The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1921-08-06


ute l lamped tn shell"
The pearl, passing from hand 10
hand, had come round to the BOSS
again. who, STOPPING close to the nre-
light, examined it through small
hand lens such as most pearl hshers
carry. "Pearlhunter," he sad, turning
to the. young man, "you shorely ar
lucky! You've found y'ur teari-an
a fortune it were"
"Then it's you that's lucky" was
the slow answer. Its not mine"
Had the others not been too exclted'
they might have noticed that his ilps
were drawn; his voice strained.
The grizzled old river Boss gripped
his calloused hand shut upon the
pearl; his seamy old face hardened,
and there sprang up In his deep-see
/. ewes an expression not unlike the ex-
preston in the eyes of het4k wnen
title to the prey in his claws is as
puted. But the expression passed. he
thrust the pearl back into the young
mans hand as though half afraid on
it.
"say," he growled, "what DO you
think I ann"
.Tt was taken from your boat, IN
waters you expected to fish tomorrow
You'd have found It anyway"
The hawkish glover left the Diue
ewes Of the older man, leaving him
the frank-faced old Boss again. DC
studied his young friend curieusly.
"Well, I'll be damn'd!" he chuckied
good-naturedly to himself, still study
ing the other from under the cages oi
his ewes. "Say," he continued, look
ing up frankly. II hain't got dern
bit more claim to it than l got to the
Bank of Ingiand. If you fancy l have
got claims, hereby gives an conveys
'em t. you-an' If that hain't gooo
| law. it's square dealin' b'twixt man
an man; am that's better'n law any
day."
| "You mean it?'
The younger man fingered the pearl
as If it had suddenly assumed new
| value.
.1f you wan t. insul. me, jist let on
like y'u think don't" 49, ..
Hero-worshipers ali, after the man
ner of their kind, the other pearl fish
ers. as if by common impulse, turned
their attention from the pearl to the
man that found 1t. He had become an
object of wonder and csrious admira
ton. No other achievement in the
world could possibly have so distin
guished him in their e.es. Suddenly
one of their number snatched off lis
battered hat and yelled:
"Hooray fer tn Pearlhunter!"
The bluffs caught up the cheer thai
followed and flung it back in multi
piled echoes, clear and far up ant
down the night-bound shore. Tit
Boss, still hungry for the feel OF th'
level, reached forth grimy fiEge'
and meditatively stirred the pear
where it lay in the finders palm.
"This ones rounder than then
other two. An it's got shinie
sheen. Course cayn't say p'intedly
but I putt it at not less'n five thou
SAM"
The Pearlhunter was restless
There was frail woman back in tn
cabin at Fallen Rock to whom the find
ing of the pearl would mean NOR
than to anybody else in the world. /
would mean-the mans heart warme'
with the thought, as his mind revert
ed to the story Of the afternoon
back to the house onsa hill that ovei
looked the river-and good-by to tn
cough forever.
But it was some time before tn
first flush of excitement died down.
is not one camp in q thousand tina
} ever sees a Blue Moon. The value Q
II was still under discussion when tn
Boss happened to remember the fis
still lying in the boat.
9Th fish," he exclaimed. T1
fiiesfl be at 'em."
"And must be getting home" Tn
Pearlhunter was quick TO seize tn
chance.
Followed by the others, the Bos
went down to the boat-nOt. hOweve
until the Pearlhunter had torn co
! ner out Of the cloth spread down
the fire, wrapped the pearl up In
and put 1t carefully away In n
pocket.
Insisting on relieving the Boss fro
rowing on the way back. he took n
place at the oars and waited for tf
boat to be pushed off into the strear
; But the Boss. with his hand upon IL
bow, stood hesitatingly before givir
the final shove.
"Shorty." he called to the man WI
had danced the hornpipe, and WI
was now gone back to the fire, "brir
, me my OIL shotgun an coat recke
I'll camp at Fallen Rock might.
The Pearlhunter protested again
his going to such trouble; but u
: Boss had his way.
r.