The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1920-11-11

away down the branch back to Fallen
Rock.
The languid eyes OF the Iron-Gray-
Woman turned toward him as he
sprang In over the saving gangplank,
pushed aside the rumpled curtain, n
entered the tiny cabin Of the house
boat. There was not so much fire in
the eyes. The fever was going down
with the sun The thought his re-
turning step had brought came out in
her first words.
"They who own the old cabin might
not like us to move in"
"They can only make us move out
again." was his CHEEKY answer. "And,
mother, you never saw such a view
as you get from up there. And you
can drink right out of the spring"
Something came to the face Of the
ron-Gray-Woman that had long been
a stranger there. Not a smile-a rip
pie, like the swath a chance breeze
rufles across still water.
"Rut you can't carry everything"
Everything. And the first load
shall he you"
MEL"
ut would set you coughing to climb
the slope"
The woman dropped her eyes. After
all, weakness Is not a pleasant fact to
face. The loss of power, the inability
to do accustomed things. always
comes as d shock. Life had brought
to the ron-Gray-Woman little enough
-pitifully little enough. But though
life be ever so bare and gray. no n
likes to sit helpless and watch 1t 6
HAPPY the young man sensed moth
Ing Of this. but was already busy
gathering together such OF their
meager stock of household goods as 1t
would be absolutely necessary to
carry up to the cabin under the cliff
II the coming night was to be spent
ashore.
Nothing remained but the actual
going ashore. His mother came first,
as he had said. While packing, he
had planned to help her up the hill to
tile spring and leave her there while
he swept the old cabin, aired it out,
put up the cook stove, and otherwise
made the place as sweet and inviting
as possible for her occupancy.
Just before passing through the
rumpled curtain Of the housebOat she
stopped and gazed over the tiny cabin.
"Just one look before I CO." she
said.
He was astonished at the wistful-
ness In her tones.
"Why, mother. you can come back
any minute"
sit has been my home for twenty
years." she said as she turned away,
her tone more the voicing of a re1ec-
ton than the statement Of a fact.
Across the gangplank and up the
slope among the trees he led her
carried her-with all the tenderness
due from a man to his mother; for
the Iron-Gray-Woma had the man.
ners and speech of a "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-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 ne had the cabin put to
rights, his mother In her easy chair,
and supper on the table: a bass, taken
from the nets only that morning;
fruit from the woods; Daked p0ta-
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 man
sat ~covertly studying her face. The
fever had gone. 1t was a face almost
serene. She appeared. as he watched
her, TO he 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 anne
back 10 him-the only word that had
ever come to him out Of the past. The
desire 10 learn more grew In him. and
vet ne dreaded to speak. The Iron
Gray-Woman was not one to invite
condolences. And yet a man ought to
know something of the manner Of his
coming into the world.
The cabin had settled to deep quiet;
the lap Of the waterfall had swelIed
to full strength upon the silence:
when the cabin door hanged open and
a man storme6 In. The Pearlhunter
whlrled up u Of his chair and faced
him.
The intruder vas a man Of forty.
possibly more. lacking somewhat of
the P~earlhunter's height and massive
haIld. yet still what would he called
4 big mpn-tight and well set up
smooth shaver, except for an aggres-
sive mustache family shot with gray.
He wore q SLOUGH hat. top boots. frock
coat. and q very fancy and much-be-