The Ordway new era., 1921-01-28

after the Pearihunter secured his
spear. he turned the nose Of the skiff
down stream and shipped his oars long
enough to light his pipe.
"Mother hung back little right at
the last" the young man said, his
mind doubtless dwelling on the IN
usual experience, the first experience
in his life. of actually living upon
land. 'She was afraid somebody
might not like US to move into the
cabin. But l told her they couldn't do
more than make us move OUT
"Afear'd of tn Wild Man. wus she?"
The younger man looked up.
"Say, tell me about that Wild Man.
She did mention him this afternoon"
The Boss took the pipe from his lips
and blew away the smoke in n slow
cloud, as II wishing to prolong the feel
of it upon his tongue.
''The Wild Man." he pondered, "a
harmless Oh cuss, an pitiful to see.
Seven year he's been in these Flat
woods Hit amt often body gifts
glimpse Nv I'm. l did Once-a tall OIL
ghost of a man-tall as you almost
but u face on i'm the pitifulest you
ever see. An like a ghost he comes
and like a ghost he goes-nobody
knows where to. They say he's got o
daughter somewhere's up in the hills
thar but l never seed her"
The Boss went back to his pipe. The
other sat pondering what he had just
heard.
NO. It wasn't on account Of the
Wild Man. he resumed, as II in an
swer to the Boss first question. "She
was afraid somebody might make us
leave"
"An' that7l be long while a-Goin',"
the Boss answered. They aln't no.
body in this quarter o. tn world has
got tn right Z do that. That Ian b.
longs t Colonel Warbritton. Ever hear
tell of him?"
81 never did"
"He owns hundreds and hundreds of
acres-five or six sections, | guess
ayin' in square right along the river
here, tn very heart and flower nv tn
Flatwoods. That's his east line back
thar where the River road bends
north. It'll be many a long day b'fore
he orders anybody off. He's got so
much b'sides | don't s'pose he hardly
knows he's got this. | doubt If he ever
seen it,
The Boss let the oars drift while he
turned his head and sat a moment
sweeping his eyes up and down the
dim. forest-bOuhd shore line
Them Warbrittons is n remarkable
I.a
one. Soldiers an fighters sence tn
Lord knows when. In times long ago
they wus clan. They had a flag with
gray wolf on it, an they called their
selves the Gray Wolf clan. They say
every man in the clan wus brave. an
every woman virtuous. An that's
what they prided themselves on spe-
cial partic'lar. They wus all big
men. They wus five of 'em in the
Revolution; two with Clark; an four
in the war of 70"
The Pearlhunter bent forward and
hung upon the words. Somehow they
strangely stirred him.
81 fit tn Injuns under this Colonel
Warbritton. TIL soldiers use T. talk
about i'm a lot around tn campfire.
That's how I come t. know s. much
about i'm. Hit wus me that saved his
scalp at Horseshoe Bend tang of
pride crept into the hard tones of the
griZZled old river man. His hoss got
shot through tn brains an fell s.
quick he caught tn colOneI's foot, an
| stood over i'm with tn bayonet
whilst he got loose. We sent seven
screechin' heathens t. hell that day
b'fore hep come. That's how / got t
be sergeant. Hit wus tn best he
could do fer man that hadn't no
learnin'. No. No. You needn't be
afear'd of gittin' driv' out O. tn cabin.
II the colonel wus here, he wouldn't
He clutched the oars in earnest. A
few lusty strokes drove the boat down
to where the glare from the campfire
of the Boss crew Of "cIammers" hared
out across the water. There he turned
in to get the jack light.
A dirtier bunch of men than the five
lounging about that campfire couldn't
be found anywhere else In the world
except In another "clammer's' camp.
The practice Of the early pearl fishers
was to put the clans In watts and al
low them to die there and rot. This
muck was afterward carefully "han-
| died" for whatever pearls 1t might con-
tain.
The ordinary Jack light is simply an
oil burner-in early days candle. or
fire of pine knots-arranged with a re-
flector-on the bow Of the boat In such
way as to throw the full brilliancy
Of the light down upon the water,
leaving the fisherman himself In dark
ness. Such light. II the night be
dark and the water quiet and clear,
renders objects beneath the surface
perfectly plain to considerable depth.
While the Boss was fastening the
| iacyx lfrht to the bow of the hat the