The Arvada enterprise. (Arvada, Colo.) 1908-1970, 1920-12-02
1y DAVID ANDERSON



| ties, two: Buckeye, mile up the river,
and the City twenty miles farther on.
When the man returned to the
houseboat the Iron. Gray-Woman still
lay back In the shaky rocking chair.
Dipping the battered cup full Of fresh
water. the man stepped to her side.
"Your cool drink. mother"
The thin lids raised. The eyes she
turned toward him must have been
wonderfully beautiful In her day
large and deep and lustrous. The
cough that wasted her breast seemed
powerless to dim their luster.
| The man crossed the cabin and laid
his hand on the rumpled curtain over
the doorway. about to return to his
task Of sharpening the fish spear.
1T looks cOol-and calm-up there"
He paused: glanced back over hts
shoulder at her. and waited for her
to 70 on.
"Is that 4 log house I see up there
under the clifRsr
The door Of the houseboat cfsaked
under the weight Of him ~ he came
to the window. He had to stoop low
b bring his eyes level with the open.
Ing.
"A log house: old and empty"
The Iron 0ray.Woman sat musing Q
moment, her eyes astray among the
trees nodding languidly In the serene
June afternoon.
II Wish might live again upon the
shore. The sun beats down - bot
upon the houseboat, and I grow weary
q the eternal throb Of the river. II
could oaly live little while up there
! should grow strong"
"And Why soti It's empty. and no
body would care. In thsss deep woods
there's nobody to care"
A flicker Of light crossed her face.
I'd get well up there. under the
strong cii6s. With the cool spring -
near. And I've lived % loog-sinee
you were Q child In arms-ea ths river
Tho Ohio: the White: the Wabash I"
always. oothsfi Always The house.
boat-driftias: driftins-and you %
frail, - beautiful"
The man left the window and knelt
By the rocking chair. The Iron Gray.
Woman saw the question In his eyer
hunger for some word out Of the
past: word that had never come. All
bic NE shs had kept N fFeo hin
whatever Il had bsea that happened
hack there behind the veil Of her 81.
lence that left him nams'sss: . river
walt: q nomad In an orderly world:
naher Of pearls: . pearlhuntsr. Her
eyes came hack and falteeed over him.
No longer . child: . boy-the redec-
tion startled her. A man kneit at her
side-the question written big upon
his face. And II was his right to
know. Her head dropped back against
the quilt that cushioned the chair. It's
4 solemn thing to he the mother Of q
man-glorioux but solemn.
The lustrous eyes-briEhter for the
fever wasting them-came hack to him
after q time. He saw q far.hung
thouShtfulneAs In them; knew they
had strayed into that past from which
he was barred. The thin lips parted.
The mans fingers curied tense upon
the chair arm.
ITO n city on the Wabash. in early
days came three families OF vireipia's
unrest blOoti-my family. your fathers
family md the fumily of-of-another
man."
Tho n.Grny. Woman shuddereti
and was silent for a moment. The
man picked up q wasted hand stroked
Il softly between his own, and she
went on. strained and slow, like one
despcrate,y uerved 10 q Ions. ireatietl
task.
"NSv pnrent. both died when I WAS
N small that I can bare,y remember
them. lcnying me. their only child. 10
the care Of n distant relative. n great.
uncle OF NV fathers. This grcnt.yrcst.
uncie-well, Ms l look back upon my
life I cannot remember TINT he ever
rave ma a p,e.ssnt word
"My nunt was M difrer.n, n. ,,nwn
IN ,,urk Sh. w.. .v.rv,h,ny TIN, M.
w,. moi, A Thousand times an. Iov.,,
,,y h,r. ,,,,,
80 ~