Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1920-11-27


The pearl, passing from hand %
hand had come round to the Boss
again, who, STOPPING close to the fire.
light, examined 1t through small
hand lens such as most pearl fishers
carry. "Pearlhunter," he said, turning
TO the young man. ''you shorely air
lucky! You've found y'ur pearl-an'
a fortune 1t were!"
Then it's you that's lucky" was
the slow answer. ITS not mine"
Had the others not been too excited,
/ they might have noticed that his lips
were drawn; his voice strained.
The grizzled old river Boss gripped
his calIoused hand shut ppon the
| pearl; his scar old face hardened,
and there sprang up in his deep-set
! eyes an expression not unlike the ex-
| preston IN the eyes of hawk when
/ title to the prey in his claws Is dis
| puted. But the expression passed. lie
| thrust the pearl back into the young
mans hand as though half afraid OF
| il.
"Say." he growled, what do you
think / amp"
at was taken from your boat, in
| waters you expected 10 fish tomorrow.
You'd have found it anyway"
The hawklsh glover left the blue
ewes OF the older man, leaving him
the frank-faced old Hoss again. lie
studied his young friend curlousy.
well I'll be damn'd !" he chuckted
good-naturedly to himself, still study
| ing the other from under the edges OF
his eyes. Say" he continued look
ing up frankly, 81 hain't got dern
hit more claim to it than I got to the
Bank of Ingland. If you fancy have
| got claims. | hereby gives an conveys
'em Z you--an' If that hain't good
klw. its square dealin' b'twixt man
an man; an that's better'n law any
day"
You mean it?"
The younger man fingered the pearl
as If it had suddenly assumed new
value.
"If you wan t insult me, jist let on
like y'u think I don't"
Hero-worshipers all. after the man
ner of their kind, the other pearl fish.
ers. as if by common impulse, turned
( their attention from the pearl to the
man taat found it. He had become an
objecl Of wonder and curious admira-
! ton. No other achievement in the
world could possibly have so distin-
guished him in their eyes. Suddenly
one of their number snatched Off his
battered hat and yelled:
"Hooray fer tn Pearlhunter"
The bluffs caught up the cheer that
| followed and flung it back in multi
piled echoes. clear and far up and
down the night hound shore. Tho
Boss. still hungry for the feel Of the
jewel, reached forth a grimy finger
and meditatlvely stirred the pearl
where it lay in the finders palm.
"Thls ones rounder than them
other two. An it's got a SINNER
sheen. Course l cayn't say p'lntedly,
but I putt It at not less'n Eve thou
san"
The pearlhunter was restless
There was a frajl woman back in the
cabin nj Fallen Rock to whom the find
ing of the pearl would mean more
than to anybody else IN the world. 1t
| would mean-the mans heart warmed
with the thought as his mind revert
ed to the story of the afternoon
back to the house on a hill that over
looked the river-and good-by to tire
cough forever.
But 1t was some time before the
| first flush of excitement died down It
is not one camp In thousand that
ever sees a Blue Moon. The value Of
II was still under discussion when the
BOSS happened TO remember the fish
still lying in the boat.
9TH fish - he exclaimed. 9TH
fliesIl be at EN-"
And must be getting home" The
Pearlhunter was quick to seize the
chance.
Followed by the others, the Boss
went down to the boat--not, however,
until the pearlhunter had torn cor
ner out Of the cloth spread down by
the fire, wrapped the pearl up IN IT.,
and put it carefully away in mis-
pocket.
Insisting on relieving the Boss from
rowing on the way back. he took his
place at the oars and waited for the
boat to be pushed Off into the stream.
But the Boss with his hand upon the
bow, stood hesitatlngly before giving
the final shove.
shorty" he called to the man who
had danced the hornpipe, and who
was now gone back TO the FIRE. bring
me my OF shotgun an coat I reckon
I'll camp at Fallen Rock might
The Pearlhunter protested against
his going to such trouble; but the
| Boss had his way.