T H E G A T E CIT Y JO U R N A L . N Y SS A . O R E G O N
<>U( U . o i u . .
THE INDIAN DRUM
B y W illiam M acH arg a n d Edwin B a lm cr
Copyright by Edwin Balmcr
SLU G G ED !
SYNOPSIS.— W e a lth y a n d 'h i g h l y
place«! in th e C h ic a g o b u s in e s s
w o rld , b e n j a m i n C o r v e t i.i som e*
th in g o f a re« I use a n d a m y s tn ry
to h is a s s o c ia te s . A lte r a s to r m y
in te r v ie w w ith id s p a r t n e r , H e n ry
S p e a r m a n , C o rv e t seel*.« C o n s ta n c e
S h e r r ill, d a u g h t e r of liis o th e r
b u s in e s s p a r t n e r , L a w re n c e S h e r
r ill, a n d s e c u r e s fro m h e r a p r o m
ise n o t to m a r r y S p e a r m a n u n til h e
r e t u r n s . H e th e n d is a p p e a r s . S h e r
r ill le a r n s C o rv e t h a s w r itte n to a
c e r t a in A la n C o n ra d , in b lu e R a p
id s, K a n s a s , a n d e x h ib ite d s tr u n g *
a g i t a t i o n o v e r t h e m a tte r . C o r v e t’s
le t t e r s u m m o n s C o n ra d , a y o u th of
u n k n o w n p a r e n t a g e , to C h ic a g o .
A la n a r r i v e s in C h ic a g o . F r o m a
s t a t e m e n t o f S h e rrill it s e e m s p r o b
a b le C o n ra d is C u r v e t's ille g itim a te
so n . C o rv e t h a s d e e d e d h is h o u s e
a n d it s c o n t e n ts to A la n , w ho ta k e s
p o s s e s s io n . T h a t n ig h t A la n d is
c o v e rs a m a n r a n s a c k i n g th e d e s k s
a n d b u r e a u d r a w e r s in C ot v e t's
a p a rtm e n ts
T he a p p e a ra n c e of
A la n tre m e n d o u s ly a g i tu te s th e in
tr u d e r . w h o a p p e a r s to th in k h im
a g h o s t a n d r a v e s o f " t h e M iw a-
k a .” A f te r a s tr u g g le th e m a n e s
c a p e s . N e x t «lay A la n learn.» fro m
S h e r r ill t h a t C o rv e t h a s d e e d e d h is
e n t ir e p ro p r ty to h im . In tro d u c e« !
to S p a r r n a n , A la n is a s to n i s h e d a t
th e d is c o v e ry t h a t h e is th e m a n
w h o m h e h a d f o u g h t in h is h o u s e
th e n ig h t b e fo re . A la n te lls n o o n e
o f h is s t r a n g e e n c o u n te r , b u t In a
p r iv a te I n te rv ie w ta x e s S p e a r m a n
w ith th e fa c t. S p e a r m a n la u g h s a t
a n d d e n t's him . S p e a r m a n p o is o n s
C o n s ta n c e 's rn in d a g a in s t A lan.
C H A P T E R V III—C ontinued.
*
— 7—
“ You’re u C hippew u, a r e n t you,
Jin iu h ? ” A lan asked.
“ Yes.”
“ Y our p eople live a t th e o th e r end
of th e lake, do n ’t th e y ? ”
“ Yes, A lan.”
“ H av e you ev e r h e a rd or th e Indian
D rum th ey talk a b o u t up th e re , th a t
th ey say so u n d s w hen it sh ip p ie s
•town on the hike?”
T h e In d ia n ’s eyes sp a rk le d e x c ite d
ly. “ Yes,” he said.
“ Do you b eliev e In it? ”
"N ot Ju st b e lie v e ; I know. E v e ry
body kn o w s th a t it so u n d s for th o se
w ho d ie on th e lake. 1 h av e h e a rd it.
It so u n d ed for my f a th e r.”
“H ow .was t h a t? ”
“ L ik e Ibis.
My f a th e r sold som e
b u llo ck s to a m an on H eaver islan d .
T h e m an k ep t sto re on B e av er island.
Alan. N o In d ian lilted him. H e w ould
not bund a n y th in g to an In d ian o r
w rap a n y th in g fn p a p e r for an Indian.
Say it w as like th is : An In d ian com es
In to buy f a it pork. F irs t th e ranti
would get th e m oney. T h en , A lan, he
would ta k e his hook an d pull th e pork
up o u t of llie b a rre l am i throw It on
th e d irty floor for th e Indian to pick
up. H e sa id In d ia n s m u st ta k e th e ir
food ofT o f (lie floor—lik e dogs.
".My f a th e r h ad to ta k e th e bullocks
to tile m an, a c ro ss to B eaver island.
At first th e In d ian s did n ot know who
th e b u llo ck s w ere for, so they helped
him . W hen th ey found o u t th e b u l
locks w e re fo r th e m an on B eav er
Islan d , th e In d ia n s w ould n ot h elp him
any longer. H e had to ta k e them
a c ro ss alone. B esides, It w as bad
w eath er, th e begin n in g of a storm .
“ H e w e n t aw ay, a n d my m o th e r
w ent to pick b e rrie s— I w as sm all th en .
P re tty soon 1 saw m y m o th er com ing
hack. S h e had no b erries, a n d h e r
h a ir w as h an g in g dow n, an d sh e w as
w alling. S he took m e In h**r a rm s an d
"Y o u 're
a C rnppew a, A ren ’t
J u d a h ? ” A lan A sked.
You, i
saitl my f a tn e r w as dead. O th e r In
d ia n s cam e a ro u n d a n d a sk ed h e r how
sh e knew , am i sh e M id sh e h e a rd th e
D ru m . T h e In d ia n s found my f a th e r ’s
la s ly .”
~l>id you e v er h e a r of a sh ip called
t h e M lw aka, J u d a h 7*
" T h a t w as long ago»** th e In d ian an
jw e re d .
“T h e y say th a t th e D rum h e a t
w ro n g w hen th e M lw aka w ent d ow n—
th a t It w as m»e heat ab o rt o f th e rig h t
n u m b er.”
“T h a t w a s long ag o ," W assaq u am
m erely re p e a te d .
•D id M r C o rv et e v er speak to yon
•tow * *>•
“ N o ; he usked m e o nce If I hud ever
h e a rd th e D rum . I to ld him .”
W assaqunm rem oved th e d in n e r and
b ro u g h t A lan n d e sse rt. H e re tu rn e d
to sta n d In th e place a c ro ss th e tab le
th a t A lan had assig n ed to him, and
stood looking dow n a t A lan, ste ad ily
an d th o u g h tfu lly .
“D o I look like an y one y o u V v er saw
before. J u d a h ? ” A lan In q u ired of him
“No.”
“ Is th a t w h at you a re th in k in g ? ”
“T h a t Is w h a t I w as th in k in g . Will
coffee be serv ed In th e lib ra ry , A lan ?”
A lan cro ssed to th e lib ra ry an d s e a t
ed h im self in th e c h a ir w h e re his f a
th e r had been accu sto m ed to sit. Was-
saq u n m b ro u g h t him th e single sm all
cup <»f cofTce. lit th e s p irit lam p on
th e sm oking sta n d an d m oved th a t
o v e r : th en lie w ent aw ay. W hen he
had finished Ids coffee. A lan w ent Into
th e sm a lle r co n n ectin g room an d r e
com m enced his e x a m in a tio n of th e
d ra w e rs u n d e r th e bookshelves. At
te n o'clock. A lan stopped h is se a rc h
an d w ent buck to th e c h a ir in th e li
b ra ry . H e d o z e d ; fo r be aw o k e w ith
a s t a r t an d a feeling th a t som e one
hud been b en d in g over him , an d gazed
up in to W a ssa q u a m ’s face. T h e In
d ian had been sc ru tin iz in g him w ith
in te n t, an x io u s Inquiry.
H e m oved
aw ay , b u t A lan called him hack.
“ W hen Mr. C orvet d isa p p e a re d , J u
dah, you w ent to look fo r Him up a t
M n nistique, w h ere h e w a s b o rn —a t
least M r. S h e rrill sa id th a t w as w here
you w ent. W hy did you th in k you
m ight find him th e r e ? ” A lan asked.
"In tin* end, I th in k , a m an m aybe
goes h ack to th e p la c e w h ere he be
gan. T h a t's all, A lan.”
"In th e e n d ! W h a t do you m ean by
t h a t ? W h a t do you th in k h a s becom e
o f Mr. C o rv e t? ”
"I th in k now — B en 's «lead.”
"W h a t m ak es you th in k th a t? ”
"N o th in g m ak es m e t h in k ; I th in k it
m y self.”
"I see. You m ean you h ave no r e a
son m ore th a n o th e rs for th in k in g i t ;
h u t th a t is w h a t you believe.”
"Y es.” W assaq u a m w en t aw ay, an d
A lan h e a rd him on th e b ack s ta ir s , a s
cen d in g t «» Ids room .
W hen A lan w en t up to h is own
room , a f t e r m ak in g th e ro u n d s to see
th a t th e ho u se w a s locked, a droning
c h a n t cam e to him from th e th ird floor.
H e p a u se d in th e hall an«l listen ed ,
th e n w e n t lip to th e floor above. A
flick erin g lig h t cam e to Him th ro u g h
tHe half-o p en door o f a room a t th e
fro n t o f tlie h o u se ; he w ent a little
w ay to w a rd it a n d looked in. T w o
th ick can d le s w ere b u rn in g b efo re a
crucifix, below w h ich th e In d ian knelt,
p r a y e r boolf in h a n d a n d rocking to
a n d fro a s he d ro n e d h is su p p lic a
tions.
A w ord o r tw o cam e to A lan, b u t
w ith o u t th em W n ssaq u am ’s occupation
w a s p la in ; he w as p ra y in g fo r th e re
pose o f tlie d e a d —th e C a th o lic c h a n t
ta u g h t to him . a s it hud been ta u g h t
u n d o u b te d ly to id s f a th e rs , by tlie
F re n c h J e s u its o f tlie lakes. T lie in
to n ed c h a n t f o r C o rv e t’s soul, by tlie
m an w ho had h e a rd th e D rum , fol
lowed a n d still cam e to A lan, ns he
r e tu rn e d to tlie second floor.
H e h ad not been ab le to determ in e,
d u rin g tlie evening, W assn q u n m ’s a t t i
tu d e to w a rd him . H av in g no one else
to tr u s t, Alnn h ad b een obliged to p u t
a c e rta in am o u n t of tr u s t In th e In
d ia n ; so ns he had e x p la in e d to W as-
snqunm th a t m orning th a t th e desk
an d th e d ra w e rs In th e little room off
C o rv et’s h ad been fo rced , an d had
w a rn e d Him to s«*e th a t no one, w ho
h ad n o t p ro p e r b u sin e ss th e re , e n te re d
tlie house. W assaq u a m h a d a p p e a re d
to a c c e p t th is o r d e r ; b u t now W ussa-
qunni b a d Im plied th a t it w as not be
c a u s e o f A lan’s o rd e r flint he h ad re
fused
re p o rte rs ad m issio n to the
house.
Alnn s ta rte d an d w ent quickly to th e
open d o o r of h is room , a s he h e a rd
voices now so m ew h ere w ith in th e
in »use. O ne o f tlie voices lie recog
nized ns W a s sa q u a m 's; th e o th e r in
d istin c t,
thick. a c cu sin g — w a s u n
know n to h i m ; it c e rta in ly w as not
S p e a rm a n 's. H e d e sc e n d e d sw iftly t«>
th e first floor, an d found W assaq u am
sta n d in g iti tin* fro n t hall, alone.
"W h o w as h ere. J u d a h ? ” A lan de
m anded.
“ A m a n ,” th e Ind lu n an sw e re d sto l
idly. “ He w as d r u n k ; I p u t him o u t.”
“ W hat «lid he com e f«>r?"
“ H e cam e t«» se e Hen. I p ut him
o u t ; he is gone. A lan.”
A lan flung open th e f ro n t d o o r am !
looked o u t. b u t he saw no «»tie.
"W h a t d id he w a n t of Mr. C orvet,
Ju d a h ?”
“ I do n ot know . I told him Ben w a s
n«»t h e r e ; he w as a n g ry , but he w ent
aw a y .”
“ H a s he e v e r com e h ere b efo re ?”
“ Y es; he com es twl« e .”
“ H e h a s b een h ere tw ic e ? ”
"M ore th a n t h a t ; e v e ry y e a r he
conies tw ice. A lan.
O nce lie cam e
o fte n e r.”
“ H o w long h as he been doing th a t? ”
"S in ce I can rem em b er.”
“ Is he a frie n d o f Mr. C o rv et?”
"N o frien«l n o !”
“ But Mr. C o rv et saw him w hen he
cam e h e re ? ”
“ A lw ays, A lnn.”
"A nd you do n ’t know a t all w h at he
m in e a b o u t? ”
“ H ow sh o u ld I know ? N o ; 1 do
not.”
Alnn got h!s c o st an d h a t. T h e
su d d en d is a p p e a ra n c e o f tlie m an
m ight m ean only tHut lie hud h u rrie d
aw ay , h u t it m ight m ean, too, th a t lie
w as still lu rk in g n e a r th e house. A lan
h ad <lo<-i«le<l to m a k e th e c irc u it o f tlie
house a n d d e te rm in e th a t. B u t a s he
cam e o ut on to th e p orch, a figure
m ore th a n a block a w a y to tlie so u th
s tro d e w ith u n c e rta in ste p o ut in to tlie
light o f u s tre e t lam p, h a lte d an d
faced a b o u t, an d shook h is flst back
a t tlie house. A lan d ra g g e d th e In
dian out on to tlie p orch.
“ Is th a t th e m an, J u d a h ? ” he de-
hnnded.
“Y’es, A lan.”
A lan ra n dow n th e ste p s a n d a t full
speed a f t e r th e m an. B u t w hen lie
reach ed th e co rn er, lie w as now h e re in
sight.
A lan retrace«! Ids s te p s for
se v era l blocks, still lo o k in g ; th e n lie
ca v e if up an d re tu rn e d e a s t to w a rd
th e D rive.
T h e sid e s tr e e t lead in g to th e D rive
w as n ot w ell lig h te d ; d a rk e n try w ay s
a n d a lle y s opened on i t ; b u t th e n ig h t
w as cle a r. A lan could s«»e a t th e end
of tin* s tr e e t, beyond th e yellow glow
«>f tlie d is ta n t b o u lev ard lig h ts, th e
He S tag g ered , S lipped, Fell S u dden ly
F o rw a rd Upon H is K nees U nder a
S tunning^ C ru sh in g Blow Upon H is
H ead F rom B ehind.
sm ooth, chill s u r f a c e of th e lake. A
w h ite lig h t ro d e above i t ; now, below
th e w h ite light, he saw a re«l sp e ck —
tlie m a s th e a d a n d p o rt la n te rn s o f a
s te a m e r n o rth w a rd bound.
F a r th e r
out, a second w h ite glow a p p e a re d
from behind tlie o b sc u ra tio n o f tlie
b u ild in g s an d below it a green sp e c k —
a sta rb o a rd light. In fo rm a tio n lie had
g ain ed en ab led him to recognize in
th e s e lig h ts tw o s te a m e rs p a s sin g one
a n o th e r a t th e h a rb o r m outh.
H is th o u g h ts tu rn e d to C o n stan ce
S h e rrill. E v e n ts since he had ta lk e d
w ith h e r th a t m o rn in g h ad p u t them
f a r a p a r t once m o re ; b u t. In a n o th e r
w ay, th ey w ere being d raw n clo ser to
g e th e r. F o r he knew now th a t sh e
w a s c a u g h t a s w ell a s he in th e m esh
o f co n seq u en ces o f a c ts n ot th e ir own.
H e atu g g ered , slipped, fell su d d e n ly
fo rw a rd upon h is knees, u n d e r a s tu n
ning, c ru sh in g blow upon h is head
from behind. T h o u g h t, co n scio u sn ess
alm o st lost, he stru g g le d , tw is tin g him
s e lf a b o u t to g ra sp a t his a s s a ila n t.
H e c a u g h t th e m a n 's clothing, try in g
to d ra g h im self u p ; fighting blind ly ,
d azed ly , u n a b le to see or th in k , he
sh o u te d aloud a n d th en ag ain , alou d .
H e scenic«! In th e d ista n c e to h e a r a n
sw e rin g c r ie s ; b u t th e w eight an d
s tre n g th «»f tlie o th e r w a s h e a rin g him
dow n a g a in to h is k n e e s ; he trie d to
slip a s id e from It, to rise. T h en a n
o th e r blow, c ru sh in g an d sick en in g ,
descended on h is h e a d ; even h e a rin g
le ft him an d . unconscious, he fell f«>r-
w ard on to th e snow an d lay still.
C H A P T E R IX.
A W alk B sside th e Lake.
"T h e n am e seem s like S h e rrill,” th e
In te rn e ngiVed.
"H e sa id It b e fo re
w hen we h ad him on tlie ta b le u p
s t a ir s ; a n d he h a s said it now tw ice
d is tin c tly —S h e rrill.”
“H is nam e, «1o you th in k ? ”
“ I sh o u ld n 't say s o ; lie seem s try in g
to sp e a k t<* som e one nam ed S h errill.
T h e re a re only fo u r S h e rrills in tin*
te le p h o n e book, tw o o f them In E v a n s
ton a n d one w ay o ut in M inootn.”
“T lie o th e r ? ”
“T h ey ’re oply a b o u t six blocks fro m
w h ere he w as picked u p ; b u t th e y ’re
on th e D rive—th e L aw re n ce S h e rrills .”
T h e in te rn e w h istled so ftly an d
l«s»ke«l m ore In te re ste d ly a t h is p a
tie n t's fe a tu re s . " H e ’ll be co n scio u s
som e tim e d u rin g th e day. th e r e ’s only
a slight f ra c tu r e , an d — p e rh a p s y o u ’d
b e tte r call th e S h e rrill house, a n y
w ay. If h e ’s n ot know n th e re , no h a rm
d o n e ; an d If lie’s o n e of th e ir frie n d s
an d he sh o u ld . . .”
T h e n u rse nodded and m oved off.
T h u s it w as th a t a t a q u a r te r to
five C o n sta n c e S h e rrill w as awakene«!
by th e knocking o f one of th e se rv
a n ts a t h e r f a th e r ’s do«>r. H er f a th e r
w ent dow n s t a ir s to th e telep h o n e in
stru m e n t w h ere h e m ight reply w ith
0 .-«• b . O I K . i . .
v.
.u f .
kim oiju u i v r h e r sh o u ld e rs, stood a t
th e to p o f th e s ta ir s an«! w aited . It
b ecam e p lain to h e r a t o n ce th a t w h a t
e v er h ad h ap p en ed hud been to Alun
C onrad.
"Y es. . . . Yes. . . . You a re
giving him ev ery p o ssible c a re ? . . .
At o n ce.”
S he ra n p a rt w ay d ow n th e s ta ir s
a n d m et h e r f a th e r a s lie cam e up.
He told Her of th e situ a tio n briefly.
"H e w as a tta c k e d on th e stre e t la te
last n ig h t; he w as u n co n scio u s w hen
th ey fo u n d him an d took him to th e
h o sp ital, am i lias been u n co n scio u s
e v e r since. No one ca n say y et how
se rio u sly lie is In ju re d .”
She w aited in th e h all w hile h er
f a th e r d re sse d , u f te r c a llin g tlie g a
rag e on th e house te le p h o n e fo r him
an d o rd e rin g th e m o to r. W hen lie had
gone, sh e r e tu rn e d an x io u sly to h er
ro o m s; lie bail p ro m ised to call h er
a f te r re a c h in g th e h o sp itu l an d a s soon
a s he h a d le a rn e d tlie p a itic u la r s of
A lan 's co n d itio n .
It w as rid icu lo u s,
of co u rse, t«> a tta i h an y resp o n sib ility
to h e r f a th e r o r h e rs e lf fo r w h a t had
h ap p en ed to A lan —a s tr e e t a tta c k su ch
u s m ig h t h av e h ap p en ed to any one
—y et sh e felt th a t th ey w ere in p a rt
resp o n sib le. T h ey h ud »let him g«> to
live alo n e in tlie h o u se In A sto r s tr e e t
w ith n o b e tte r a d v is e r p u n W ussa-
quam .
Now, an d p e rh a p s hecuuse
th ey h ad n o t w arn ed him , lie hud m et
in ju ry a n d , it m ig h t lie, m ore th a n
m ere i n j u r y ; lie m ig h t he dying.
S o m eth in g w hich hud d istu rb e d and
ex cited A iun hud h ap p en ed to him on
file first n ig h t h e h ud p asse d in th a t
h o u se ; an d now , it a p p e a re d , lie hud
been p re v e n te d fro m p u ssin g a second
n ig h t th e re . W h at h ad p re v e n te d him
h ad been a n a tte m p te d ro b b ery upon
th e s tre e t, h e r f a th e r h ad sa id . B ut
su p p o se it h ad been so m e th in g else
th an robbery.
S he c«»uld n o t fo rm u la te m ore d ef
in itely th is th o u g h t, b u t it p e r s is te il;
sh e could not deny it en tire ly and
sh a k e it off.
T o A lan C onrad, in th e la te a f t e r
noon of tliu t day, th is sa m e th o u g h t
w as com ing f a r m ore d efin itely and f a r
m ore p e rs is te n tly . H e h a d been aw ak e
am i sa n e sin c e sh o rtly a f t e r noonday.
T lie p ain o f a h ead w hich ach ed tliroh-
bingly an d o f u body b ru ise d a n d so re
w as b eg in n in g to give fllace to a fe e l
ing m erely of la ssitu d e — u la n g u o r
w hich re v isite d in co h eren ce upon him
w hen h e trie d to th in k . T h e m an w ho
had a s sa ile d Him h a d m e a n t to k i l l ;
he h ad n o t been an y o rd in a ry robber.
T h a t p u rp o se, blin d ly reco g n ized and
fo u g h t a g a in s t by A lan in th e ir s tr u g
gle, h a d been u n m ista k a b le . O nly th e
ch an ce p re se n c e of p a sse rsb y , w ho had
h e a rd A la n ’s sh o u ts a n d resp o n d ed to
them , h ad p re v e n te d th e ex ecu tio n of
h is p u rp o se, an d h ad d riv en tlie m an
to s w ift flight fo r h is ow n sa fe ty .
A little b e fo re six C o n sta n c e S h e r
rill an d S p e a rm a n called to in q u ire
a f te r him an d w ere a d m itte d fo r a few
m o m en ts to his room . S he cam e to
him , b e n t o v er him , w h ile sh e sp o k e
th e few w o rd s o f sy m p a th y tlie n u rse
allo w ed to h e r ; sh e sto o d back th en
w hile S p e a rm a n sp o k e to him . In th e
su cceed in g d a y s h e sa w h e r n early
ev ery day , acco m p an ied a lw a y s by h er
f a th e r o r S p e a rm a n ; it w a s th e full
tw o w eeks th e d o c to rs h ad In sisted on
Ids re m a in in g in tlie h o sp ita l b efo re he
saw h e r alone.
T h ey h ad b ro u g h t him hom e, th e
day b efo re— sh e an d h e r f a th e r, in th e
m o to r— to th e ho u se on A sto r stre e t.
He had in sisted on r e tu rn in g th ere,
re fu s in g th e room in th e ir h o u se w hich
th ey had o ffe re d ; b u t th e d o cto r had
en jo in ed o u td o o rs an d m o d e ra te e x e r
cise fo r him , an d sh e h ad m ad e him
p ro m ise to com e an d w alk w ith her.
He w en t to tlie S h e rrill h o u se ab o u t
ten o'clock, an d th ey w alk ed n o rth
w ard to w a rd th e p ark .
“T h e re Is so m e th in g I h av e been
w a n tin g to a sk yo u ,” s h e sa id .
"Y es.”
“T h a t n ig h t w hen you w ere h u r t— it
w as fo r ro b b ery , they sa id . W h a t do
you th in k a b o u t It?”
S h e w atch ed
him n s he looked a t h e r an d th en
a w a y : b u t h is face w as co m p letely e x
p ressio n less.
“T lie p ro ceed in g s w ere n little too
ra p id fo r m e to ju d g e. M iss S h e rrill.”
"B u t th e re w as no d em an d upon yon
to give o v er y o u r m oney b e fo re you
w e re a tta c k e d ? ”
"N o.”
S he b re a th e d n little m o re quickly?
“ It m u st be a s tra n g e se n sa tio n ." sh e |
o b serv ed , " to know th a t som e one h a s
trie d to kill you.”
"It m u st. Indeed.**
"Y ou m ean you d id n ’t th in k th a t
n e trie d to kill y o u ?”
‘‘1 w a s h a rd ly in a co n d itio n . M iss
S h e rrill, to a p p re c ia te a n y th in g about
th e nm n a t all. W hy d o y ou ns!;?”
“ B e cau se— " S he hesitate«! an in
s t a r t . " I f you w ere a tta c k e d to be
killed, it m e a n t th a t y ou m u st h a v e
been a tla e k e d n s th e s«*n o f— Mr. C o r
vet.
'X hen th a t m e a n t— a t least it
impllc-1 - t h a t Mr. C o rv et w a s killed,
th a t h e <li«l not go aw ay . You see
th a t. «*f co u rse.”
“ W ere v o r th e only o n e w ho th o u g h t
th a t? O r d id som e one sp e a k t«» you
ab o u t It?”
“ No «»ne d i d ; I sp o k e to fa th e r. H e
th o u g h t— ”
“ Y es.”
"W ell, if Mr. C o rv et w as m u rd e re d —
I’m follow ing w h at f a th e r th o u g h t, yon
u n d e r s ta n d — it involved so m e th in g a
good deal w o rse perhaips th a n a n y
th in g th a t could h av e been involved If
h e h ad only gone aw ay . T h e fa c ts we
h ad m ad e it c e rta in t h a t — if w h a t h ad
h ap p en ed to him w a s d e a th a t th e
h a n d s of a n o th e r—h e m u st h av e fo re
seen th a t «ieath an d . seek in g no p ro
te c tio n fo r h im self . . . it im plied,
th a t he p re fe rre d to die r a th e r th a n to
ask p ro tectio n — th a t th e re w as som e
th in g w h o se co n cealm en t he th o u g h t
m a tte re d even m ore to him th a n life.
I t — It m ig h t h a v e m ean t th a t h e con-
sld e re d h is l'f e w as . . . d u e to w hom
ev e r took It.” H e r voice, w h ich h ad
w as sp eak in g to A inu of ids lu th e r — a
f a th e r whom lie had n ev er know n, an d
■ whom he could riot h av e recognized by
sig h t u n til sh e show ed him th e p ic tu re
a few w eek s b e fo re ; b u t sh e w as
sp e ak i;.g a f h is fa th e r.
"M r. S h e rrill d id n ’t feel th a t it w as
n ecessa ry fo r him to do a n y th in g , even
th o u g h lie th o u g h t th a t? ”
" I f 31 r. C o rv et w as dead, w e could
do him no good, su rely , by tellin g th is
to th e p o lic e ; if tlie police succeeiled
in finding out all tlie fa c ts, w e w ould
he doing only w h at U ncle B enny did
n o t w ish — w h a t h e [»referred d e a th to.
W e could n o t tell th e police u b o u t it
w ith o u t te llin g them ull a b o u t M r. C or
vet, too. So f a th e r w ould not 1*»» him
se lf b eliev e th a t you h a d been a tta c k e d
to be killed. H e h a d to b eliev e th e
police th eo ry w as sufficient.”
A lan m ad e no co m m en t a t once.
“ W utfsaqunm b eliev es M r. C o rv et is
d e a d .” lie sa id finally. “H e told me so.
Does y o u r fu tlie r believe t h a t? ”
"I th in k he is b eg in n in g to believe
it.”
‘‘I’ve n o t t«»ld an y on e,” he sa id , now
w atch in g h er, "how I h ap p en ed to he
«nit o f th e h ouse th a t n ig h t. I follow ed
a m an w ho cam e th e re to tlie house.
W assaq u a m did n o t know h is nam e.
H e did not know Mr. C orvet w a s g o n e ;
fo r h e cam e th e re to see M r. C o rv et.
H e w as not a n o rd in a ry frie n d o f Mr.
C o rv et’s ; b u t h e h ad com e th e re o ften .
W assaq u am did n o t know w hy. Was*
saq u u n i iiad sen t tlie m an aw ay , an d
I ru n out a f t e r H im ; b u t I could n o t
fin«l him .”
H e sto p p e d an in s ta n t, stu d y in g h er.
" T h a t w as n o t th e first m an w ho cam e
to th e h o u se,” h e w ent on q u ick ly , a s
sh e w as a b o u t to sp eak . “ I found a
m an in Mr. C o rv e t’s ho u se th e first
n ig h t th a t 1 sp e n t th e re . W assaq u am
w as aw ay , you rem em b er, an d I w as
alo n e in th e h o u se.”
"A m an th e re in th e h o u se ?” sh e re
p eated .
"H e w a s g oing th ro u g h M r. C o rv e t’s
tilin g s— n o t th e silv e r a n d all th a t. Hut
th ro u g h h is d e s k s an d files an d cases.
H e w as looking fo r so m e th in g — so m e
th in g w hich he seem ed to w a n t v ery
m u c h ; w hen I In te rfe re d , it g re a tly ex
cited him .
I frig h te n e d him .
He
th o u g h t I w as a g h o st.”
"A g h o st. W hose g h o st? ”
H e sh ru g g ed . “ I d o n ’t k n o w ; som e
one whom h e seem ed to h a v e know n
p re tty w ell— a n d whom M r. C o rv e t
knew , he th o u g h t.”
"W h y d id n 't you tell us tills b e fo re ? ”
"A t le a s t— I am te llin g you now.
M iss S h errill. I frig h te n e d him , an d
h e got aw ay . B u t I h a d seen him
p la in ly .
I can d esc rib e him . . . .
You’ve ta lk e d w ith y o a r f a th e r o f th e
possib ility th a t so m e th in g m ig h t ‘h ap
p en ’ to m e such ns, p e rh a p s, h ap p en eil
to Mr. C orvet. If a n y th in g does h a p
pen to me, a d e sc rip tio n of th e m an
m ay . . . p ro v e u se fu l.”
T h en c le a rly a n d d efin itely n s he
could, he d escrib ed S p earm an to her.
She did not recognize th e d e s c rip tio n ;
lie h ad know n sin* w ould not. H a d n o t
S p earm an been in D u lu th ?
B eyond
th a t, w as n o t co n n ectio n of S p e a rm a n
w ith th e p ro w le r in C o rv et’s h o u se th e
one co n n ectio n o f air m o st difficult fo r
h e r to m ak e?
T h ey w ere sile n t a s th ey w en t on to-
w a rd h e r hom e, lie h ad sa id all he
could, o r d a re d to s a y ; to tell h e r th a t
th e m an h ad b een S p earm an w ould not
m erely h av e aw ak e n ed h e r in c re d u li
ty ; it w ould h av e d estro y ed cred en ce
u tte rly . A d efinite ch an g e in th e ir re
latio n to o n e a n o th e r h ad ta k e n p lace
d u rin g th e ir w alk. T h e fu lln e ss, th e
fra n k n e s s o f th e sy m p a th y th e re h ad
been betw een th em alm o st fro m th e 1
first m eetin g , h ad g o n e ; sh e w as
q u ite aw a re , lie saw , th a t he h ad not
fra n k ly a n s w e re d h e r q u e s tio n s ; she
w a s a w a re th a t in som e w ay he had
d ra w n h a rk fro m h e r an d sh u t h er
W hy Men
Take
Mastin’ S Yeast
Vitamon
Tablets — To Clear
The Skin and Put On
Firm Flesh
Easy and Economical
Results Quick
O f w h a t u se are fine fe a tu re s
w ith an u g ly , m o tt le d sk in ,
fla b b y flesh, s u n k e n ch eek s,
p o u c h e s u n d er th e eyes, o r a
ca r e w o r n , s ic k ly -lo o k in g fa ce?
If you want to quickly clear your
in and complexion, p u t some firm,
healthy flesh oa your bones, increase
your nerve force and power and look
and feel far hotter, simply try taking
two of MASTIN’S tiny yeast VITA
MON TABLETS with each meal and
watch the results
MASTIN’S VITAMON TABLETS
contain not only the purest form of
concentrated yeast vitamines, but all
three vitamines scientifically com
bined with specially procured organic
iron for your blood, the necessary
lime salts and other true vitalising
brain, bone and tissue making ele
ments which N ature provides to pro
duce real "stay-there” flesh, clear
skiQ and increase energy.
Under their purifying influence,
many embarrassing skin . eruptions
seem to vanish as if by magic, leaving
the skin and complexion fresh, clear
and glowing with ruddy health.
To protect yourself against imita
tions and cheap substitutes INSIST
upon MASTIN’S to get the original
and genuine VITAM ON TABLETS,
recommended by physicians and used
by millions. At all g<>o«l druggists.
MAN’S
BEST AGE
A m an is as old as his organs; he
can be as vigorous and healthy at
70 as at 35 if he aids his organs in
perform ing their functions. Keep
y o u r v ita l o rg a n s h e a lth y w ith
COLD MEDAL
T h e w orld's standard rem edy for kidney,
liver, bladder and uric acid troubles sine#
1696; corrects disorders; stim ulates vital
organs. All druggists, three sizes.
Look fo r the nam e G old Mortal on every b ox
and accep t no imitation
G re a t E x p e c ta tio n s.
Y oung D o cto r— Look here, Isabel,
co n sid erin g th a t I h a v e ju s t s ta rte d
p ra c tic in g , is n ’t th a t s tr in g of p earls
r a th e r a n e x tra v a g a n c e ?
"M y d e a r boy, I w o u ld n ’t love you
a s I do if I h a d n ’t Im p licit eo n fid en ct
In y o u r f u tu re su c cess.”— Life.
A ny fish a boy c a tc h e s ta s te s good
to h is w a y o f th in k in g .
Mrs. J. Stingley
NMHUP
Ifc iP
« .W ill
a y itiia
" I t M ust Be a S tra n g e S e n sa tio n ,'’ She
O bserv ed , “to Know T h a t Som eone
H a s T rie d to Kill You.”
out fn»tn h is th o u g h ts ab o u t h is own
p o sition here. B u t he h ad know n th a t
th is m u st he so ; it h a d been Ids first
d efin ite re a liz a tio n a f te r his r e tu rn
to co n scio u sn ess in th e h o sp ital w hen,
know ing now h e r re latio n to S p e a r
m an. h»* h ad fo u n d all q u e stio n s w hich
co n cern ed his relati«»ns w ith th e peo
ple h ere ma«le Im m e asu rab ly m ore
a c u te by th e attn«*k upon him.
She ask ed him t«> com e in nn«l s ta y
fo r luncheon, a s th ey rea c h e d h e r
hom e, b u t sh e ask ed it w ith o u t u rg
in g ; a t h is re fu s a l sh e m oved slow ly
up tn e ste p s.
"Y ou get B en C urvet;
t e l l Kim L u k e ' s h e r e ! ’*
you
B a k ersfield , C a lif. — “ D r. P ie r c e ’»
F a v o r ite P re s c rip tio n h a s been a g ro a t
help to m e n s a to n ic a n d n e rv in e a n d
I am g la d to giv e it m.v reco m m en d a
tio n .
M y h e a lth h a d becom e v ery
p o o r; I w a s su ffe rin g w ith in w a rd
w eak n e ss, w as n erv o u s, co u ld n o t
sleep, an d lo st my a p p e tite . I w a s
w eak an d su ffered w ith b a c k a c h e s an d
p a in s In tny sid e an d m y lim b s ach ed .
I w as a p h y sic al w reck w h en I b eg a n
ta k in g th e ‘F a v o rite P re s c rip tio n ’ h u t
It co m p letely c u re d m e o f all my w e a k
n ess a n d b u ilt m e u p in to a good
h e a lth y , s tro n g co n d itio n ." — M rs. J.
S tin g ley , 2128 Q St.
Go no w to y o n r n e a r e s t d ru g sto re
an d o b ta in th is w o n d e rfu l P re s c rip tio n
of D r. P ie rc e 's in ta b le ts o r liq u id or
send 10c fo r tr ia l pkg. to D r. P ie rc e 's
In v a lid s’ H otel, in Ruffnlo, N. Y., an d
w rite f o r fre e m ed ical ad v ice.
tg ^ T O K B E W "
CASCARA 1 Q U I N I N E
t l f M L B ’S <t aedaf« CmH tm i U GrtMO
“
MBatff. r . « . . . » r,4 M
Mr.
| i i r i parlraM M « V f.e l.r e .
W. R.
mu.
C0M7AXY. DET10TT
Keep Y ourSkin-Pores
Active and Healthy
W ith Cuticura Soap
S o.p 2Sc. O n h w .t 25 u d 50c. T i k m 25c.
(T U B& C O N T Ì N U I '* .)
m