The Raymer enterprise., 1922-10-05
CHAPTER v

ImpatIently Falrch!ld awaited Moth
er iIoward's 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.
"Mrs Howard" he began, Il"
Mother Howard" she corrected. II
amt used to being called much else"
Mother. then-although I'm not
very accustomed to using the title.
Ny own mother dled-shortly after
my father came back from out here"
She walked to his side then and put
a hand on his shoulders. For n mo-
ment It seemed that her lips were
struggling to repress something which
strove to pass them, something lacked
behind them for years. Then the old
face, dim In the half light. calmed.
"What do you want to know, Son Z"
"Eyerything!"
"But there isn't much can tell"
lie caught her mana.
"rhere is! | know there is. -"
"Son-all can do Is to make mat
ters worse. II knew anything that
would help you--lf cou,d give you
any light on anything. Old Mother
Howard would do 1T Lord, didn't I
help out your father when he needed
It the worst way1 But 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 first day that he
ever struck Ohadi. He didn't have
much money. but he was enthusiastic
and 1t 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. As for Newell,
they always called me Mother How
ard. even when | was a young thing,
sort Of setting my csp for every good
looking young man that came along.
! guess that's why 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-ridlng with some other fellow
and making 'em jealous" She sighed
ever so slightly. then. chuckled. But
that aln't getting to the point,
though, Is itT'
"lf you could tell me about my IA
ther-"
"1'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, foollng around
like life didn't mean anything In the
world 10 'em. except to grub around
In those rocks.
"Your father was one OF these men.
'SGulnt' Rodaine was another-they
called him that because mt some time
In his life he'd tried to shoot faster
than the other feilow-and didn't do
It. The bullet hit right between his
eyes, but II must have had poor pow
der behind it--all II did was to cut
through the skin and 90 straight up
his forehead When the wound healed,
the scar drew bis syes close together,
like a Chlnaman's You never see
Squlnt's eyes more than half open.
"And he's crooked, Just like hls
eyes" Mother Hownrd's voice bore
touch of resentment. II never liked
him from the minute | first saw him,
and liked him less afterward. Then
l got next to his game.
"Your father ha1 been prospecting
just like everybody else. He'd come
on float up KENTUCKY gulch and was
trying to follow 1t 10 the vein. Squlnt
saw him-and what's more. he saw
that float. 1t looked good to Squlnt-
and late that night. heard him and
his two drinking partners. Bllndeye
Bozeman and Taylor Blll-they just
reverse his name 70. the sound of it
talking In Rlindeye's room. I'm
voman--" Mother Howard chuckled-
$50 just leaned m, head against the
door and listened. Then | flew down
stairs to wait for your father when
he came In from sitting up half the
night to ret an assay on that float.
Sguinf and them two others was figur-
Ing on jumping hla claim before he
could file on II rhd all that.
"Well. there was n big Cornlshman
0ere that was k!r.i Of sweet on-and
I guess | always will be. He's been
sone now, thorEa, ever since your IA
ther left. ] got lin and asked him
u help ASA Ha,ry was Just he kiAd