The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-01-04
A Romance of the Great Lakes
BY KARLW. DETER
w. N. u. Service
Copyright by The Bobbs-Merrill Co.

| dicted.
"PfaughI" muttered Gustaf.
II was noon when Norman cranked
the engine and pointed the bow toward
Madrid Bay hreakwater.
| "She's maxim to blow" Jim Nelson
| predicted. a .-G
LET her!" Gustaf snapped. "She's
blowed afore this"
Net reels screeched idly on shore.
In the setter of the breakwater of
rock and cedar poles that guards the
estuary of Tamarack river, Norman
unloaded the boat, cleaned the fish.
iced them and packed them for ship.
ment south 1t was midafternoon be,
fore he had finished scrubbing tables
and floor. Then, while Nelson spun
the reel. he Strengthened the wet nets.
"Wash down the boat" Gustaf or.
dered when you get 1t clean, come
home"
Norman did not obey directly. He
stopped at the post office first. There
was a letter addressed to him. The
heavy envelope was marked "Ofticial
Business. q. s. Department of Com
merce" Norman pinched off a corner.
thrust in finger and ripped the end.
He started to read the typewriter
sheet. When he saw Ed Baker watch
ing him, amo lg. the other men at the
post office, he thrust the paper indif-
ferently into his pocket and stepped
out into the windy street
AT the first cedar clump he halted.
ostensibly TO light his pipe. The match
strike another.
He had passed his examination for
the lighthouse service. And had been
appointed to a light. He could not
| take the appointment. Hadn't he de-
cided that? But at least he had tasted
independence. brief touch of fri
umph came into his heart. An ex-
aiming board of the United States
lighthouse service had not found him
entirely without merit!
The appointment was for Blind
Mans Eye.
He stuffed the envelope back into
his pocket and trudged toward home.
Jim Nelson sat mOOdily on the back
steps.
"Evenin'. JIM" Norman said. He
was opening the door.
Nelson took the pipe from his teeth
| and mOtioned with it
Listen he directed. "She's goin
to blow. We amt much sense settin'
them nets Today. Be tore all to pieces.
| told him. fore we put 'em out.
| Gus says now he's goin' to lift day
after tomorrow, come seven gales"
The weather stayed foul. Nelson
| dozed in the parlor, fully dressed,
with his boots on. Gustaf had dropped
into an easy and cOntented slumber
with the first rise of the gale, as if
It's sound were a lullaby ant he
tired child, eretted into a deep ia
tigue Under the roof Norman lay
wakeful.
He remembered his mother and the
way she had stolen in to see that he
was covered on nights like this. Mem
DRY of her led to other memories
| GrotesQue and abOminable memories
of GuStaf'S hideOus STORIES night.
mares that had tortured him as lit.
tie boy, the story of the captains wife
! and the captains dog just
| such a wind as this had torn open the
cabin of the schooner Cortland.
The people of the town gathered on
the dunes next morning to scan the
lake for trouble. Singing spray hit
| their faces. Great breakers raced
ashore, showing white teeth at the
| obstruction of the outer bar
Like to be hi on nets" q fisher
| man shouted.
The wind raced faster, the lake
howled more threateningly, waves
smashed harder against the beaches
At six o'clock Gustaf Erickson hob
| bled into his sons bedroom.
"Out that bed" he ordered. Turn
out Time to startr'
ITO lift nets?" Norman sat up. sud
denly wide awake.
| "Sure, to lift nets. had my break
fast amt habit of sIeepin' all
day. Coffee's hot. Get move on"
half-dozen fishermen, Ed Baker
among them, were standing in Gustaf's
shack when Norman arrived at the
dock.
Gustat stretched his legs as soon as
mis- son came in.
81 been waitin you" he growled to
| Norman. "Fine lazy time to get
started" A.-
The wind reared a blasphemous ac
compartment to his words. The fish
shanty shuddered under it's blows.
| Norman Knocked out his pipe.
"We'l not lift today" he said pos
itively. "NObOdy's going out. come
home to take care of you. | didn't
need to come. But III take care now
I'm here. We're not going out"
| For the first time in his twenty-one
years he defied his father.
Gustaf's obstinate face showed no
sign of emotion. There was vacancy
in his eye. He did not hear or did
not comprehend.
"Gel move on he urged "Time
to start"
mol" Norman answered.
Ed Baker laughed.
Get ont. men," Norman command.
ed. And you," he addressed Baker,
''you get out tirsti Out. or by Mack
mac.
The men of the fleet gaped. Never
before had Madrid Bay heard that
brittle hardness In the voice of Gus
taf's son. Never had they seen such
rage in his eyes, which usually were
ho orl, h.
the other nen crowding on his toes.
Don't step in here again, BakerP
Norman shouted.
He turned to his father.
"I'm ready to do q mans job" sir,