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About Mt. Scott herald. (Lents, Multnomah Co., Or.) 1914-1923 | View Entire Issue (June 30, 1922)
•VN0F6I« (C-ontinued from last week) Alan tsraed bark bia two. U n»o been for htm a ireiusodoue day. Bar» If twelve hour» before be had ruin» to that house, Alan Conrad from Blue Rapid», Kan., now . . . phrseee from what I^w retire Sherrill had told Mm of hla father were running through hla tnlnd aa he opened th» door of th» room to be able Io hear gay note» In Benjamin Corvet'« buuao. of which he »aa aul» protector Th» amotion rouaed by hla Brat alght of th» lake went through him again aa h» •paned th» window to th» eaat. Now be waa In bod—be seemed to bo »tending, a epecter before a tuan Maaphemlng Behjantln Corvet and the aoula of men dead. "And the Kale •hove th» »ya! . . . Th» bullet got gau I ... Ho It'» you that got Ben I . . . Ill get you! . . . You can't save the Mlwaka!“ The Mlwaka I Th» stir of thrt name waa atrong»r now aven than before; It had bean running thraugh hla coo arlouanvaa almost constantly alnc» he bad heard IL He Jumped up and turned on th» light and found a pencil. He did not know how to »pel! the Mtn» and It waa not neceaaary to write It down; the name had taken on that deflnlteneaa and IneffacesMeness of a thing which, once heard, can sever again he forgotten But. In panic that ba might forget, he wrote IL guessing at the »pelting—“Mlwaka." It waa a name, of courae; but the name of what? It repeated and re- neated Itself to him after he got back Into bed. until tta very Iteration mao» him drowsy. Ontalde the gal» whittled and ghrleked. The wind, paaalng Ita last raalatanca after Ita aweap acroaa the prairies before It leaped upon th» lake, battered and clamored In Ita aaaault about the bouae. But aa Alan became sleepier, he heard It no longer aa It rattled th» wlndowa and howled under the eave» and over th» roof, but aa out on the lake, above the roaring and Ice crunching wave». It whipped and cir cled with Ita chill the ice-shrouded ■Idea of struggling ahi pa. So. with tbe roar of eurf and gale In hie ear», he went to Bleep with the aole conscious connection In hla mind between blm- aelf and theae ¡Mr.pie, among whom Benjamin Curvet's summons had brought him. the one name “Mlwaka." CHAPTIR VI. Th» Deed In Trott. Memory. If Alan could call It thaL bad given him a feeling for ahlpa and for the laka. But theae recollections were only what thoos of a threo-yesra' child might have been. Not only did they refill«» to connect themaelvea with anything else. but by the very finality of their laolatlon. they warned him that they and perhaps a few mor» vague memorlea of similar ■> rt—were all that recollection ever would give Mm. He caught himself together and turned hla thoughts to the approach ing visit to Sherrill—and hla father's ■Cepe. 11» had accepted Constance •hsrrill'a Invitation to drive him downtown to hla destination. Observing the towering building» to hla .Ight, be waa able to Identify aome of tne more prominent structure», fa- mill», from photographs of the city. Consignee drove swiftly a few blocks dowi. this boulevard; then, with a Sudden, “Here we are!" ahe ehot the car io the curb and »topped. She led Alan into one of the talleat and beet looking buildings. On several of ths doors opening upon the wide marble hall where the eleva tor left them, Alan saw the names, "Corvet. Sherrill and Spearman." Conatance lod the way on past to a door farther down the corridor, which bore merely the name. “Lawrence Sherrill"; evidently Sherrill, who had Interests aside from the shipping busi ness, bad offices connected with but not actually a part of the offices of CorveL Sherrill and Spearman. A girl on guard at the door, savins that Mr. Y Merrill had been awaiting Mr. Con rad, opened an Inner door and led Alai. Into a large, many-windowed room, where Merrill was sitting alone before a talde-desk. Ha pulled ths “visitor's chair" rather dose to his desk and to hla own big leather chair before asking Alan to seat himself. "You wanted to tell me. or ask me. Something last night, my daughter has told me,” HlierriU said cordially. “I'm Sorry I wasn't home wbeu you came back." "I wanted to ask you, Mr. Sherrill." Alan said, “about those facta In re gard ta Mr. Corvet which you men tioned to me yesterday but did not ex plain. You said It would not aid me to know them; but I found certain things In Mr. Corvel's bouse last night which made me want to know. If I could, everything you could tell me." Merrill opened a drawer and took out a large, plain envelope. “On the day after your father disap peared." be aald. "but before I knew be was gone—or before any one except my daughter Mt any alarm about him Morrill Opened a Drawer and Took Out a Large, Plain Envelope. —I received a short note from htm. Tbe note was agitated, almost Incoher ent. It told me he had sent for you— Alan Conrad, of Blue Rapids. Kansas —but spoke of you as though you were some one I ought to have known about, and commended you to my care. The remalmler of It was merely an agitat ed. almoat Indecipherable farewell to me. When I opened the envelope, a key had fallen out. The note made no reference to the key, but, c»mpar ing It with one I had In my pocket. I ■aw that It appeared to be a key to a safety deposit box In the vaults of a company where we both had boxes. “The note, taken tn connection with my daughter's alarm about him, made It ao plain that something serious had happened to Corvel, that my first thought was merely for him. Corvet waa not a man with whom one could readily connect tbe thought of suicide; but. Alan, that was the Idea I had. I hurried at once to hla house, but the bell waa not answered, and I could not get In. Hla servant, Waaaaquam. baa very few friends, and the few times he has been away from home of recent years have been when he visited an acquaintance of hla—the bead porter In a Routh Ride hotel. I went to the telephone In the house next door and called the hotel and found Waaaaquam there. I told him over the telephone only that something waa wroog. and hurried to my own home to get the key. which I had, to the Onrvet house; but when 1 came back and let myself Into the house, I found It empty and with no sign of anything having hap pened. “The next morning. Alan, I went to tbe safe deposit vaults aa soon as they were open. I presented tbe numbered key and was told that It belonged to a box rented by Corvet, and that Oorvet had arranged about three days before for me to have access to the box If I presented the key. i had only to sign my name In their bosk and open tbe box. In It. Alan. I found the pictures of yon which I showed you yesterday and the very strange communications that I am going to show you now." Rhprrlll opened ths long envelope, from which several thin, folded papers fell. He picked up the largest of these, which consisted of several sheets fastened together with a dip, and handed It to Alan without comment. Alan, aa lie looked at It and turned tbe pages, »aw that It contained two col umn» of typewriting carried from page to page after the manner of an ac count. The column to the left was an Inven tory of property and profits and in come by months and years, and the one to tn» right was a list at loases and expenditures. Beginning al an In definite day or month in the year IWtfl. there was set down in a lump sum what was Indicated as tbs total of Ben jamin Corvet'» holdings at that Blue. To thia. In somellmes undated Itanta, ths Increase had been added. In the opposite column, beginning apparently from th» same date In IfiBfi, were tbe missing man's expenditures Alan having ascertained that the pa pers contained only this accouuL looked up questlonlngly to Merrill; but Merrill, without speaking, merely handed him the second of tbe papers. Alan unfolded It and saw that It was a letter written tn tbe same hand which had written the summons be had received In Blue Rapids and had made ths entries In the little memo randum book of the remittances that had been sent to John Welton. It began simply: “Ijtwrvnce— “Thia will come to you In the event that 1 sip not able to carry out the plan utxia which 1 am now, at last, de termined. You will find with this a list of my possessions. Deeds for all real estate execute«! and complete ex cept for recording of the transfer at th» county office; bonds, certificate», and other documents representing my ownership of properties, together with signed forms for their legal transfer to you, are In this box. These proper ties. In their entirety, I give to you Io trust to bold for the young man now known as Alan Owirad of Blue Rap id». Kam. to deliver any part or all over to him or to continue to bold It all In trust for him ns you shall coo aider Io be to hla greatest sdvantsge. “Thia for tbe reasons which I shall have told to you or him—I cannot know which one of you now. nor do I know how I shall tell W. But when you learn. Lawrence, think as well nt me as you can and help htm to be charitable to me. “With the greatest affection. “BENJAMIN CORVET." Alan, as he finished reading, looked up to Merrill, bewildered and daaed. "What does It mean, Mr. Merrill T— Does It mean that he has gone away ■nd left everything be bad—everything to meY' “If Mr. Corvet does not return, and I do not receive any other Instructions, I shall take over hla estate, as he has Instructed, for your advantage." "And. Mr. Merrill, he didn't tell you why! TMa la all you knowl” “Yes; yqu have everything now. All we can du, Alan, Is to search for him in every way we can. Hiere will be «others searching for him too now; for Information of his <llaap¡>earaii<-e has gut out. There have been reporters at the office this morning making In quirías, and hla dlsapi«esrance will be In the afternoon papers." Merrill put tbe papers back in their envelop», and tbe envelope back Inte th» drawer, which he rvlocked. “I went over all thia with Mr. Spear man this morning." he said. “He la as much at a I<> m to explain It as I am." He waa silent for a few momenta. “Th» transfer of Mr. Corvet'» prop erties to me for you," he said suddau- ly. “includes, as you have seen. Cor vel's Interest in the firm of 'CorveL Sherrill A Spearman.' I went very carefully through the deeds and trans fers In the deposit box, and It waa plain that, while he had taken great care with the forms of transfer for all the properties, be had taken particular pains with whatever related to hla bolding* in this company and to hla ■hipping Interests. If I make over the properties to you. Alan, I shall begin with those; for it seems to me that your father waa particularly anxious that you should take a personal as well as a financial place among the men who control the traffic of the lakes. I have told Rpeamian that thia Is my Intention. He has not been able to see It hi.v way as yet; but he may change bis views, 1 think, after meet ing you." Sherrill got up. Alan arose a little unsteadily. Tbe list of properties ho had read and the letter and Merrill's Statement portended so much that Ita meaning could not all come to him at once. He followed Sherrill through a abort private corridor, flanked with files lettered “CcrveL Sherrill, and Spearman,” Into the large room he had seen when be came In with Constance. They crossed thia, and Merrill, with out knocking, opened tbe door of the office marked, “Mr. Spearman.” Alan, looking on past Sherrill as the duor opened, saw that there were some half doten men In the room, smoking and talklug. His gate went swiftly on past these men to the one who, half seated on the top of the flat desk, had been talking to them ; and his pulse closed upon bls heart with a shock; he start ed, choked with astonlshmenL then swiftly forced himself under control. For this was the man whom he had met and whom he had fought In Ben jamin Corvet'» house the night before —the big man surprised In his blas phemy of Corvet and of souls “In li—I" who. at sight of an apparition with a bullet hole above Its eye, had cried out In hl» fright. "You got Ren! But you won't get me—d—n you I D—n you!" Alnn's shoulders drew up slightly, ind the muscles of his bands tight ened. ■■ Sherrill led him to this man. Rherriir put hla hand on the msa'a ■boulder; bia other hand waa stilt on Alan's arm. “Henry,” he said to ths maa. “this Is Alan Conrad. Alan. I want you ta know my partner. Mr. Rpearmna’ Spearman nodded an acknowledg ment. but did not put out hla band; his eye»—steady, bold, watchful eyea —seemed measuring Alan attentively; and In return Alan, with bls gasa, was measuring him. CHAFTIR Vit. Mr. Corvet’» Partner, The Instant of meeting, when Alan recognised In Merrill's partner, the man with whom be bed fought In Cor- vet's bouse, was one of swift readjust ment nt ell bls thought-adjustment to a ailualloa of wblcb he could not even have dreamed, and which left Mm breathless. But for Spearman, obviously, It was not thaL Following fata noncommittal nod at acknowledg ment of Sherrill's Introduction and bin first steady scrutiny of Alan, the big, handsome mao swung himself off from •toady, Boid, Watchful Eyes •earned Measuring Alan Attentively. tbe desk on which he sat and leaned against It. facing them more directly. “Oh, ye»—Conrad," he aald. His tone was hearty; tn It Alan could rec ognlxe only so much of reserve a» might be expected from Sherrill'« partner who bad taken an attitude of opposition. The shipmasters, looking on. could see. no doubL not even that; except for the excitement which Alan himself could not conceal, It must ap pear to them only an ordinary Intro duction. Alan fought sharply down tbe swift rush of bls blood and the tightening of hla muscles. “I can say truly that I'm glad to meet you, Mr. Spearman.” be man aged. There was no recognition of any thing beyond the mere surface mean ing of tbe words In Hpesrman's alow smile of acknowledgment. as be turned from Alan to Sherrill. “I'm afraid you've taken rather a bad time, Lawrence. Can't we get to gether later—thia afternoon? You'll be about here this afternoon?" “I think I can be here thia after noon.” Alan said. "Let's say two-thirty, then." Spear man turned and nuted the hour almoat solicitously among the scrawled ap pointments on bls desk pad; straight ening, after this act of dismissal, be walked with them to tbe door, bls band on Merrill’s shoulder. “Circumstances have put us—Mr. Merrill and myself—tn a very diffi cult position. Conrad." he remarked. “We want much to be fair to all con cerned—" He did not finish tbe sentence, but halted at the door. Merrill went ouL and Alan followed him; exasperation —half outrage yet half admiration—at Spearman's bearing, held Alan speech less. If every movement of Spear man's great, handsome body had not recalled to him their struggle of the night before—If, as Spearman's hand rested cordially on Sherrill's shoulder, Alan bad not seemed to feel again that big hand at Ma throat—he w»uld al most have been ready to believe that Ibis was not the man whom he bad foughL But he could not doubt that; he had recognised Spearmao beyond question. And Spearman had recog nised him—be was sure of that; he could not for an Instant doubt It; Spearman had known It was Alan whom he had fought In Corvel's bouae even before Merrill had brought them together. Was there not further proof of that In Spearman's subsequent mau- ner toward him? For what was all this cordiality except defiance? Bower and possession—both far ex ceeding Alan's must extravagant dream—were promised him by thoae papers which Sherrill had shown him. When he had read down the list of those properties, he had had no more feeling that such thlugs could be his than he had had at first thst Corvel's house could be hla—until he had heard tbe Intruder moving In that house. And now It waa tbe sense that another was going te make him fight for those properties that waa bringing to htm the realisation of bls new power. He "had" something on that man—on LOANS MBNTAl A 8pearman. He did not know what that thing was; no stretch of bls tboughL LAUER nothing that he knew abent himself RIAL ESTATE or others, could tell him; but, at sight of him, tn the dark of Corset's house, CITY PKOPBBTT s»4 PABMI Spearman had cried out In horror, he Phone 638-83 had screamed at him the name of a MU Usd atesst FIBLAND STATION sunken ship, and In terror had hurled DR. O DONNELL hla electric torch. It was true. Bpear man's terror bad not been at Alan Con EXODONTTA rad: it had been because Roearman had mistaken him for soma one else— LENTS for a ghost- BuL after learning that Cor. 92<i and Foster Road Alan was not • ghoaL Spearman'» at titude had not vary greatly changed; Scott Co. M had foughL he had been willing ta REALTY CO. P. J. ML A. WINKLER MI5 Foster Road Repairs to any machinery. Office Phone «15-10 Rea. Mfl-tg SHOUSE’S ¡RESTAURANT ■ . ...... ■■ ■ 1 11 ■■■■■■■ ■ 128 Third it., bet. 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Conrad down to confer with her fa Alan said, evenly: “1 think you and ther ; sines Henry was there, she knew I bad better have a talk before we her father would not act without hla meet with Mr. Merrill thia afternoon. agreement, and that whatever dtsp«Ml- 1 am here In Mr. Corvet’« office now tlon hart t*en mnde regarding Alan ■nd will be here for half an hour, bad been mads by him. then I'm going out." »•••»• Spearman made no reply, but bung up the receiver. Alan ant waiting, hla “Did you like him, Henry? I bo;x*d watch upon tbe desk before him— you wuuld." tense, expectant, with flushes of hot He did not snswer st once. The and cold passing over him. Ten min waitress brought their order, and he utes passed; then twenty. The tele served her. then, as the waitress phone under Corset's desk buzzed. moved away, be leaked across st Con “Mr. Spearman says he will give stance witb a long scrutiny. you five minutes now," the switchboard “You've seen a good deal of Mm. girl aald. yesterday and today, your father tells Alan breathed deep with relief; me," he observed. Bpeartnan had wanted to refuse to see "Yea." him—but he bad not refused; be bad "It’s plain enough you like Mm,” he sent for him within tbe time Alan had remarked. appointed and after waiting until Just Rhe reflected seriously. "Yea, I rto; before It expired. though I hadn't thought of It just I hat Alsn put hls watch back Into *>1» | wsy, beesuxe 1 wss thinking nioM pocket and, crossing to u*e other office, sbout the position he wss In »nd sbout found Spearman alone. There was no —Mr. CorveL But I do Me him." pretense of courtesy now In Spear “So do L" Spearman said with a man's manner; be sat motionless at seeming heartiness that pleased her. bls desk, hla bold eyea fixed oo Alan “At least I should like him. Connie, if intently. Alan closed the door behind I hsd tbe sort of privilege you have to him and advanced toward the desk. think whether I liked or disliked him. “I thought we'd better Jiave some Tve had to consider him from soother explanation." he said, "about our point of view—whether I c«>uld trust meeting last night" him or must distrust him." “Our meeting?" Spearman repeated; "D1stru»tT' Constsnce bent toward his eyes had narrowed watchfully. him Impulsively In ber surprise. "You told Mr. Merrill that you were "Dl»tru»t him? In relation to what? in Duluth and that you arrived home Why?" In Chicago only th!» murnlng. Of “In relation to CorveL Sherrill »nd course you don’t mean to stick to that Bpearman, Connie—the company that story with me?" Involves your li iere»ts and your fa- "What are you talking about?" Spearman demanded. “Of course. 1 know exactly where you were a part of last evening; end you know that I know. I only want to know wbat explanation you have to offer." Spearman leaned forward. “Talk sense and talk it quick, if you have anything to aay to me I" "1 haven’t told Mr. Merrill that 1 found you at Corvet'» house last night; but I don't want you to doubt for a ' minute that I know you—and about | your d—g of Benjamin Corvet and j your cry about saving tbe Mlwaka I" A flash of blood came to Spearman's face; Alan, In hls excitement, was sure of it; but there was Just that fiasb, no more. He turned, while Spearman sat chewing hla cigar and staring at him. and went out and partly closed the door. Then, suddenly, he reopened IL looked ki. reclosed it sharply, and went oo bis way. shaking a little. For, as he looked back thia second time at I the dominant determined, able man seated at hla desk, wbat he had seen In Spearman's face waa fear; fear of himself, of Alan Conrad of Blue Rap id»—yet It waa not fear of that sort “You’ve Seen a Qood Deal of Him, which weakens or dismays; It was of Yesterday and Teday, Ysur Father that sort which, merely warning of Tails Ma," He Obeerved. danger close at bud, determines one to use every means within hls power ther's and mlns and the Interests of to save himself. many other people—small stockholders Alsn. still trembling excitedly, who have no influence In Its manage crossed to Corvet'» office te await ment, and whose Interests I have to Merrill. It was not. be fait sura now, look after for them." Alan Conrad that Spearman was op “I don't nfiderstand. Henry." posing; It was not eves the apparent “I've had to think of Conrad this successor to the controlling stock of morning in the same way as I've had Corvut. Sherrill and Spearman. That to think of Ben Corvet of recent years Alan resembled some one—some one —as a threat arainst tho Interests of whose ghost had t?«med to come to thoae people." Spearman and might, perhaps, have Her color rose, and her pulse quick come to Corvet—waa only Incidental ened. Henry never had talked to bar, to what was going on now; for in except In tbe merest commonplaces, Alan’s presence Spearman found a about bls relations with Uncle Benny; threat—an active, present threat It was a matter tn which, she had rec against himself. Alan could not Im ognized. they had been opposed; and agine wbat the nature of that threat ■Ince tbe quarrels between the old could be. Was It because there was friend whom she had loved from child something still concealed In Corvet's hood and he, who wished to become house which Spearman feared Alan now more than a mere friend to her, would find? Or was it connected only had grown more violent she had pur with that some one whom Alan resem poaely avoided mentioning Uncle Ben bled? ny to Henry, and he. quite aa con • ••••• sciously. bad avoided mentioning Mr. Constance Sherrill's mcM active Corvet to her. thought that day waa about Henry (Continued Next Week.) Spearman, for she bad a luncheon en gagement with Mm at one o'clock. The lea room of a department store offers to young people opportunities MATT GREENSLADE for dining together without furnishing Wagon Repairing reason for even innocently connecting their names too Intimately, if a girl Is Horseshoe Iwq 4 Gen. BldcksmltNoq not seen there with the same man too AUTO REPAIRING often. There is something essentially 9327 Foster Road LENTS casual and unpremeditated about It— aa though tbe man and tbe girl, both shopping and both hungry, had just happened to meet and go to lunch to gether. As Conatance recently bed drawn closer to Henry Spearman In her thoughL and partlcolariy since she had been seriously considering marrying him, she had clung deliber ately to thia unplanned appearance about their meetings. Me glanced across at him, when she bad settled herself, and tbe first llttl» Auto 646-21 J. a. MUMv, Prep. Piano and Furniture Moving Baggs*« and Express Daily Trips to ML Scott and Lenta Agt- fee Baek B»rtsgs »»4 Us* Csal StaiHl: Fira* and Twkx I’ortlavxl Patronize our advertisers. THE REAL GIFT For Graduation or the Wedding A savings account in our bank will give the graduate a practical start in life—the only gift you can make that will increase in value. 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