The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1920-11-26
CHAPTER II-contInued.

81
A sudden impulse seemed to sweep
the man. Involuntarily his hand felt
Tor the pistol at his hip; he whlrled
seward the door. The woman clutched
MS arm. He caught the appeal In her
eyes bowed his head; turned back to
the table.
A tense bit Of pantomime it had
been, full enough OF meaning, Of hui
man interest, to anyone able to trace
back through the years the snarled
hfe-threads of the actors: the two
river waits staring down at the mask !;
the hard man striding away up the
river road.
The woman went back to her chair
and resumed her quick, nervous rock
ing.
And so he has come to this |" she
muttered. my poor. poor cousin |!
What must have been her fatel"
She leant forward and sat still and
thoughtful. her face propped in her
palm. The man stood by the table,
lingering the bit Of cloth, his eyes,
stern and severe, still irresistibly
drawn In the direction the intruder
had gone
A hall came up from the houseboat.
The sudden cry half startled them
both, coming so close as 1t did on the
heels of that tense moment barely
gone.
TITS the Boss. I promised to go
spearing with him tonight"
Stepping to the door, he opened It
and answered the hail; came back;
slid the teakettle off the fire: closed
the damper Of the stove; and snuffed
the candle
Now, mother don't attempt to
clear away the dishes. Leave them
till get back. I'll only be gone lit
tie while"
The woman made no answer. The
red mask still lying upon the table
caught his eye. Rolling it up, he hid
1t under loosened chink In the cabin
wail, picked up his hat and started
for the door; hesitated; came back to
the rocking chair.
you won't be-afraid-?"
She looked up at him In quick sur
prise. A half frown clouded the luster
Of her eyes.
What a question r
He turned and left the cabin; closed
the door after him and strobe down
The slope to the houseboat.
The men who hunted the river mus
sci along the Wabash before the days
Of the button industry hunted 1t for
the pearl sometimes found imbedded
between its flesh and shell. Struggling
up and down the streams, often singly.
sometimes in crews. they were shift
Tess fiery, reckless breed-of a feather
With the buccaneers Of other days, and
led on by the same lure; chance
Ging at fortune. A pearl of great
value was sometimes found--even run
aing well up into the thousands. But
the chance of finding such a pearl was
small. Still there was the chance, and
is surprising what certain type
Of men will endure for such a chance,
when the same ends might be at
nined, certain and sure. by patient In
3ustry.
A. grizzled old river man sat with
the nose of his skiff damned up on the
gravel by the bow OF the houseboat
~hen the Pearlhunter came down the
slope. The Boss they called him. the
aver men, because in his long years In
dae industry he had managed to
scrape together an "outft" and work
a crew of "clammers" too poor to hunt
alone. His hands were still upon the
oars. The Pearlhunter pushed the
SCAT off and sprang In. directing the
Boss to row around by the stern Of the
Aoaseboat after the fish spear he had
neen filing that afternoon.
"See y'u've moved" the Boss OBJ
served as the skiff slipped out into the
stream.
Mothers cough" was the answer.
>She thought 1T would help her TO get
- there under the trees
THAT cough--itll git away with 'er,
= she hain't keerful. She oughta have
nedicine."
Il told her SO, but she won't have
~
The Boss did not pursue the point.
4 wonan's will was something he
EVER took the trouble to question.
1svlns rcwad out into TIE cures,