The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1920-10-15
CHAPTER Il-cOntinued.

the man. Involuntarily his hand felt
for the pistol at his hip he whirled
toward the door The woman clutched
his 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
life-threads OF the actors: the two
river waits staring down at the mask :;
the hard n an 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 I!
What must have been her fate :"
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 hail came up from the houseboat
The sudden cry half startled them
both. coming so close as it did on the
heels OF that tense moment barely
gone
IFS the Boss. 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
tin get back I'll only be gone a lit
tie WHILE
The woman made no answer. The
red mask still lying upon the table
caught his eve. Rolling 1t up. he hid
ii under a Ioosened chink i'm the cabin
wall. picked up his hat and started
for the door hesitated came back 10
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 u question:"
He turned and left the cabin: closed
the door after him and strobe down
the slope to the houseboar.
The men who hunted the river mus
sci along the Wabash before the days
of the button industry hunted il for
the pearl sometimes found Embedded
between It's flesh and she'll Struggling
up and down the streams. often Singly
soDootfrpac In Draws tbov xvara N Sbfft
less. fiery, reckless breed-of a feather
with the buccaneers of other days. and
led on by the same lure; chance
fling at fortune. A pearl of great
value was sometimes found-even run
ming well up into the thousands. But
the chance of finding such a pearl was
small Still there was the chance, and
ii Is surprising what a certain type
Of men will endure for such a chance,
when the same ends might be at
tanned, certain and sure, by patient In
dustry.
A grizzled old river man sat with
the nose of his skiff damned up on the
gravel by the bow of the household
when the Pearlhunter came down the
slope. The Boss they called him. the
river men, because in his long years in
the industry he had managed TO
scrape together an 'outfit" and work
a crew of "clammers" too poor to hunt
alone. His hands were still upon he
oars. The Pearlhunter pushed the
boat off and sprang In. directing the
houseboat after the fish spear he had
been 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 it would help her to get |
lp there under the trees
THAT cough-itll git away with 'er, |
+ she hain't keerful. She oughta have |
Medicine"
81 told her so. but she won't have |
t.
The Boss did not pursue the point |
l woman's will was something he /
lever took the trouble TO question
having rowed out into the current,
fter the PearIhunter secured his
pear. he turned the nose of the skiff
Iown stream and shipped his oars long |.
nough to light his pipe.
Mother hung back a little right at
ne last" the young man said. his
mind doubtless dwelling on the un-
sual experience. the first experience
0 his life, Of actually living upon
and. "She was afraid somebody /
night not like us to move into the
abin. But told her they couldn't do
1ore than make us move out"
"Afear'd OF tn Wild Man. wus ST.
The younger man looked up. l