The Lamar register., 1920-09-15
coySS5TGfiT 81 TIE BobBS-r MERRILL COMPANY

due from man TO his mother; for
the Iron 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 q
cushion. which he spread for her upon
moss-upholstered 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
back to the hOuseboat.
The sun was dipping low toward
the distant bend in the river when
the last OF the moving was done. A
purple twilight had given place TO
dark before he had the cabin put to
rights. his mother in her easy chair.
and supper on the table: Il 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 TO draw.
In the contented silence that often
falls after the evening meal, the msn
sat covertly studying her face. The
fever had gone. II was face almost
serene. She appeared. as he watched
her. TO 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.
He thought how beautiful she must
have been-how beautiful still.
Her words that afternoon came
back to him-the only word that had
ever come to him out OF the past. The
desire 10 learn more grew In him. and
vel he dreaded TO speak. The Iron
Gray-w"man was not one 10 invite
condolences. And yet man ought to
know something Of the msnner Of his
coming into the world.
The cabin had settled 10 deep luiet I:
the lap OF the waterfall had swellod
TO full strength upon the silencs !;
when the cabin door banged open and
q man storrned In. The Pea rlhuntsr
wblried up out OF his chair and fsced
him.
The intruder WIS q man of forty
possibly more. lacking somewhat of
tho Pearihunter's height and massive
build. yet still what would be called
Dig msn-tight and well set up
smooth shayen. except for sn sggres-
siye mustache falntly shot with gray
He wore q slOuch hat, top boots, frock
coat, and q very fancy and much-be-
fowered vest. Ills blue eyes-the
kind Of blue that turns black when
roused-had an uncomfortable knack
OF seeming TO see everything In sight,
f..r ~
a bit CONTEMPORARY. over the tall ns'
ure of the young man facing him.
You're the fellow they call the
Pearlhunterf'
The gray eyes OF the man addressed
were blazing; his fingers manifestins
an almost uncomfortable inclination
to tuck themselves into his palms
but he held himself and answered
eivilly:
''They do call me that"
"What are you doing IN this csbinr'
"Is 1t yours?"
"No difference whether IL is or
whether 1t isn't. It's no place for river
scum 10 wash ashore"
stranger ought to be pretty sure
of himself before he seys thing like
that. especially when he says II the
way the Man-in-the Fancy-Vest said
IL. He didn't know the Pearlhunter
not as the river men knew him-or
he would have considered q long time
first. Almost any river man along the
Wabash could have told him that
things would happen. Things did
happen. Still. II probably would have
been just the same anyhow. A wildcat
couldn't have lodged the toll il-calloused
nst that stabbed across the candle
light. II caught the intruder fiat In
the mouth and pitched him back
against the door. which slammed to
the wsll. and thus saved him from 60
ing clear to the floor.
He was up in flash. His hand
dropped toward his hip. That is al
ways a dangerous motion 10 make In
the Flatwoods: never more SO than
Just then and there. The Pearlhunter
had anticipated such a move. His
own hand reached his hip the flash of
a second ahead. The two stood eyeing
each other. crouched and tense.
There came scream from the
Iron Gray-Woman. She had risen
from her chair. The Pearlhunter
dared not look but he saw the eyes OF
the man he faced turning irresistibly
toward the sound With the hrst
glance q startling change Gang oysr