The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1920-10-30
CHAPTER I-continued.


"I've lived twenty years without the
world. I'll not 60 back to it now"
But, mother, if we just keep on this
way, you'll-you'll"-he hesitated at
the next word finally let IT fall-"die."
"Diew she seemed to fondle the
word. "A small thing-to die!"
She sat musing as If she found
melancholy comfort in the thought.
"But l shan't die" she continued,
with hasty glance up at his face.
my cough is worse today because my
medicine is gone"
The young man started.
"Your elecampane gone!"
II took the last Of it yesterday"
"Mother!"
He went to the cook stove and lifted
the saucer from a small jar in which
the roots were usually stepped. 1t was
empty and dry. There was great ten
derness in his voice as he came back
and bent over her chair.
"You shall have your elecampane
tea," he said, "'if the roots are to be
found in the Flatwoods; and you shall
sleep tonight In the old cabin up there
under the cool trees"
A ripple Of pleased expectation, Of
half-awakened interest, broke the
drear surface Of the weary face-like
q faint glow back Of curtain that
never raises.
He refilled the cup with cool water,
rummaged a spade out Of the locker
under the forward deck, and was just
on the point Of leaping to the bank
when he heard her speaking. He
. poked his head back inside the cur
tains, and she repeated what she had
Just said:
sIsn't the Flatwoods where the Wild
Man lives? Seems to me once heard
that there Is such q man In these
woods"
He felt carelessly along the rusty bit
Of the spade with his thumb.
" believe this is the woods"
aMaybe he's-I mean-he's not dan
gerousY'
"Dangerousl A gray ghost Of a
man with pitiful face. They say he
goes through the woods as still as
smoke, and leaves as little trail"
A minute later he had leaped ashore,
climbed the bluffs and plunged into
the deep woods.
The root Of the elecampane was
much esteemed as q remedy for
coughs, but it was by no means album
dant. No one knew this fact better
than the Pearlhunter.
The small stream that feeds the wa.
terfall at Fallen Rock is known as
Wolf run. Following up along its
course the Pearlhunter presently came
to a tiny thread of water that Joined II
from the west-probably the outlet OF
some small pond tucked away among
the hills. 1t is along the open margins
Of swamps and ponds, and never In
the thick woods, that the elecampane
grows. Believing from the warmth
and dullness Of its water that the tiny
stream came from a pond. rather thar
from a spring, the Pearlhunter FOL
lowed 1t.
II had grown so small that thu
pearlhunter began. to fear 1t woult
/ disappear altogether. when there came
q break in the forest line just ahead
/ A scramble through dense fringe o.
| hazel. and there it lay-a little pont
N the midst Of q narrow glade in
rockot of the hills, delicate inlay IL
the forest.
The man glanced at the sun
turned. and hurriedly looked about TO
the elecampane. Along the east edg'
Of the glade. not far out from thu
fringe of hazel, he found tia cluml
of some dozen stalks, three or four
them ready to bloom. The rusty spad
was soon at their roots-probably tn
first ground ever broken on the mar
/ gin Of that pond. Three plants n
digged. cut their stems close to tn
pround. shook the dirt from their clus
| ters Of fleshy roots, and hurried dow
the tiny outlet back to Wolf run.
II was upon the gravelly margin o
a pool that the Pearlhunter stopped t
wash the elecampane roots, and Gu
Them loose from the clusters in whic
he hall been carrying them. He ha
finished the task and was STORM
them away in the pockets Of his blous
when the song Of a thrush from some
where ND the stream gradually worke
,tself across his consciousness.
The song puzzled him. There wer
rotes--certain lslaie foreign fights;
deeper .witchsry- that he could n
have bell I'd possible to q thrush
q throat. The Pearlhunter had nc
eer for the sounds Of the woods. =
stole cautiously up the bank. IN
seund when be had draw quite nea