The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1922-06-30

come and come again for bsncKm~ii.
and Coryet had paio him. Coryet grew
rich: those connected with him pros
pered: but with Coryet lived always
the ghosts Of those he had watched
die with the Miwaka-of those Who
would have prospered with Stafford ex.
cept for what had been done. Cor
vet had secretly sought and followed
the fate of the kin OF those people
who had been murdered to benefit
him: he found some of their families
destroyed; he found almost all poor
and struggling. And though Corvet
paid Luke to keep the crime from dis
closure. yet Corvet swore to himself
TO confess II all and make such resti.
tuition as he could. But each time that
the day he had appointed with him
self arrived, he put II of and of and
paid Luke again and again. Spear
man knew Of his intention and some-
times kept him from II. But COrvet
had made one close friend; and when
that friends daughter, for whom Cor.
vet cared now most OF all in the world,
had been about to marry SpeaSman,
Coryet defied the cost to himself and
he gained strength to oppose Spest-
man. So he had written to Stafsord's
son to come; he had prepared fos con.
fession and restitution; but, after he
had done this and while he waited,
something had seemed to break In
his brain; too long preyed upon by
| hn uhn af
those who had gone, and by the echo
of their voices crying to him from the
water, COrvet had wandered away;
he had come back, under the name
Of one ri those whom he had wrOnged,
to the lake life from which he had
| sprung. Only now and then, for
few hours, he had intervals when he
remembered all; in one Of these he
had dug up the watch and the ring
and other things which he had taken
from Captain StaffOrd's pockets and
written to himself directions of what
to do with them, when his mind again
failed.
And for Spearman, strong against
all that assailed COrvet, there had been
always the terror of the Indian Drum
the Drum which had beat short for
the Miwaka, the Drum which had
known that one was saved That story
came from some hint which Luke had
spread, Corvet thought; but Spear.
man, born near by the Drum, believed
that the Drum had known and that the
Drum had tried to tell; all through
the years Spearman had dreaded the
Drum which had tried to betray him.
SO 1t was by the Drum that, In the
end Spearman was broken.
The priests voice had stopped, as
Alan slowly realized; he beard Sher.
rlll's voice speaking to him.
ut was trust that he left you,
Alan; thought 1t must be that
a trust for those who suffered by the
loss Of your fathers ship. don't
know yet how 1t can be fulfilled; and
we must think of that"
That's how l understand It," Alan
said.
Through the tumult In his soul he
became aware Of physical feelings
again, and of Sherrill's hand put upon
his shoulder In cordial, friendly
grasp. Then another hand, small and
firm, touched his, and he felt Its warm
tightening grasp upon his fingers; he
looked up, and his eyes filed and hers,
he saw, were brimmlng too.
They walked together, later In the
day, up the hill to the small, white
house which had been Caleb Stafford's
The woman who had come to the door
was willing to show them through the
house; 1t had only five rooms. One
of those upon the second floor wa:
. so much larger and pleasanter thar
the rest that they became quite sur,
that 1t was the one In which Alar
0 had been born, and where his young
: mother soon afterward had died.
= The woman, who had showed then
q about. had gone to another room ant
n left them alone.
There seems to have been no pic
: ture Of her and nothing Of hers lief
/, here that any one can tell me about
d but" Alan chOked, ITS good to b.
n able to think Of her as l can now.
Y II menn---no one can say anythin
Il against her now!'
u Alan drew nearer her, trembling.
= II can never thank you-I can neve
I. tell you whit you did for me. he''ey
e Ing in---her and in me, no matter HOY
p things looked. And then. coming u
t. here MS you did--for mel"
y YES. II was for you, Alan!"
constance! He caught her. Sh
n let him hold her.
e The woman was returning to thei
n now and, perhaps. II was ms well
* for not yet, he knew, could he MS
d her all that he wished; what had hal
/; pened was too recent yet for that. II,
n to him. Spcarman-halfm mad and fee
In Ing from the hunts Of men--was h
ct ginning to be like one who had nev'
1t been; and he knew she shared tn
,; feeling. The light In her deep eye
ne was telling him already what her ~
re swer to him would be; and III
IT. stretched forth before him full Of 10y
and happiness and hope.
-. 1.-THE END.1
m,
OF Natures Changes.