Kindred of the Dust

ste and short-length stock into sash, door, blinds, moldings, and so forth, he had been wont to use about fifty per cent. of this material f

lames and resulted in a profusion of smoke that blew back upon the mill to the annoyance of the employees, for many years The Laird had caused this accumulated s

, when high winter tides swept over the spot, sand, small stones, sea-shells, and kelp were added to the mixture. And as if this were not sufficient, th

d the line of breakers. This piling, driven as close together as possible and reenforced with two-inch planking between, formed a bulkhead with the flanks curving in to the beach, thus insuring practically a water-tight pen some two acres in extent; and, with the passage o

to the town. Consequently, sawdust no longer mercifully covered the trash on the Sawdust Pile as fast as this trash arrived, and, one day, Hector McKaye, observing this, decided that it was an unsightly spot and not quite worthy of his town of Port Agnew. So he constructed a barge s

the Sawdust Pile. When the necessity for more dredger-work developed, in order to keep the deep channel of the Skookum from filling, he had the

ral manager, "when that settles, we'll run a light trac

the little promontory, and in line with extreme high-water mark on each side, he erected a driftwood fence; he had a canvas, dr

in a queer little salute that left one in doubt whether he was a former member of the United States navy or the British mercantile marine. He was a threadbare little man, possibly sixty years old, with a

ng in Port Agnew?"

ood safe anchorage for Nan and me. My name is

aird

t, that some day this would make a safe anchorage for some of my lumber. I p

Brent

ng shift to build a hom

little

ed with furtive apprehension. As he glanced at her now, she remembered her manners and dropped him a courtesy-a

potted. Over this dress she wore a boy's coarse red-worsted sweater with white-pearl buttons. The skin of her th

d-for, were small and dimpled, with long, delicate fingers. She had sea-blue eyes like Caleb Brent's, and, like his, they were sad and wistful; a frowsy wilderness of

courtesy with a patronizi

, I presume?" he ad

ied, and Nan came ten years later. She's thirt

ghter. He glanced at the embryo shack under construction and, comparing it with his own beautiful home on Tyee Head, he turned toward the bight. A short distance off the bulkhead, he observed a stau

?" he

s,

ved in he

I came down from Br

urring of the "sir" as only an old sailor can s

lor, aren't you, B

ontinuous service, sir-and I was in the mercantile marine at sixteen

d followed the smile

I'm sort of lord of creation around here. My people call me 'The Laird of Tyee,' and nobody but a stranger wo

you want m

if you stay? What do you

lf. Well, I thought I'd keep some chickens and raise some garden truck. This silt will grow anything. And I have my launch, and can do some towing, maybe,

three-quarters pay as a re

s,

nt, out of mere idle curiosity. This is my town, you know, an

me to Port Agnew. I saw your son ye

Donald told you to stay, stay you sh

sir; h

it, Brent; but since you're h

ow pi

n bank, Mr. Laird, but

ncouraging. Where

the galley. We've got a

ten dollars out of the brown teapot in the galley and deposit it in the

ation. They had beaten round Cape Flattery

u should see him again, Nan?

d, sir! He's su

asked him, he might help yo

oon when he comes out of

out to sea and dumping it. I observe that your motor-boat is fitted with towing-bitts. We dump twice a week. And you may have a monopoly on fresh fish if

ou, Mr.

r monopoly. If you do, I'

ir. And I can have th

you'd tear down that patchwork fence and replace

ye on the Sawdust Pile, sir." The old wind-bitten face flushed with pride; the faded sea-blue eyes shone with joyous anticipa

erved that the ramshackle shanty had disappeared almost as soon as it had been started and in its place a small cottage was being erected. There was a pile of lumber

rd asked him about the inhabitants of the Sawdust Pil

house, and those two carpenters weren't very busy, so Mr. Daney told me I could have them

aird

o our old house in town and let them have what furniture they require. See if you cannot manage to saw off some of

, and Nan says they'll have colors every night and morning. That means that you hoist the flag in the morning and

"I rather like old Brent and his girl for that. We Americans are

Donald continued. "Then she can see our fl

ed in anything that interested his boy. "I'll have the woods boss get out a nic

ht to fire a sunrise and sunset gun," Donald sugge

e can afford tha

tones round the base, and whitewashed them. Evidently he was a prideful little man, and liked to see things done in a seamanlike manner. And presently it became a habit with The Laird to watch night and morning, for the