The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-07-27
Mountain States Telephone
and Telegraph Co.

he paced from side to side and hailed
and answered halls from the bridge,
and while he strained for sight and
hearing through the gale-swept snow,
the leaping pulse within repeated,
I've found himi I've found himl"
Alan held no longer possibility Of
doubt of old Burr's identity with Ben
jamin Corvet, since the old man had
made plain to him that he was haunt
ed by the Miwaka. Since that night
in the house on Astor street, when
Spearman shouted to Alan that name,
everything having to do with the Sc
cret of Benjamin Corvet's life had led,
SO far as Alan could follow It, to the
Miwaka; all the change, which Sher-
rill described but could not account
for, Alan had laid to that. Corvet
only could have been so haunted by
that ghostly ship, and there had been
guilt of some awful sort In the old
mans cry. Alan had found the man
who had sent him away to Kansas
when he was child, who had support
ed him there and then, at last, sent
for him; who had disappeared at his
coming and left him all his posses
sions and his heritage of disgrace, who
had paid blackmail to Luke, and who
had sent, last, Captain Staffords
watch and the ring which came with
1.-THE wedding ring.
Alan pulled his hand from his glove
and felt in his pocket for the little
band of gold. What would that mean
to him now; what of that was he to
learn? And, as he thought of that,
Constance Sheriff. came more insist
emily before him. What was he to
learn for her, for his friend and Ben
1amin Corvet's friend, whom he, Uncle
Benny, had warned not to care for
Henry Spearman. and then had gone
away to leave her to marry him? For
she was to marry him, Alan had read.
More serious damage than first re-
ported! The pumps certainly must be
losing their fight with the water In the
port compartment aft; for the bow
steadily was lifting, the stern sinking.
The starbOard rail too was raised. and
the list had become so sharp that wa
ter washed the deck abaft the fore
castle to port. And the ferry was
pointed straight into the gale now;
long ago she had ceased to circle and
steam slowly In search for boats; she
struggled with all her power against
the wind and the seas. a desperate in
sistence throbbing in the thrusts of
the engines; for Number 25 was flee
fng-feeing for the western Shore She
dared not turn to the nearer eastern
shore TO expose that shattered stern
to the seas
Four bells beat behind Alan; II was
two O'Clock. Relief should have come
long before; but no one came. He
was numbed now; ice from the spray
cracked upon his clothing when he
moved, and 1t fell In flakes upon the
deck. The stark figure on the bridge
was that OF the second officer; so the
thing which was happening below
the thing which was sending strange.
violent, wanton tremors through the
ship-was serious enough to call the
skipper below, to make him abandon
the bridge at this timei The tremors.
quite distinct from the steady tremble
OF the engines and the thuddinR of the
pumps, came again. Alan. feeling
them. jerked up and stamped and bear
his arms to regain sensation. Some
one stumbled toward him from the
cabins now, short hgure in a great
coat. 1t was woman. he saw a. abe
hailed him-the cabin maid.
I'm taking your place r. he shouted
to Alan. You're wanted-overy ones
wanted on the car deckI me cars.
The gale and her fright stopped her
voice as she struggled for speech.
The cars-fhe cars are loeser