The Meeker herald., 1922-10-14
CHAPTER v

Impatiently Fairch!ld awaited Moth
er Towards return, and when at last
she came forth from the kitchen. he
drew her Into the old parlor. shadowy
now In the gathering dusk, and closed
the doors.
. "MrA Howard" he began, "I-"
Mother Howard" she corrected. ~
amt used to being called much else"
Mother, then-although I'm not
very accustomed to using the title.
Ny own mother died-shortly after
my father came back from out here
She walked to his side then and put
q hand on his shoulders. For mo-
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 wnnt to know, S0n!"
"IGverything!"
"But there isn't much can tell"
He caught hsr hand.
There Ia! know there IL. -
.Son-aIl I can do Is t. make mat
SeEb WoTbc. II Anew AAytHhk sh9s
would help you--lf cou,d give you
any light on anything. Old Mother
Howard would do It'll Lord. didn't
help out your father when he needed
It the worst wayl Rut I'm as much
in the dark as you. All that ever
knew was that your father came to
this boarding house when he was q
young man, the very nrst day that he
ever struck Ohadi. He didn't have
much money, but he was enthusiastic
and It 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 I was 4 young thing,
sort Of setting my esp for every good
looking young man that came along.
I guess that's why I never caught one
Of '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."
"If you could tell me about m. IA
ther-"
"I'm going to-all 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 Rodalne 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
1t. The bullet hit right between his
eyes. but 1t must have had poor pow.
der behind it-nll II did WINS to cut
through the skin and go straight ur
his forehead. When the wound healed
the scar drew his syes close together
like Chinaman's You never see
Squint's eyes more than half open.
"And he's crooked. Just like hi.
eyes" Mother Towards voice bor'
q touch of resentment. ~ never likeC
him from the minute I first saw him
and liked him less afterward. Ther
got next to his game.
"Your father hno been prospecting
Just like everybody else. He'd com,
on font up KENTUCKY guich and wa.
trying to follow 1t 10 the vein. SquIn
saw hm-and what's more. he saw
TINT float. II looked good to SQuint-
and late that night. ] heard him an,
his two drinking partners. Bllndey,
Eozemnn and Taylor Bill-they Jus
reverse his name 70: the sound of it
tnlkng In Blndeya's room. I'm I
woman" Mother Howard chuckled-
$50 just leaned my head against tn
door md listened. Then flew down
stairs to walt for your father whel
he came In from sitting up half tn
night to get an nssny on that float
SUulnt and them twD others was figur
Ing on jumping hil claim before Ii
could file ON 1t end all that.
swell. there was u big COrnlshmn
mere TINT was k!r.l Of sweet on-an
I guess always will be. He's bee
sone now, thoSxa, ever since your "a
tAer left. I got hin and asked hir
:. bslp AsA Harp was lust :as kin