The Ordway new era., 1921-01-28
CHAPTER ll-continued.

CHAPTER fl-Continued-
b
A sudden Impulse seemed to sweep
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 pantomlme II had
been. full enough OF meaning. Of hu-
man interest. to anyone able to trace
back through the years the snarled
llfe-threads of the actors: the two
river waits staring down at the mask;
the hard man stridtng 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.
What must have been her fatei"
She ieant 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 i-resistibly
drawn in the direction the intruder
had gone.
a hail came up from the hsuseboat.
The sudden cry half startled them
both. coming so close as it did on the
heels of that tense moment barely
gone.
'Tt's the Boss. promised to go
,t-ftb hin,
Stepping to the door. he opened 1t
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
tili get back. I'll only be gone lit
tie while"
The woman made no answer. The
red mask still lying upon the table
caught his eye. Rolling it up, he hid
1t under a Ioosened chink In the cabin
wall. picked up his hat and started
for the door; hesitated: came back to
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 question -
He turned and left the cabin; closed
the door after him and strobe down
the slope to the houseboat.
The men who hunted the river mus
sci along the Wabash before the DAYS
Of the button industry hunted IT for
the pearl sometimes found lmbedded
between Its flesh and shell. Struggling
up and down the streams, often singly,
sometimes in crews. they were a shift
less. fiery, reckless breed-of a feather
with the buccaneers of other days. and
led on by the same lure; chance
fling at fortune. pearl of great
value was sometimes found--even run
ming well up into The thousands. But
the chance of finding such e pearl was
small. Still there was the chance, and
1t is surprising what a certain type
of men will endure for snch chance,
when the same ends might be at-
tained, certain and sure, by patient in
dustry.
A grizzled old river man sat with
the nose of his skiff jammed up on the
gravel by the bow of the houseboat
when the PearlhuEter 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
crew of "clammers" too poor to hunt
alone. His hands were still upon the
oars. The Peurlhunter pushed the
boat of and sprang In, directing the
Boss to row around by the stern Of the
houseboat after the fish spear he had
been filing that afternoon.
"See y'u've moved" the Boss OBJ
Ieryed as the skIff slipped out into The
stream.
Mothers cough" was the answer.
"she thought It would help her to get
up there under the trees
That cough-lt'll git AWAY with 'er.
II she hain't keerfuI. She oughta have
medicine"
Il told hsr %, but she won't have
n"
Ths Bess did not pursue the point.
\ womau's will WAS something he
neses tpok ~ trouble to question.
navi1s reWsa %. into ~ currsnt,