Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-05-31

AS he looked back over n years
he found himself bordering the con.
tradictions Of her life, In the light OF
the story he had heard that memoir
able afternoon-the refinement IN the
mist of mean surroundings, the stern
pride that had held her so long IN
exile because of a word tina n Gh
muck ana CRIME Of the river had
never smudged her. Through it all
she had kept as pure. as white, as a
flake Of snow-and as old
What air y'u cal'clat' t do with
them wild roses here in tn tum pier
in the winder-keep 'em r chuck EN-
out? l cayn't find but n more
tumbler."
The voice OF the old Boss half
startled the man on the doorstep:
The grufr old fellow had never left
him, night or day. He was inside the
cabin now washing up the breakfast
things, his scanned and seasoned face
red from the heart of the stove.
The Pcarlhuntcr had forgotten
him. the rumpled house. the dishes,
everything. He lifted his face from
his hands, rose, and entered the
cabin. The Boss was pointing 10
three wild roses-a red, a pink,
The vision the Pearlhunter had
seen on the rock at h pool came
again. A vision-it had been just
that, only that; ar exquisite picture
flashed before his face and instantly
snatched away-a picture he would
he looked back upon it in the light
Of another day. But no, there were
the roses. He bent his face uown
and caught the aroma of their breath.
LET them be-" he said. "They
will last another day."
The Boss made. no reply. To him
they were merely faded roses. He
taken upon himself, a task which the
younger man, knowing his ways, had
not disputed. The Pearlhunter him
self set about putting the rest of the
house in order.
The Boss finished first. He was
sitting on the door-step>about to light
his pipe when the younger man
called him. With the freshly filled
pipe in one hand, the unlighted
match in the other, he rose and
stepped back into the cabin. The
Pearlhunter was standing before a
small ~hair-covered trunk, scarcely
the present day. 1t stood open, with
the lid thrown back, exactly as it had
stood two nights before wher. he
came up from the river and found
his mother dying. Its contents SEEM
ed to indicate that they had been
rumma8ed through by some n
whose haste had been great-doubt-
less by his mother. 1t hurt him to
recall the cause Of that haste. The
blood-stained glove she had held in
her hand lay uppermost. probably
tossed there ny one Of the river men.
He continued to look down on the
trunk even after the Boss had Joined
him. They key was still in>the lock.
In all his life he had never before
seen it open.
Its time to know what's in this
trunk"
A certain t%enseness in his voice es-
capped the Boss.
Don't y'u?"
I've neve seen inside Of it be-
fore."
The Boss was in the act Of scraping
his match. He stopped; looked
around out of the tail of his eye, but
whatever his thoughts. he made no
comment.
First Of all, here's this glove" the
young man went on, lifting the glove
from the trunk. "You know where
we-saw it first" 80
7 The Boss threw away the stub Of
his match and felt the time-stained
and widowed article.
west Point he muttered. Hits
tn kind them sprigs wears-oficer's,
I'd say, offhand." 2"
The other stood considering it: laid
it aside; and lifted the next article
from the trunk. 1t proved to be a
woman's dress Of rich brocade. Lit
tie as the two men knew Of such
matters. it impressed even them as
being Of the very finest material and
of finished workmanship. Under it
lay other articles of woman's wear,
all equally rich, though now yellow
with the stain of time. Down be-
meath everything else lay a small box
which the Boss. from an experience
which befell him as a soldier in the
far South knew to be satinwood.
Continued IN <ov,orro,v