The daily Alaskan., 1920-10-12

ltT ltllt lllNAN Allt NNlNAlE VI O lNlEN- tion than the statement of fact
 Across the gungplank and up the slope among the trees he led her carried herewith all the tenderness due from a man to his mother; for the on-Gray-WOman had the man. ners and speech of "lady of high degree" and she had taught him all she knew. He had brought along a cushion. which he spread for her upon a moSS-urholsterei rock. With the spray of the waterfall in the air, with the cup in her hand, the cool spring within reach. he left her and hurried bacl, to the housebOat.
 The sun WAS dipping low toward the distant bend in the river when the last uC the moving was done. A purple twilight had given place to dur; before he had the cabin put to rights. his mother in her easy chair, and supper on the table: bass, taken from the nets only that morning; fruit from the woods; baked pOta- toes: toast, crisp and brown; and tea, which she had left her chair long enough 10 draw.
 In the contcnted silence that often falls nfter the evening meal. the man sat covertly studying her face. The fever had gone, IL was a face almost serene. She appeared, as he watched her, Co be listening to the sound of the waterfall floating in through the open window upon the pulse of the night. The move had done her good, lie thought how beautiful she must have. hrrn-hnw beautiful still.
 Her woyaS th,V afternoon came back rn hfm-thr only word that had eyer rumr lu him out of the past. The deSnr ;n learn more grew in him, and vet he dreaded 10 speak. The Iron Gray.Wrmar was not one to invite cout!lcnrcs. ~Aud yet a man ought to know Somrrntnn of the manner of his coming into rhr world. The cabin had settled to deep quiet; the laU of 'Er waterfall hal SwcllJl to rr -.ra-rh upon tle silence; when fl.r ,anir floor hanged oneu and q man s.nrwri in. The Prarlhuntar whlrlrl ID ont or he chair and faced him
 The intruder was a man of forty, possibly more. lacking somewhat "G the ppurlhumcr'S height and massive build. yet sill wlat would he called hi- man-.ight and we'll so; ule- SwraiN shaynu, except for an aG-rrs- Siye uusraran fantly shot with gray, He wore ~'uu,h hat, top boots, froyk coat. and very fancy and much-hr- Hnw-rrI- vest. His blue cyeS-thn E.,I of N'ur that turns black when ruuSrI-LaI an uncomfortable kOark Of Sa.afn@ 10 Srr everything in sight They were just now Hitting fCrtivcir. a bit c.u,.-rruus'y. over inc tall fig. urc of j.r ,-Gug man facing him.
 "Yuu'ru ,ap fellow they call the rcgrtlm'rr:'
 Tu. gray ewes of tho man addressed were hluza-: his fingers mani,c>.ius an almo- unrrntrolluhle inclination to tuck themselves into his palms; but h. hlI himself and answered ciyiIly:
 "Tncy du call me that"
 "Wnat are ycu doing in this cabin:'
 "TS it yourS:"
 "No difference whether 1t is. cr whether it isn't. It's no place for river scum to wash ashore"
 4 stranger ought to be pretty sure Of himself before he says a thing like that especially when he says it the way the NIan-in-the-F0nCy-Nest said It. Rp didn't know the PCar!hunter not as the river men knew hlm--Or he would have considered long time first. Almost any river man along the Wabash could have told him that things would happen. Things did happen. Still. 1t probably would have been just the same anyhow. A wildcat couldn't have lodged the toil-callouSed fist that stabbed across the candle light. It caught the intruder flat In the mouth and pitched him back against the door, which slammed to the wall. and thus saved him from go- ing clear to the floor.
 He was up in flash. His hand dropped toward his hip. That is al- ways dangerous motion to make in the Flauvoods: never more so than just then and there. The Pearlhunter had anticipated such move. His own hand reached his hip the flash of second ahead. The two stood eyeing each other, crouChed and tense.
 There came a scream from the Irnn-Gray-W0mnn. She had risen from her chair The Pearlhunter dared not look. but he saw the eyes of the man he faced turning irreSlstlbly toward the sound. With the first glance a startling change came over him; his eyes strained; stared; his hand left his hip and went to his face. He strengthened and shrank back against the cabin door. The Pearl