Williams news., 1922-09-29
CHAPTER XVII
Mr. spearman Goes North

epon the f1imsy tissue paper of a car bon copy-that message which had brought tension to the offices of Cor vet, Sherrin and Spearman and had called Constance Sherrill and her naother downtown where further infor- natton could be more quickly ob- - kained-was handed to Constance by a clerk as soon as she entered her fa- eher's office. She reread 1t :; it already had been repeated to her over the tele- phone.
 "4 :O5 a. m. Frankfort Wireless sta tion has received following message from Number 25: We have Benjamin Corvet, of Chicago, aboard"
 You've received nothing later than this?" she asked.
 "Nothing regarding MT. Corvet, Miss EherrfII," the clerk replied.
 "The crew2'
 "Yes; we have just got the names of the crew. He took another copied sheet from among the pages and hand ed 1t to her, and she looked swiftly down the list of names until she found that of Alan Conrad.
 Her eyes filled, blinding her, as she put the paper down, and began to take off her things. She had been clinging determinedly in her thought to the belief that Alan might not have been aOOdEo I1lS 1ClIy. Aidh hlCoScSC, which had. sent her father north to meet the ship, had implied plainly that some one whom Alan believed might be Uncle Benny was on Number 25 she had been fighting these last few hours, against conviction that therefore Alan must be on the ferry, too.
 She stood by the desk, the clerk went out, looking through the papers which ne had left with her. What she was reading was the carbon of the report prepared that morning and sent, at his rooms, to Henry, who was not yet down.
 The last message read: ''e 40, Pc toskey Is calling Manitowoc, Signals from Number 25, after becoming in- distinct, failed entirely about 5 :45, probably by failure of ships power to supply current. Operator appears to have remained nt key. From 5 :25 to :43 we received disconnected mes sages, as follows: Have cleared an- other car they are sticking to 1t down there engine-room crew is also sticking =. hell on they won't give up :, sinking now we're going =. good-b3 stuck to end all they could know that :. hand it to them .. have cleared another car sink S. O. Signals then en- tfrely ceased"
 Constance had not realized, until the reports of the wireless messages told her that he was gone, what compan- fonshfp with Alan had come to mean to her. She had accepted it as al- ways to be existent, somehow-a con- ,Sr~1 ,fr, 9ay, often but always to be formed again. It amazed her to. find how firm a place he had found in her world of those close to her with whom she must aI- ways be intimately concerned.
 The telephone switchboard beside Constance suddenly buzzed, and the operator, plugging in a connection, said: "Yes, sir; at once," and through | the partitions of the private office on the other side, a mans heavy tones came to Constance. That was Henry's office, and in timbre, the voice was his, but it was so strange in other charac- teristtcs of expression that she waited an instant before saying to the clerk, |
 "B1r. Spearman has come fn?"
 The clerk hesitated, but the con- tinuance of the tone from the other 1 side Of the partition made reply Su- perfuous. ''Yes, Mss SherrilI."
 Constance went to Henry's door and | rapped. He made no answer and no | move to open the door; so, after wait | ing moment, she turned the knob and | went in.
 Henry was seated at his desk, facing | her, his big nands before him; one | of them held the telephone receiver | He lifted st slowly and put it upon the | hook beside the transmitter as he | watched her with steady, silent, az gressive scrutiny. He did not rise; only after moment he reco1lected that | he had not done so and came to his | feet. Good morning, Connie,' he said. | HCome in. Whats the news?"
 The impulse which had brought her | into his office went from her. She had | not seen nor heard from Henry direct | iy since before Alan's telegram had | come late yesterday afternoon; she | had heard from her father only that | he had informed Henry; that was all | "rve no news. Henry" she said. | ssHave you?" She closed the door be- | hind her, moving closer to him.
 "How did you happen to be here, l Connie7" he asked.
 She made no reply but gaZed at him. | studying him. The agitation which he l was trying to conceal was not entirely | consequent to her coming in upon him | 1t had been ruling him before. It had | underlain the loudness and abuse of | his words which she had overheard. | Nxa.n |