ld man was knowed all over that country, not only for his
good flour, but for his good deeds and his kindness to the poor, and
that's a mighty good name to leave behind. He always had a houseful of
company, and always got drunk fust, so that the rest of his company
would feel at home. I et dinner thar once, and they wound up with some
cake they called egg-kisses. You didn't have to chaw 'em--you just
throwed 'em up in the roof of your mouth and let 'em melt--pull over
thar to the head of the bar."

Shawn took off his shoes, and bare-footed, with trousers rolled to his
knees, began the hunt for mussels around the bar, as Burney threw out
the drag-hooks in deeper water. Burney was drifting slowly down the
stream and Shawn could see him bringing up the hooks and putting the
mussels inside the boat. Shawn found them plentiful around the edge of
the bar, and when Burney came back they had the boat well filled.

"Now, Shawn, we're goin' over to the shore and I am goin' to give you a
feast." Burney made a wood fire, and after taking the mussels from the
shell, put them in the stew-pan and let them boil for a short time, then
putting them on the broiler, he held them over the live wood coals.
"Squeeze a little of that lemon juice over them, Shawn, and season 'em
up--now try one." Shawn took one of them and nibbled it gingerly around
the edges.

"What do you think of 'em?"

"Did you ever drink out of a cow-track, Mr. Burney?"

"No. Why?"

"Well, you never missed much," said Shawn.

They rowed down to the shanty-boat and Burney built a big fire on the
shore. He got out his big kettle and said, "We're goin' to boil these
out and look for a pearl."

Under the roaring fire the kettle began to sing. Shawn watched Burney as
he filled the big pot with mussels. "You've got to boil them until the
meat comes away from the shell and is boiled all to smithereens, before
you've a chance to git a pearl."

It was late afternoon before the kettle was taken off. Burney began to
drain off the water and take out the shells. All of the substance in the
bottom of the kettle was subjected to a careful inspection as he drew
it forth.

[Illustration: Burney began to take out the shells.]

Suddenly Burney held his hand up toward the sun and exclaimed, "Come
here, quick, Shawn, I've found one--I don't know how good, but it's a
pearl!" He rubbed it between his hands and wiped it off carefully on his
sleeve. "That tiny pink spot on the side o