The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-03-03
II oor MI a m S
Rock
Starts ON ragc One,
BERTRtND W. SINCLAIR
COPYRIGHT. 1870. by rs,,ie. Rroyn a CO

HWaAFfh III countless nhnnhefh. Athhhu
Poor Mans Rock the tide sets
strongly az certain stages Of ebb
and flood. The ARIA Immediately
surrounding the Rock n thick
strewn with kelp. In those brown
patches OF scaweed the tiny fish
take refuge from their restless en-.
envy. the swift and voraeious sai.
mon.
For years Pacific coast salmon
have been taken by net and trap.
hut even before the war camo 60
send tho price OF lincn-mcsh net
beyond most hshermen'a pocket.
books. men had discovered that sal
mon could be taken commercially
by trolling lines From a single
line over the stern a was but a
logical step 10 two, four. ak linea
spaced on slender poles doomed out
on each side OF a power launch
once tho fisherman learned that
with this gear he could take salmon
In open water. So trolling was
launched. odd uoIiers grew 20
trolling fleets
But power boats cannot troll In
kelp without fouling. SO they hold
70 deep open water and leave the
keip and shoals 20 the rowboais
And that Is how Poor Mans Rock
got its name. In the kcip that sur.
rounded IL and the greater beds that
fringed Point Old. the small feed
sought refuge from the salmon and
the salmon pursued them ther~. The
foul ground and the tidal currents
that swept by the Rock held no
danger 90 the gear o. n rowboat
troller. lie could stop dead In a
boat length II his line fouled.
Only poor man trolled IN a row
boat. tugging at tho cars hour after
hour without cabin. shelter from
wind and sun and rain. But Poor
Mans Rock had given many man
his chance. And BECAUSE FORE many
years old men. men with lean
purses. men with a rowboat. few
dollars. and a hunger for lndepend.
ence, had camped In Squitty Cove
and fished around the Rock, the
name had chung to that brown hum
mock OF granite rstiny out OF the
sea at hair tide.
There were two or three rowboaf
men who had 1shed the Cove al
most since Jack MacRae could re-
member-there was an old withored
Portuguese he knew IN a green dug
out. Long Tom Spence rowing BE-
hind the Portuguese. lie picked
out Doug sproul among three others
he did not know.
II Was an familiar 10 Jack Mac
Rae. He looked for another farnlI.
lar figure or two. without noting
them
The fish are biting fast for this
time OF year he reflected "Ita a
wonder dad and Peter Fcrrara are
not out. And never knew Bin
Munro to miss anything like this
He walked rapidly toward sauitty
Cove. His objective lay at IN.
Cove's head. a square house butt of
stout logs with n patch of ragged
grass Ia front and a picketfenced
area a, the back in which stood
apple trees and cherry and plum. ali
bare Of leaf and fruit
Even from a distance n bore a
homelike air. MacRae's face light
ened at the sight His step quick.
ened. As he set foot on the lower
step a gtri came on; on tho porch
MaeItae saw that her eyes were
wet
What's wrong. Doify7- he asked
Aren't you glad 10 see Johnny
come marching homer Where's
dad7"
''GIadr- she echoed. 7 never WINS
so glad TO see any one IN my life.
Oh. Johnny MaeRae. your fathers
sick We've done our besN but I'm
afraid it's not good enough
Coed Lord" MacRae whispered.
''as bad as that, What f. it,
The fu.- Dolly said quietly.
Everybody has been having It.
Old Bill Munro died In his shack a
week ago
has dad hAf dOcfOrg
The girl nodded
Harper from Nanaimo came day
before yesterday. He left medicine
and directions: he can't come again.
ft has more cases than he can
handle over there"
MacRas stopped short Just with
in the threshold Thru a door slight.
ly ajar came the sound OF stertort
Gus breathing. He had heard men
In the last stages OF exhaustion
from wounds breathe In that horn.
bly, distressed fashion.
He walked softly to the bedroom
door, looked In. After a minute OF
silent watching he drew back.
Il never saw dad 30 thin and odd
looking" he muttered. why, hts
hair II nearly white. How long has
he been sickT-
-Four days. Dolly answered
But he hasn't grown old and thin
In four days. Jack. He's been going
downhill for months. Too much
work Too much worry, also, I
think-out there around the Rock
every morning at daylight. every
evening till dark. II hasn't been a
good season for the rowboats"
MacRae didn't understand why his
father should have 20 drudge In a
trolling boat They had always
fished salmon, 80 far back as he
could recall. but never OF stark
necesgfty. He nursed his chin in
his hand and thought lie looked
up at the girl at Last.
You're worn out, aren't you,
DoIly?' he said. Have you been
caring for him alone7"
Uncle Peter helped" she an
swered. But I've stayed up and
worried. and I am tired. Of course.
II isn't a very cheerful home-com-
ing. is 1t, JackY'
MacRae got up suddenly. Tive
4