Sioux County pioneer., 1922-08-31
CHAPTER v,
-3.

CHAPTER "
B.
1mpatiently Fairchild awaited Moth
er Howard'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, "I-"
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
q hand on his shoulders. For q mo-
ment it 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, calmed.
"What do you want to know, SOM"
'Everything"
"But there isn't much can tell"
He caught her hand.
"There is! know there is. T."
"Son-all can do is to make mat
ters worse. II knew anything that
would help you-if l could give you
any light on anything, Old Mother
Howard would dc it.! Lord, didn't I
help out your father when he needed
1t the worst way? 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 a
young man.. the very first 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. AS for Newell,
they always called me Mother How
ard, even when was young thing,
sort of setting my cSp for every good
looking young man that came along.
I 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-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 it7" !.
III you could tell me about my IA
ther-"
SIN going to-all I know. Things
were lot different out here then
from what they were later. Every
where around the hills and gulches
Sou 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.
SSquint' 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 it must have had poor pow
der behind it-all 1t did was to cut
through the skin and 60 straight up
his forehead. When the wound healed,
the scar drew his eyes close together,
like Chinaman's. You never see
5Squint's eyes more than half open.
5"And he's crooked, just like his
eyes Mother Howard's voice bore
Il touch OF resentment. II never liked
him from the minute I first saw him,
and I liked him less afterward. Then
u got next to his game.
Your father had been prospecting
Just like everybody else. He'd come
on float up Kentucky gulch and was
trying to follow it to the vein. Squint
saw imand what's more, he saw
that float. Il looked good to Squint
and late, that night, I heard him and
his stwoA drinking partners, Blindeye
Bozeman' and Taylor Bill-they just
reverse his name for the sound of it..
talking in Bllndeye's room. I'm a
woman Mother Howard chuckled
80 i Just leaned my head against the
door and listened. Then few down
stairs to wait 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 hgur-
ing on Jumping his claim before he
could die. on It and all that.
Z Well, there was q big Cornishman
here that was kind Of sweet onand
II guess I a,ways win be. Hes been
zone nov, though, ever since your fa-
ther left. got him and asked him
10 Aelh And Harry was Just tho kind