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

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after the Pearlhunter secured his
spear, he turned the nose Of the skin
down stream and shipped his oars long
enough to light his pipe.
Mother hung back a little right at
the last" the young man said, his
mind doubtless dwelling on the I'M
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 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 q slow
cloud, as if wishing to prolong the feel
of it upon his tongue.
'The Wild Man." he pondered, "a
harmless OF cuss, an pitiful to see.
Seven year he's been in these Flat
woods. Hit amt often a body gifts
glimpse NV i'm. did once-a tall Oh
ghost of a martial as you Almost
but q face on i'm the pitifulest you
ever see. An like ghost he comes;
and like a ghost he goes-nobody
knows where to. They say he's got
daughter somewhere's up in the hills
thar, but / never seed her."
The Boss went backsto his pipe. The
other sat bordering what he had just
heard.
mo. 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"
IAN that'n be a long while a-doin',"
the Boss answered. 'srhey amt no.
body in this quarter O tn world has
got tn right t. do that. That lam b.
longs t. Colonel Warbritton. Ever hear
tell Of him?"
ST never did" -:
HE owns hundreds and hundreds of
acres-five or six sections, / guess
layin' 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 long day b'fore
he orders anybody OF. He's got 30
much b'sideSI don't s'pose he hardly
knows he's got this. ] doubt Il 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-boupd shore line.
"Them Warbrittons IL a remarkable
race" he resumed. Fire eaters every
one. Soldiers an fighters sence tn
Lord knows when. In times long ago
they wus a clan. They had flag with
a gray wolf on 1t, an they called their
selves the Gray Wolf clan. They say
eyery man ia the clan wus brave. an
| every woman virtuous. An that's
what they prided themselves on spe-
| cial particlar. They wus all big
men. They wus i've Of 'em in the
| Revolution; two with Clark; an -four
| in the war Of '12."
The Peaflhunter bent forward and
hung upon the words. Somehow they
strangely stirred him. :
II at tn Injuns under this Colonel
| Warbritton. TIL soldiers use t tall
/ about I'm lot around tn campfire
| That's how / come t know g much
about i'm. Hit wus me that saved his
scalp at Horseshoe Bend" A tang Of
pride crept into the hard tones of tht
grixzled old river man. His boss go
shot through thu brains an fell s
quick he caught tn colonels foot, an
| stood over i'm with tn bayone
whilst he got loose. We sent sever
screechin' heathens t hell that da,
b,fore hep come. That's how. ! got I
be 8 sergeant. Hit wus tn best h
could do fer a. man that hadn't n
learnin'. No. No. You needn't b.
afear'd of gittin' driv' out O. tn cabin
II the colonel wus here, he wouldn't
He clutched the oars in earnest.
few lusty strokes drove the boat dow
| to where the glare from the campfir
Of the Boss crew Of "clammers' f1are'
l/out across the water. There he turne'
| IN to get the Jack light. &
A dirtier bunch Of men thansthe Nv
/ lounging about that campfire couldn'
| be found anywhere. else in the Horl
except In another "clammer's CAM
| The practice Of the early pearl fisher
was to put the clans in watts and a
i low them to die there and rot. TIL
muck was afterward carefully "har
| died" for whatever pearls It might cor
tain.
| The ordinary jack light Il simply =
| oil burner-in early days candle. 9
| fire Of pine knots-arranged with . n
Hector ON the bow Of the boat IN snc
| way al to throw the full brillianc
| Of the light down upon the watel
leaving the fisherman himself In darl
ness. such light. i the night b
dark and the water quiet and cleal
renders objects beneath the surfac
perfectly plein to a.considerablc dept
While the Boss was fastening II
mex Hight to the bow of the boat II
Pearlhunter stepped ashore to blacke
~ points a ~ heshly saafpene