The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-04-07
CHAPTER w.
ARRIVED Safe; Well"

'iiSS So'o
AS the door closed behind Sheriff.,
Alan went over to the dresser and
picked up the key which Sheriff. had
left. He put 1t, after a moment, ON
the ring with two or three other keys
he had, and dropped them into his
pocket then he crossed to u chair and
sat down.
Sheriff. had spoken of the possibil-
ity that something might have HAP.
pened' TO COrvet; but ii was plain he
did not believe he had met with actual
violence. He had left it to Alan 10 cX-
anime Corvet's house but he had not
urged Alan To examine 1t at once; he
had left the time Of the examination
to be determined by Alan. This
showed clearly that Sheriff. believed
perhaps had sufficient reason for be-
lieving-that Corvet had simply gone
away" Corvet, Sheriff. had said, had
married in 1850. But Sheriff. In long
knowledge Of his friend, had shown
firm conviction that there had been
no mere vulgar liaison In Corvet's life.
Did this mean that there might have
been some previous marriage OF Alan's
father-some marriage which had
strangely overlapped ana nulliiied his
public marriage? In that case, Ala
could be, not only in fact but legally,
Corvet's son and such things ms this,
Alan knew, had sometimes happened,
and had happened by a strange combi-
nation Of events, innoCently for all
parties. COrvet's public separation
from his wife, Sheriff. had said, had
taken place in 1897, but the actual
separation between them might, pos
sibly, have taken place long before
that.
The afternoon had changed swiftly
into night; dusk had been gathering
during his last talk with Sheriff., so
that he hardly had been able to see
SherrilIs face, and just after Sheriff.
had left him, full dark had come. Alan
did not know how long he had been
sitting in the darkness thinking out
these things but now Il little clock
which had been ticking steadily in the
blackness tinkled six. Alan heard a
knock at his door, and when 1t was re-
peated, he called. Come in"
The light which came in from the
hall, as the door was opened, showed
a man servant. The man, after Il re-
spectful inquiry, switched on the light,
He crossed into the adjoining DOM
a bedroom; the room where Alan was,
he thought, must DC a dressing room,
and there was Il bath between. Pres
emily the man r~eappeared, and moved
softly about the room, unpacking
Alan's suitcase. He hung Alan's other
suit I'm the closet on hangers; he put
the linen, except for one shirt, in the
dresser drawers, and he put Alan's
few toilet things with the ivory
backed brushes and comb and other
articles on the dressing stand.
Alan wondered, with IL sort of trepi-
dation, whether the MAJ would expect
to stay and help him dress; but he
only put the buttons in the clean shirt
and reopened the dresser drawers and
laid out a change Of things.
II was to tell yOu, sir, Mr.. Sheriff.
is sorry he cannot be at home to din
ner tonight. Mrs. Sheriff. and Miss
Sheriff. will be here. Dinner is at
seven. sir"
Alan dressed slowly, after the man
had gone; and at one minute before
seven he went downstairs.
There was no one In the lower hall
and, after an instant Of i~rresolutiOn
and q glance into the empty drawing
room, he turned into the small room
at the opposite side of the hall. A
handsome, stately, rather large wOm-
an, whom he found there, introduced
herself to him formally as Mrs. Sher-
rill. Her reserved, yet almost too
casual acceptance Of Alan's presence,
told him that she knew all the par
ticulars about himself which Sheriff.
had been able to give; and as Con
stance came down the stairs and
joined them half a minute later, Alan
was certain that she also knew.
Dinner was announced, ard they
went into the great dining room,
NhSiC thC '"oAN WIN io ihiSh, oi'Si,
and china cleaned under shaded
lights. The oldest and most dignifieG
Of the three men servants who waited
upon them In the dining room Alan,
thought must be a butler-a species Of
creature of whom Alan had heard but
never had seen; the other servants, at
least, received and handed things
through him, and took their orders
from him.