The Angler's Story 49 



dropped out of the clouds; but Bill's woman's 

 going over the Divide, and the little gal is left 

 to you an' to me, an' we 're jest natchrally up 

 against it. I reckon Bill never thought but what 

 the kid could get along with canned goods and 

 what natur provided for it; but the natur end 

 of the outfit is cut out, and the old woman says 

 canned goods won't go. There 's but one small 

 can of milk between that kid and starvation, 

 and the mail man has n't been able to get over 

 the divide for a month. Boys," and the big miner 

 smashed a bony fist down on the table, " the 

 only way to save the kid is to take it out into 

 civilization where there is milk, and women and 

 things, and the question up to the town is, who 's 

 a-goin' to do it? I 've got two kids here with- 

 out any mother or I would n't be askin' that 

 question." 



A dozen men sprang forward out of the dark- 

 ness of the foul, oil-scented room, but Clancy, 

 he of the jack-pot, being in the lead, as he 

 generally was, being built that way, the man 

 with the yellow eyes grasped his hand and said, 

 " You 're elected, Glance, an' you bet your sweet 

 life you '11 do it." 



There was no time to lose, and on the second 

 day after the birth of the child the inhabitants 

 of Sierra Vista, to the number of fifty, crawled 

 up out of their burrows to see Clancy off with 

 the baby. He had received certain instructions 



