The Arvada enterprise. (Arvada, Colo.) 1908-1970, 1920-12-16


ute iamped th' shell"
The pearl. passing from hand 70
hand. he'd come round to the Boss
again. who. STOPPING close to the nre.
light examined It through q small
hand lens such a. most ptari fishers
carry. "Pearihuntef." he said. turning
to the young man, you sh0rely air
lucky! You've found y'ur peari-an'
q fortune II were!"
Then It's you that's lucky" was
the slow answer. "It's not rhine"
Had the others not heen too excited.
they might have noticed that his lips
were drawn; his voice strained.
The Erixsled old river Boss gripped
his calloused hand shut upon the
pearl; his seamy old face hardened.
and there sprang up In his deep-set
eyes an expression not unlike the *.
precision 10 the eyes Of . hawk when
title to the prey In his claws u dis
puted. But the expression passed. He
thrust the pearl back into the young
mans hand % though half afraid OF
It
"say." he growled. "what d. you
think I amr'
ut was taken from your boat, II
waters you expected to dsh tomorrow.
You'd have found 1t anyway"
The hawkish glover left the blus
eyes Of the older man. leaving MIN
the frank-faced old Boss again. He
studied his young friend curiously.
"weii. nj be damn'd!" he chuckied
good-naturedly to himself. still study.
ing the other from under the edges OF
his eyes. "Say," he continued, look
Ing up frankly. II hain't got q dern
bit more claim to It than I got to the
Bank Of lngland. II you fancy have
got claims. hereby gives an conveys
'em Z you-an' II that hain't gOod
law, it's square dealin' b'twlxt man
an man; an that's better'n law any
day."
"YOu mean III"
The younger man fingered the pearl
a. II 1t had suddenly assumed new
value.
"lf you wan t insult me. fist let .
like y'u think don't"
Hero-worshipers all. after the man
ner Of their kind, the other pearl !dsh-
ers, a. II by common impulse, turned
their attention from the pearl to the
man that found 1t. He had become an
object Of wonder and curious admira-
ton. No other achievement In the
world could possibly have % distin-
guishsd him In their eyes. Suddenly
one Of their number snatched OF bis
battered hat and yelled:
"Hooray fer tn Pearlhunteri
The blu6s caught up the cheer that
followed and flung It back In multi
piled echoes, clear and far up and
down the night-bound shore. The
Boss. still hungry for the feel Of the
jewel, reached forth q grimy finger
and meditatively stirred the pearl
where It lay In the finders palm.
This ones rounder than them
other two. An it's got . shlnies
sheen. Course cayn't say p'lntedly,
eut putt Il at not lsss'n hvs thos.
SAM"
The Pearihunter was restless.
Thsre vas q frail woman back In the
cabin at Fallen Rock to whom the iind-
Ing Of the pearl would mean moro
than to anybody else In the world. Il
would mean-the mans heart warmed
with the thought. a. his mind revert.
I'd to the story Of the Afternoon
back to the house on q hill that over.
looked the river-and go0d.by to the
cough forever.
But II was some time before the
FIRST flush Of excitement died down. II
IL not one camp In q thousand that
ever sees a Blue Moon. The value Of
II was still under discussion when the
Boss happened to remember the fish
still lying In the boat.
9TH fshi" he exclaimed. tn
aies'll be at EN-"
'And ! must be getting home" The
Pearlhunter was quick to seize the
chance.
Followed BY the others. the Ross
went down to the boat-not. however.
until the Pearihunter had torn q cor.
ner out Of the cloth spread down BY
the Ore. wrapped the pearl up In It
and put 1t carefully away In his
pocket.
Insisting on relieving the Ross from
rowing on the way hack. he took his
place at the oars and waited for the
boat to be pushed of into the stream.
But the Boss. with his hand upon the
how. stood hesitatingly before giving
the final shove.
SHORTY" he called to the man who
had danced the hornpipe. and who
WAS now gone back to the Ore. 'brins
me my OIL shotgun an coat. reckon
I'll camp at Fallen Rock t'niGht."
The Pearlhunter protested against
his going to such trouble; but the
Boss hnd his way.