Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1922-07-14
CHAPTER xvnI--contInued.

The door opened then very little,
and the frightened face of an Indian
woman appeared I'm the crack. The
woman evidently had expected--and
feared-some arrival, and was reas-
sured when she saw only n girl. She
threw the door wider open. and bent
20 help unfasten Constance's snow
shoes: having done that. she led her
I'm and closed the door.
"Where is your man3" Constance
had caught the woman's arm.
"They sent him to the beach. A
ship has sunk"
"Are there houses near here? You
must run TO one Of them Mt once.
Bring whoever you can get or II you
won't do that, tell me where to 60"
The woman stared at her s.olldly
and moved away. "None near" she
said. Besides, you could not get
somebody before some one will come"
"Who Is thatf"
"He Is on the beach--Henry Spear
man. He comes here to warm him
self. II is nearly time he comes
again"
Constance gazed at her; the woman
was plninly glad of her coming. Her
rellef--relief from that fear she had
been feeling when she opened the door
was very evident 1. was Henry,
then. who had frightened her.
The Indian woman set chair for
her beside the stove, and put water In
u pan to heat; she shook tea leaves
from box into a bowl and brought n
cup.
"How many on that ship"
Altogether there were thirty
nine" Constance replied.
"Seven are living them
"Scven1 What have you heardf
What makes you think so?"
"That Is what the Drum says"
The Drum There was u Drum
thenl At least there was some sound
which people heard and which they
called the Drum. For he woman had
heard It.
Constance grew suddenly cold. For
twenty lives the woman said, the
Drum had beat that meant to her,
ana 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
boat with seven men from the ferry,
seven dying, perhaps, but no. yet
dead. Seven out of twenty-seven !;
The score were gone; the Drum had
beat 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 II /;
the sounds outside were the same. A
solitary figure appeared moving along
the edge OF the ice-the figure Of a
tall man, walking on snowshoes /;
moonlight distorted the figure, and II
was muffled. too, In a great coat which
made II unacceptable, He halted
and stood looking out at the lake and
then, with sudden movement, strobe
on he halted again, and now Con-
stasce got the knowledge that he was
mol looking: he was listening as she
waA.
as the Drum sounding now2" she
asked the woman.
"No"
Constance gazed again at the man
aud found his motion quite unmistak-
able; he was counting-if not counting
something that he heard. or thought he
heard. he was recounting and review
ing within himself something that he
hnd heard before--some irregular
rhythm which had become so much a
part OF him that II sounded now con-
tlnually within his own brain; so that
instinctiveiy. he moved In cadence to
II. He stepped forward again now.
and turned toward the house.
Her breath caught as she spoke Ia
the woman. "AIr. Spearman is coming
here nOww
Her impulse was 90 remain where
she was, lest he should think she was
afraid of him; but realization came Il
her that there might be advantage In
seeing him before he knew that she
wns there. so she reclosed the door anC
drew back into the cabin.