The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1921-02-18


the stain Of time. Down beneath
everything else lay small box which
the Boss. from an experience which
befell him as a soldier in the fal
South, knew to be satinwood.
The young man stood with 1t In his
hand. afraid to raise the lid-afraid
to put It to the test. So far. the trunk
had given up nothing. He was still
nameless. What II this. too, should
| prove blank?
At last the Pearlhunter raised the
lid-some baby clothes, clean and
neatly folded; a plain gold ring
wrapped in handkerchief Of the
| finest cambric; and. under all, a pic
| ture-what the lron-Gray-Woman
must have been In her girlhood. He
snatched It up, carried it to the light
| of the door and looked long upon 1t.
After time he came back to the
trunk. The satinwood box was the
last article In 1t. and 1t had told him
nothing. He laid the picture in 1t. re-
placed the baby clothes and ring.
closed the box and put it back. He
even took sort Of melancholy salts
faction in replacing, with studied
neatness. the glove, the dress and
other articles. after which he closed
the lid, locked 1t, pocketed the key.
ing out over the river.
He was still man without name.
The Boss stepped back from the
door.
"The Blue Moon" he said. "Hit
orta be putt away safe"
As II 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-
hanced 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
Hen, the one saloon of the place. dis
gorged q staggering, swearing popu-
lation that gathered round him. The
Boss crew, camped half mile below
| Fallen Rock, and the crew of Bull
Masterson. camped three miles above,
\ were both there. Besides these, the
Obenchain. 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 sec It. There fell a few min
utes of comparative quiet while the
hungry eyes of the river men were de-
vouring It. 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.
The Boss, on the other hand, "cut tn
dog loose" as the river men say. By
noon he was singing snatches Of half
forgotten songs and fighting the In
dian wars all over again. Coming up
to where his young friend 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
leant hard upon him. something he
couldn't have been hired to do when
sober.
"Come ere, you fellers Thisn's on
me, an it's to tn Pearlhunter, tn
whitest man along tn Wabash-an'
be ID T. tn man what says 'e
ANTI"
The rabble swarmed about the bar
all that were able. Bottle necks
gurgled; glasses clinked; red whisky
sizzled down hot throats; a few
shouted; some swore; others merely
laughed foolishly.
That last drink was the Boss fin
ish. He wilted down into the nearest
chair; lurched heavily over upon ta-
Bile and lay there mumbling, or laugh
ing in high, sbrill key: occasionally
shouting out note or two of a boat
ing song that had been old on the riv-
er for quarter of a century.
1t was early afternoon before the
Pearlhunter 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 further In
stallment of the Indian wars.
Half disgusted with it 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. man entered
Crossing the floor with as little atten-
ton to the crowd as IL the place had
been deserted, he staggered up to the
bar Perhaps he secretly wished that