The St. Charles herald., 1922-08-19
CHAPTER xvlIi--continued.


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The door opened then very little.
and the frightened face of an Indian
woman appeared in the crack. Inc
woman evidently had expected-and
feared-some arrival, and was reas-
sured when she saw only girl. she
threw the door wider open, and bent
to help unfasten Constances snow
shoes; having done that. she led her
In and closed the door.
"Where is your man" Constance
had caught the woman's arm.
"They sent him to the beach.
ship has sunk"
"Are there houses near here1 You
must run to one of them at once.
Bring whoever you can get; or II you
won't do that, tell me where to CO.
The woman stared at her s.olidly
and moved away. "None near." sne
said. Besides, you could not get
somebody before some one will come"
"Who is that?"
"He is on the beach-Henry Spear
man. He comes here to warm him.
seif. It Is nearly time he comes
again"
Constance gazed at her; the woman
was plainly glad Of her coming. Her
,relief-relief from that fear she had
been feeling when she opened the door
was very evident. /. was Henry,
then, who had frightened her.
The Indian woman set a chair for
her beside the stove, and put water In
= pan to heat; she shook tea leaves
from q box into bowl and brought q
cup.
"How many on that ship"
Altogether there were thirty
nine" Constance Replied.
"Seyen are living then"
"Seven? What have You heardf
What makes you think so?'
"That is what the Drum says"
The Drum! There was Drum
shen! At least there was some sound
which people heard and which they
called the Drum. For .he woman had
heard 1t.
Constance grew suddenly cold. For
twenty lives, the woman said, the
Drum had beat; that meant to her,
and to Constance too now, that seven
were left. Indefinite, desperate denial
that all from the ferry must be dead
that denial which had been strength
ened by the news that at least one
boat had been adrift near Beaver
altered In Constance to conviction OF
4 boat with seven men from the ferry.
seven dying, perhaps, but no. vet
dead. Seven out Of twenty-seven
The score were gone; the Drum had
heat for them. in little groups as they
died. When the Drum beat again.
would II beat beyond the score?
Having finished the tea, Constance
returned to the door and reOpened 1t |;
The sounds outside were the same. A
solitary figure appeared moving along
ne edge Of the ice-the fguresOf a
t1il man, walking on snowshoes; !;
moonlight distorted the figure. and 1t
was muffled, too, in a great coat which
made 1t unacceptable. He halted
and stood looking out at the lake and
J. taen, with sudden movement, strobe
Z on; he halted again, and now Con-
. stance got the knowledge that he was
not looking; he was listening as she
wAs vi
III as the Drum sounding now7" she
Y asked the woman.
"No."
Constance gazed again at the. man
4 and found his motion quite unmistak-
able: he was eounting--if not counting
something that he heard. or thought he
heard, he was recounting and review
3ng within himself something that he
Aad heard before-some irregular
= rhythm which had become so much a
! part OF him that it sounded now con-
! annually within his own brain; SO that,
] | 1nstinctively, he moved in cadence to
Il He stepped forward again now,
I. and turned toward the house.
Her breath caught as she spoke to
he woman. "Mr. Spearman is coming
I Aere .now!"
Her Impulse was to remain where
che was, lest he should think she was
nfraid Of him; but realization came to
her that there might be advantage In
seeing him before he knew that she
WAS there, 30 she reclosed the door and
drew back into the cabin.
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