The daily Alaskan., 1920-11-06

ever OWueu-lut uISb VAV hS A'''' " N' seen. He was still reading 1t, pug zllng over 1t. when the banker grasped his hand. The banker shaking hands with him! This was his day
 "Iay have the money on thls?
 "Why. my dear boy" the banker an- swered, laughing, and skipping him on the shoulder. there isn't that much cash in the bank"
 That was a new one on the Pearl hunter. He had supposed bank, had in Its vaults unlimited loads of money.
 What will I dO?"
 "You can draw part of 1t, and de poSit the rest to your credit"
 All of which was foreign language to the peurlhunter.
 "I didn't want to use any of the money" he finally managed to say. "l don't expect to spend a cent of It for you know-Small matters. expect to leave it right here till can spend 1t for somcthing-well-biC. l just wanted to show it to a-friend."
 You might show your-friend the check" The banker stole a glance at Solomon gloating openly over the gem, now that the deal was closed. "No," he continued. there's a better'- safer. he was about to say, but didn't -"way than that Why not deposit the check and take out draft?"
 "Draft? What's that?
 The old banker reached his fingers up through his hair and studied the man before him. Sitting down at his desk. he wrote rapidly for moment.
 "ThiS is drart." he said, handing over the slip he had been writing on and taking the check in exchange. "lt is as good as gold anywhere, at any hank. any time. Show 1t to your friend. and I suggest that you after ward bring it back 10 the bank and deposit it. will then give you check book and show you how to use It."
 The Pcar,huntcr read the paper over with curious Interest, put it in the big. formidable envelope the bank or gave him for the purpose, and but toned it away in an Inside pocket of his hluuSe.
 The little Jew had by this time put the Blue Munn back in the plush case, put the ease in his vest pocket, and pinned eD the pocket.
 "Uwmrlt" he runted, turning awav from the table. You pearl fish CTS isS all crazy. I'd giT it to you a t'ousan' more"
 "I got my price"
 "Undt dots more as anybody got 1t yet from Louie Solomon"
 He chuckIrd all the way to the door. A small crowd waited outside No body knows how news leaks out in small town. %ot man hut knew how much the perl had brought. One of the crow1 a 'auNy. dnc-eycd fisher man. siIlrd rr to the Poarlhunter.
 "N'u got if. d'dn', y'u?'
 The pcarlhuuter was too slow, and the little Jew answered for him.
 Course he cnt it. What chance pore devil pearl buyer got init d'e whole town agafnSt i'm"
 That s'atr"ent, or one like lt, was what the crowd had been waiting for. The tension was over The finding and selling of the famous gem, the most valuable pearl ever "h'isted" along the Wabash, was now hism:y-FlatwOods nistnry. Thr one-eycd fisherman chucked his hat up in tie air and yelIcd-a lusty cheer, In which the crowd joined. One would have thought that each man there had sold Blue MoOu-or found one.
 The PearIhunter felt good deal as the crowd seemed to feel-a loOSenlng of the tension For that matter the fat little buyer seemed to feel some thing of the same relief. Caught up in the crowd, both buyer and seller were swept across the road and into the eX- pectant door of the Mud Hen.
 The Pearlhunter had just twenty-five dollars and twenty-Seven cents in his pocket He had counted it that morn ing while waiting for Louie Solomon to come II was tue last cent arter pay Ing his mothers funeral expenses. He threw a pocket-wOrn twenty-dollar bill on the bar and motloned to the crowd.
 Make it good whisky" he said. No squirrel goes this round"
 He couldn't have made a better speech for the occasion. The crowd Cheered. The little Jew said some thing. but 1t couldn't be heard. The bartender set out long row of glasses. The river men grew suddenly quiet with the gurgle of the filling.
 Each man picked up a glass and stood waiting until every other man was served. The crowd was too oCCu- pied to notice il. but the Pearlhunter's knees were fairly shaking under hin his face set and pale. He was about to do the hardest thing he had ever tackled in his life. even harder than