American Fork citizen. [volume] (American Fork, Utah) 1912-1979, 1922-08-05
CHAPTER v


she came forth from the kitchen. he |
drew her into the old parlor. shadowy
now In the gathering dusk, and closed |
the doors.
Mrs. Howard" he began, e."
Mother Howard" she corrected. II
amt used to being called much else" |
Mother. then--although I'm not |
very accustomed to using the title. |
My own mother died-shortly after |
my father came back from out here"
She walked to his side then and put
ment II seemed that her lips were
struggling to repress something which
strove to pass them. something locked
behind them for years. Then the old
face. dim In the half light, Gained.
What do you want to know. SOM"
"Everythingw
But there isn't much can tell"
He caught her hand.
There Is know there ID. l."
"Son--all can do ls to make mat.
tiers worse. II knew anything that
: would help you'll ] could give you
any Hight on anything. Old Mother
Howard would do I'll Lord, didn't
help out your father when he needed
II the worst way? But I'm a. much
In the dark ms you. All that ever
knew was that your father came to
this boarding house when he was Q
young man. the very first day that he
ever struck Ohadi. He didn't have
much money, but he was enthusiastic
and II wasn't long before he'd told
me about his wife and baby back In
indianapolis and how he'd like to- win
out for their sake. A. for Newell,
they always called me Mother How
ard, even when ! was young thing.
sort of setting my cap for every good
looking young man that came along.
I guess that's why ! never caught one
IT 'em--I always insisted on darning
their socks and looking after all their
troubles for 'em instead of going out
buggy-riding with some other fellow
and making 'em jealous" She sighed
ever so slightly, then chuckled. "But
that amt getting to the point,
though, is it,"
III you could tell me about my ia
ther-"
"Tm going to--all I know. Things
were lot different out here then
from what they were later. Every
where around the hills and gulches
you could see prospectors, with their
gads and little picks. fooling around
like life didn't mean anything In the
world to 'em. except to grub around
] In those rocks.
''Your father was one Of these men.
'Squint' Rodaine was another-they
called him that because at some time
In his life he'd tried to shoot faster
than the other fellow-and didn't do
IT, The bullet hit right between his
eyes, but II must have had poor DOW
der behind It--al II did was 10 cut
through the skin and 20 straight up
his forehead. When lie wound healed.
the scar drew his eg,s close ,psrllcr
like n Chinumn'. Va, r,rr 80
SQuints eye iirr 6,f had open
| "And he, -r" '''-' No
eyes" Mother Towards voice bore
a touch Of resentment. 81 never liked
him from the minute I first saw him,
and ! liked him less afterward. Then
] got next to his game.
"Your father had been prospecting
just like everybody else. He'd come
on hoat up Kentucky gulcb and was
trying to follow II to the vein. Squint
saw him-and what's more, he saw
that float. II looked good to Squint--
and late that night. heard him and
his two drinking partners. Bllndeye
Bozeman and Taylor BilI-they Just
reverse his name for the sound OF it
talking In Blindeye's room. I'm q
woman" Mother Howard chuckled-
so i Just leaned my head against the
door and listened. Then flew down
stairs to walt for your father when
ne came In from sitting up half the
night to get an assay on that float.
Squint and them two others was fgur-
Ing on jumping his claim before he
could file on It and all that
well. there was a big Cornishman
here that was kind of sweet on--and
l guess ] always will be. He's been
gone now, though, ever since your fa-
Their left. got him and asked him
to help. And Harry was just the kind
or Fellow that would do II. Out In
the dead of night they went and
staked out your fathers claim-Harry
was to get 20 per cent--and early the
next morning your dad was waiting
to file on II, while Harry was waiting
for them three. And what n fight II
must have been--that Harry was a
wildcat In those younger days." She
laughed. then her voice grew serious.
But all had its effect. Rodaine
didn't jump that claim, and few of
us around here filed dummy claims
enough In the vicinity to keep him on
OF getting too ciose--but there was
one way we couldn't stop him. He