The daily Alaskan., 1920-10-16
COPTRIGFT BY TE

COlulldulbu anu llt'u II uLluSA AI4C LuI glare of the jack light. Next moment he had handed 1t back and was drlv- ing the boat to shore, where the first glance at the peculiar markings of the mussel instantly threw the whole camp into the widest excitement
 They spread down by the light of the fire the whlteSt cloth the camp af- forded, and the Boss cut the musSel open. One pearl, large, lusrOus, dropped out upon the cloth and lay twinkllng up into their faces like fallen star. It passed from hand to hand. the pearl fishers struggling with each other for the privilege of holding 1t.
 "I never seed a one b'fOre," cried the oldest "clammer" present, "but l knowed hit were Blue Moon tn mIn- ute l lamped tn she'll"
 The pearl, passing from hand to hand had come round to the Boss agaIn, who, stoopiug close to the fire light. examined 1t through a small hand lens such as most pearl fishers carry. "Pearlhunter," he said, turning to the young man, you shorely air lucky! You've found y'ur pearl-an' a fortune 1t were!"
 "Then its you that's lucky" was the stow answer. Its not mine."
 Had the others not been too excited, they might have noticed that his lips were drawn; his voice strained.
 The griz2led old river Boss gripped his cullouSed hand shut upon the pearl; his seamy old face hardened, and there sprang up in his deep-set eyes an expression not unlike the ex- pression in the eyes of a hawk when title to the prey in his claws is dis Duted. But the expression passed. He thrust the pearl back Into the young mans hand as though half afraid ot 1t.
 Say" he growled, "what do you think l am?
 "It was taken from your boat, In waters you expected to fish tomorrow You'd have found 1t anyway"
 The hawkiSh glover left the blue eyes of the older man, leaving him the frank.fucpd old Boss again. He studied his young friend curiouSly.
 "NVclI. I'll he damn'd." he chuckled cood-narurodly to himself, still study ing the other from under the edges oi his eyes. say" he continued, look ing up frankly. "I hain't got dern bit more claim to it than l got to the Bank of In@raud. If you fancy l have got claims. hereby gives an conveys 'em [ yUu-0n' if that hain't good law, it's square dealln' b'rwLXt man an man; an that's bettcr'n Iaw any day"
 "You mean It?"
 The younger man fingered the pearl as if l; had suddenly assumed a new value.
 If you wan z insult me, jIst let on like, y'u think | don't"
 uero-worshipers all, after the man. ner of their kind. the other pearl fish CTS. as If hy common impulse, turned their attention from the pearl to the man that found it. He had become am object of wonder and curious Ndmira- tiou. No other achievement in the world could possibly have so distin- Eulshcd him in their eyes. Suddenly one of their number snatchcd of his battered hat and yelled:
 "HOoray fer tn Pearlhunterw
 The bluffs caught up the cheer that followed and llHn- it back in multi piled echoes. clear and far up and down the nlght-bound shore. The Boss, still hungry for the feel of the jewel. reached forth a grimy finger and medltatIveIy stirred the pearl where It lay in the finders palm.
 "This ones rounder than them other two. An its got shInier sheen. Course I Cayn't say pintedly, but putt 1t at not less'n five thou san"
 The PearIhunter was restless. There was a frail woman back in the cabin at Fallen Rock to whom the find ing of the pearl would mean more than to anybody else In the world It would mean-the mans heart warmed with the thought. as his mind revert ed to the story of the afternoon back to the house on q hill that over looked the river-0nd gOOd-by to the cough forever.
 But it was some time before the flrsI flush of excitement died down. It Is not one camp in a thousand that ever sees a Blue Moon. The value of 1t was still under discussion when the Boss happened to remember the fish still lying in the boat.
 9Th fishr he exclaimed. -'Th' fies'll be at 'em."
 And must be getting home" The Pearlhunter was quick to seize the 1. chance
 Followed by the others, the Boss weAt down to the bOat-not, however, until the Pearlhunter had torn a cor ner out of the cloth spread down by the fire, wrapped the pearl up in 1t, and put 1t carefully away in his pocket.
 Insisting on relieving the Boss from rowing on the way back, he took his