The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-05-12
CHAPTER X.
q Caller.


AS the first OF the month was APP
preaching, Wassaquam had brought
his household bills and budget to Alan
that morning directly after breakfast.
To furnish Alan with whatever sums
ne needed, Sheriff. had made q cOnSid-
cradle deposit in Alan's name in the
bank where he carried his OWL &C.
count; and Alan had accompanied Shcr-
rill to the bank to be introduced and
mad signed the necessary cards in or
der to check against the deposit.
Alan had required barely half Of the
hundred dollars which Benjamin Cor
vet had sent to Blue Rapids, for his
expenses in Chicago; and he had
brought with him from 'home" a hun-
Idred dollars of his own.
The amount which W%assaquam now
desired to pay the bills was much
more than Alan had on hand but that
amount was also much less h a the
eleven hundred dollars which the serv-
ant listed as cash on hand. This, Was
saquam stated, was In currency and
kept by him. Benjamin always had
AIud hllh hSCp tiot buN All tAS VI >
.Wassaquam would not touch that sum
now for the payment Of current eX-
penses.
On the first of the month, therefore,
Alan drew upon his new bank account
to W~assaquam's order, and in the early
afternoon Wassaquam went to the
bank to cash his check-One of the
very few occasions when Alan had
been left in the house alone; Wassa-
guam's habit, 1t appeared, was to go
about on the first Of the month and
pay the tradesmen in person.
Some two hours later, and before
Wassaquam could have been expected
back, Alan, in the room which had be-
come his, was startled by q sound OF
heavy pounding, which anne suddenly
to him from q floor below. Shouts
heavy, thick, and unintelligible-min-
igled with the pounding. He ran swift
tly down the stairs, then on and down
the service stairs into the basement.
The door to the house from the area
way was shaking to irregular, heavy
blows, which stopped as Alan reached
the lower hallway; the shouts contin-
ued still a moment more. Now that
the noise of pounding did not inter
fere, Alan could make out what the
man was saying. ben Corvet =
the name was almost unintelligible-
"I5en Corvet! Ben" Then the shouts
stopped, too.
Alan sped to the door and turned
buck the latch. The door bore back
upon him, not from a push. but from
q weight without which had fallen
against it. A big, heavy man, with a
rough cap and mackinaw coat, would
have fallen upon the floor If Alan had
not caught him. His weight in Aian's
arms was so dull, so inert, that, IL vio-
lence had been his intention, there was
nothing to be feared from him now.
Alan looked up, therefore, to see If
any one had cone with him. The alley
and the street were clear. The snow
In the areaway showed that the man
had come to the door alone and with
great difficulty; he had fallen once up
OH the walk. Alan dragged the man
into the house and went back and
closed the door.
He returned and looked at him. The
man was like, very like the one whom
Alan had followed from the house on
the night when he was attacked; GER
tainty that this was the same man
came quickly TO him. He seized the
fellow again and dragged him up the
STAIRS and to the lounge Ia the library.