in this far retreat did not dare call
itself hotel
The only industry in Piranhas was
the washing of clothes and the women
did that Fish were caught in great
quantities but fishing was not an in
dustry. Here mau tshed only when
he was hungry.
Gerry chartered a ponderous canoe.
| At first he had man to paddle him
up and down and sometimes across
the vide half-mile of water. But be
fore long he learned 10 handle the
| thing himself. The heavy work soon
| trimmed his splendid muscles into
shape. He supplied the hosiery with
a variety of fish.
One morning he awoke earlier than
usual The wave of life was running
high in his veins. He sprang up and,
! still in his pajamas, hurried out for
his morning swim. The break OF day
was gloriously chilly. a cool breeze,
hurrying up from the sea. was stead
lily banking up the mist that hung over
the river. Gerry sprang into his canoe
| and pushed off He drove its heavy
| length up stream. not in the teeth Of
the current. for no man could DO that
but skirting the shore Selling on the
help Of every eddy and keeping an eye
out for the green swirlng mound that
meant a pinnacle OF rock just short
OF the surface. He went farther up
the river than ever before His mus
cles We're keyed to the struggle He
passed the last jutting bend that the
boatmen on the river could master and
found himself in a bay protected by
spit Of sand, rock tipped and foam
tossed where 1t reached the rivers
channel From this point the river
was chaos of jagged rocks that
fought the mighty tide hurled from
/ the falls still miles above.
Gerry ran the canoe upon the shore