The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-07-13


twenty years old7"
She ran and bent beside him over
the coins. Twenty yearsI" she re-
peated. She was making out the dates
OF the coins now herself; the markings
were eroded. nearly gone in some in
stances. but in every case enough re-
mained to make plain the date.
"Eighteen-nlnety = 1894 = 1885," she
made them out. Her voice hushed
queerly. What does 1t meanf' she
whispered.
He turned over and re-examined the
articles with hands suddenly steady
ing. There are two sets Of things
here" he concluded. "The mufier
and paper Of directions-they be-
longed to my father. The other things
1t isn't six months or less than six
months that they've lain in sand and
water to become worn like this; it's
twenty years. My father can't have
had these things; they were some
where else, or some one else had them.
He wrote his directions to that per-
son-after June twelfth, he said, SD 1t
was before June twelfth he wrote it;
but we can't tell how long before. 1t
might have been in February, when he
disappeared; 1t might have "een any
time after that. But II the directions
were written 80 long ago. why weren't
the things sent to you before this?
Didn't the person have the things
thenf Did we have to wait to get
thsm7 Or-was 1t the Instructions to
send them that he didn't have7 Or, II
he had the instructions, was he wait
ing to receive word when they were
to be sentf You thought these thing,
proved my father was dead. 1 thin'
they prove he Is allvel On, we nr,st
think this out I"
He paced up and down the room she
sank into 4 chair, watching him. "The
nrst thing that we must do," he said
suddenly, sis to nnd out about the
watch. What il the phone number
Of the telegraph officer
She told him, and he went opt to the
telephone: she sprang up to follow
him, but checked herself and merely
waited until he came back.
I've wired to Buffalo," he an
nounced. "The Merchants exchange
II 1t IL still In existence. must have >
record Of the presentation of the
watch"
'.Then you'll stay here With ~ until
an answer comes?"
"Ifiwe get Z reply BY tomorrow morn
ing; III wait till then. II not, I'll ask
you to forward 1t to me. must see
about the trains and get back to FranlE-
fort can cross by boat from there
to Manitowoc-that will be quickest.
We must begin there. by trying to find
out who sent the package"
> She helped him put the mufr1er and
the other articles into the box she no
ticed that the wedding ring was no
longer with them. He had taken that.
then: it had meant to him all that she
had known II must mean. ~.
In the morning she was up very
early; but Alan. the servants told her.
had risen before she had and had gone
out. The morning. after the cool nortlp
ern night, was chill. she slipped
sweater on and went out ON the vevan-
da, looking about for him. An rides
bay In 1t she heard q ships bell strike
twice then another struck twice-then
another-and another-and another.
The haze thinned as the sun grew
warmer, showing the placid water Of
the bay on which the ships stood dou-
BILE. She saw Alan returning, and
knowing from the direction from which
| he came that he must have been to the
| telegraph Office she ran to meet him.
"Was there an answer!" she Inquired
eagerly.
He took yellow telegraph sheet
| from his pocket and held 1t for her to
read.
"watch presented Captain Caleb
| Stafford, master Of propeller freighter
| Marvin Halch for rescue OF crew and
| messengers Of sinking steamer Winnie
bago of Long point. Lake Erie"
She was breathing quickly in her ex-
element. "Caleb Stafford !" she ex-
claimed. "why, that was Captain Staf-
ford of Stafford and Ramsdell! They
owned the Miwaka! J"
"Yes," Alan said.
great change had come over him
since last night he was under emotion
80 strong that he seemed scarcely to
lnre speak lest II master nina leap
NJ. exultant Impulse 1t was. which
ie fought to keep down.
"What Is 1t. Alan?" she asked.
What is 1t about the Miwaka? You
aid you'd found some reference to It
n Uacle Benny's house. What was itf
,'l,it did you find there?'
THE man" Alan swallowed and
,endl.d himself and repeated-"the
an | met In the house that night
entioned 1t. He seemed to think
as !, ghost that had haunted Mr.. Cor
t-the ghost from the Miwaka; at
asi he shouted out to me that ]
u,lnt save the Miwaka!"
save the Miwaka What do you