The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-04-08
{. Continued from last issue)


"'They stared, he told me, into one
another's eyes, and Stafford grew I'M
easy.
"'We'd have been all right he an
swered, until we had got help, If you'd
left us where we were! He, too, lis
tened to the sound Of the buoy and Of
the water dashing on the shoal. You
are taking US too close he said-'toO
closer He went aft then to look at
the tow line" -. =
Father Perron's voice ceased; what
he had to tell now made his face
whiten as he arranged it in his mem
DRY. Alan leaned forward little and
then, with an effort, sat straight. Con-
stance turned and gazed at him; but
he dared not look at her. He felt her
hand warm upon his; it rested there
moment and moved away.
"There was a third man In the
wheelhouse when these things were
spoken" Father Perron said, "the mate
of the ship which had been laid up at
Manistique."
Henry spearman," Sheriff. sup
piled.
'That is the name. Benjamin Cor
vet told me of that man that he was
young, determined, brutal and set upon
getting position and wealth for him
self by any means. He watched COrvet
and Stafford while they were speak
| ing. and he, too, listened to the shoal
until Stafford had come back; then he
went aft.
"T looked at him, Father Benjamin
| Coryet said to me, and I let him go
| not knowing. He came back and
| looked ut me once more, and went again
to the stern; Stafford had been watch
ing him as we'll AS /, and sprang away
from me now and scrambled after him.
The tug leaped suddenly; there was
no longer any tow holding it back, for
the hawser. had parted; and knew,
Father, the reason was that Spearman-
had cut It.! ~,
81 rang for the engine to be slowed,
and left the wheel and went aft !;
some struggle was sgoing on at the
stern of, the tug fash came from
there and the cracking of shot. Sud-
denly all was light about me as, aware
Of the breaking Of the hawser and
alarmed by the shot, the searchlight OF
the Miwaka turned upon the tug. The
cut end Of the hawser was still upon
the tug, and Spearman had been trying
to clear. this when Stafford attacked
him they fought, and Stafford struck
Spearman down.. He turned and cried
out against me-accusing me Of hav-
ing ordered Spearman to cut the line.
He held up the cut end toward Rams
dell on the Miwaka and cried out to
him and showed by pointing that it
had been cut. Blood was running
from the hand with which he pointed,
for he had been shot by Spearman;
and now again and 4 second and a
third time, from where he lay upon the
deck, Spearman fred. The second Of
those shots killed the engineer, who
had rushed out where 1 was on the
deck; the third shot went through
Stafford's head. The Miwaka was drift
ing down upon the reef; her whistle
sounded again and again the four long
blasts. The fireman, who had followed
the engineer up from below, fawned
on me! / was safe for all him, he
said; could trust Luke-Luke would
not tell! He too thought had Or
dered the doing Of that thing!
"'F'rom the B1iwaka, Ramsdell yelled
curses at me. threatening me for what
he thought that had done! looked
at Spearman as he got up from the
deck, and read the thought that had
been in him; he had believed that he
could cut the hawser in the dark. none
seeing, and that our word that 1t had
been broken would have as much
strength as any accusation Stafford
could make. He had known that to
share a secret such as that with me
would snake" him on the lakes; for
the loss Of the Miwaka would cripple
Stafford and Ramsdell and strengthen
me and he could make me share with
him whatever I made. But Stafford
had surprised him at the hawser and
had seen. 3 =
"I moved to denounce him, Father,
as I realized this; I moved-but
stopped He had made himself safe
against accusations by me! None
none ever would believe that he had
done this except by my order, if~he
should claim that; and he made plain
that he was going to claim that. He
called me fool and defied me. Luke
--eyen my own man, the only one left
on the tug; with us---believed 1t: And
there was murder in it now, with STAFF
ford dying there upon the deck and
with the certainty that all those on
the Miwaka could not be saved. I
felt the moose as if it had been al
ready tied about my neck! And 1
had done no wrong, Father! l had
only thought wrong! ~, ~
also long as one lived among those
on the Miwaka who had seen what
was done. II knew I would be hanged;
yet I would have saved them If could.
But, in my comprehension of what
..-- - o.. ]r.