The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1920-11-25

befell him as a soldier in the far
South, knew TO be satinwoOd.
The young man stood with ii in his
hand. afraid to raise the lid-afrald
TO put II TO the test. So far. the trunk
had given up nothing. He was still
nameless. What If this, too. should
prove a blank?
At last the Pearlhunter raised the
lid-some baby clothes, clean and
neatly folded: a plain gold ring
wrapped in a handkerchief Of the
finest cambria; and, under all. a pic
ture-wnat the Iron-Gray-W Woman
must have been In her girlhood. He
snatched II up. carried II to the light
Of the door and looked long upon 1t.
After a time he came back TO the
trunk. The satinwood box was the
last article In IL. and IL had told him
nothing. He laid the picture in II, re-
placed the baby clothes and ring,
closed the box and put II back. He
even took a sort of melancholy salts
faction in replacing. with studied
neatness, the glove. the dress and
other articles, after which he closed
the I'D, locked 1t, pocketed the key,
and turning to the window, stood star
ing out over the river.
He was still a man without n name.
The Boss stepped back from the
door.
1.-The Blue Moon" he said. "Hit
orta be putt away safe"
AS IL the statement recalled
thoughts that had strayed far, the
young man reached In his pocket and
drew forth the pearl, still rolled in the
bit Of cloth.
The two days of ripening and the
chafe of the cloth had greatly en-
HANGED its brilliance. Quietly rolling
the pearl up in the cloth again, he left
the cabin and, followed by the Boss,
strobe down the slope through the
trees to the boat. and together they
rowed away toward the village.
The fame of the Pearlhunter had
preceded him. AS he came up from
the wharf into the town, the Mud
hiNhy III IA SNiuOl VI INC DtuNS. diS
gorged a staggering, swearing popu-
lation that gathered round him. The
Boss crew, camped half a mile below
Fallen Rock, and the crew of Bull
Masterson, camped three miles above,
were both there. Besides these, the
O~benchain, a small steamer plying be-
tween the ports Of the Wabash. had
come In that morning, bringing other
river men.
Caught in the swirl of the crowd.
the ~Pearlhunter and his companion
were swept into the Mud Hen. A hun
dred voices clamored to have the pearl
laid upon the bar where all could file
by and see 1t. There fell a few min
utes of comparative quiet while the
hungry eyes of the river men were de-
vouring 1t. Then followed drinks all
round-at the expense Of the finder:
and-what followed is not a pleasant
task to describe.
The Pearlhunter, remembering that
mound of fresh earth at Fallen Rock,
kept his head and drank but little.
| Il he pOSS. vi tHt II lullI, cut III
dog loose as the river men say. BY
noon he was singing snatches Of half
forgotten songs and fighting the In
| dian wars all ove again, Coming up
to where his young fIsend leaned
against the bar, in easy reach of the
| pearl, still lying upon its bit of cloth,
he threw an arm about his neck and
lean. hard upon him. something he
| couldn't have been hired to do when
sober.
Come ere, you fellers. This'n's on
me, an it's to tn P~earlhunter, tn
whitest man along tn Wabash-an'
be ID I tn man what says e
ain'tl"
The rabble swarmed about the bar
all that were able. Bottle necks
gurgled: glasses clinked red whisky
sizzled down hot throats; a few
laughed foolishly.
That last drink was the Boss fin
ish. He wilted down into the nearest
chair lurched heavily over upon a ia
BILE and lay there mumbling. or laugh.
ing In high. shrill key; occasionally
shouting out a note or two of a boat
ing o that had been old on the riv'
er for a quarter of a century.
II was early afternoon before the
P~earlhunter dared to think seriously
Of depositing the pearl-before river
etiquette permitted him to remove Il
from the bar. He tried to rally the
Boss. All he got was a further In
stallment of the Indian wars.
Half disguised with II all, he turned
back TO the bar and stood leaning his
chin upon his hand. A door opened
from another part Of the building
the Mud Hen being an inn. the only
one In the place. A man entered
Crossing the floor with as little at.en
ton to the crowd as II the place had
been deserted. he staggered up to tho
bar. Perhaps he secretly wished tina
somebody would get in his way. HI
had Just that mir about him.
The ~Pearlhunter heard the dooI
open; felt the hush thar fell-tht
hush that always fails upon the rab
bic at the coming Of q masterfui pres
euce. He turned his eyes slowly 70
ward the newcomer. His nerves wer'
a steady a the woods make them
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