The spectator., 1922-04-25

ally he lunehed at his club, at rare intervals, and always unexpectedly, he appeared at his office 1 remember that summer he was terribly dis turbed because one of his ships was lost. The Corvet record was broken; Corvet ship had appealed for help; COrvet vessel had not reached port. And later in the fall. when two deckhands were washed from another of his vessels and drowned, he was again greatly wrought up, though his ships still had most favorable record. In 1902 I proposed to him that l buy full ownership in the vessels l partly controlled and ally them with those he and Spearman operated. Since then, the firm name has been Corvet, Sherrill, and Spearman.
 "Our friendship had strengthened and ripened during those years. The intense activity of Corvets mind, which as q younger man he had di- reeted wholly to the shipping. was directed, after he had isolated himself in this way, to other things. He took up almost feverishly an immense num- Der of studies-strange studies most of them for man whose youth had been almost violently active and who had once been q lake captain. l can not tell you what they all were geology ethnology, nearly score of subjects; he corresponded with vari- ous scientific societies; he has given almost the whole of his attention to such things for about twenty years. But he has made very few acquaint- ances in that time, and has kept almost none of his old friendships. He has lived alone in the house on Astor street with only one servant the same one all these years.
 The only house he has visited with any frequency has been mine. He has always liked my wife; he had-he has great affection for my daughter, who, when she was a child, ran in and out of his home as she pleased. My daughter believes now that his present disappearance-whate has hap pened to him-is connected in some way with herself. I do not think that is SO"
 | thought for a moment; ne seemed to consider, and to decide that it was not necessary to say anything more | on that subject.
 'Is there anything in what I have | told you which makes il possible for you to recollect or to explainT
 Alan shook his head. flushed, and | then grew little pale What Sherrill | told him had excited him by the coin cidences it offered between events in Benjamin Corvet's life and his own; {; l it had not made him ''recollect" Corvet, but it had given defniteness and direction to his speculations as to Corvet's relation to himself. Sherrill drew one of the large chairs nearer to Alan and sat down facing him. He felt in an inner pocket and brought out an envelope; from the en- 1 velOpe he took three pictures, and handed the smallest of them to Alan. As Alan took it. he saw that it was | a tintype of himself as round-faced boy of seven.
 That is you?" Sherrili asked. Yes; il was taken by the photog- rapher in Blue Rapids"
 And this3"
 Ths second picture. Alan saw, was one that had been taken in front of the barn at the farm. It showed Alan at twelve, in overalls and barefooted holding n stick over his head at which a shepherd dog was Jumping.
 "Yes. that Is Shep and l, Mir. Sher Till. It was taken by man who stopped al the house for dinner one day; he liked Shep and wanted a picture of him; so he got me to make 1 Shep jump, and he took it."
 Doesn't it occur to you that it was | your picture he wanted. and that he had been sent to get 1t? I wanted | your verification that these earlier pictures were of you. but this last one is easily recognizable"
 Sherrill unfolded the third picture :: it was larger than the others and had been folded across the middle to get it into the envelope, Alan leaned for ward to look at il.
 That Is the University of Kansas | football team" he said. 'I am the second one in the front TOW; I played end my junior year and tackle when I was senior Mir. Coryet-?
 "Yes; Nr. Corvet had these pictures | They came into my possession day be- fore yesterday, the day after CorvCt disappeared; l do not want to tell just yet how they did that.
 ! Aan's face, which had been flushed at first with excitement. had gone quite pale. and his hands. as he clenched and unclenched them nerv- ously, were cold. and his lips were very dry. He could think of no pos s,hle relationship between Benjamin Corvet and himself, except one, which could account for Coryet's obtaining | and keeping these pictures of him