Sioux County pioneer., 1922-04-27

excitedly unsteady, he pushed the bell
beside the door.
The door opened almost instantly
30 quickly after the ring, indeed, that
Alan, with leaping throb Of his heart,
knew that some one must have been
awaiting him. But the door opened
only half way, and the man who stood
within, gazing out at Alan question
ingly, was obviously servant
"What is it?" he asked, as Alan
stood looking at him and past him to
the narrow section of darkened hall
which was in sight.
Alan put his hand over the letter
In his pocket. "I've come to see Mr..
CQrvet," he said-"Mr. Benjamin
Corvet."
"What Is your name"
Alan gave his name; the man re-
peated it after him, in the manner of
trained servant, quite without in
Election. Alan, not familiar with such
tones, waited uncertainty. So far as
he could tell, the name was entirely
strange to the servant, awakening
neither welcome ner opposition, but
indifference. The man stepped back,
but not in such manner as to invite
Alan in; on the contrary, he half
closed the door as he stepped back,
leaving it open only an inch or two;
but it was enough so that Alan heard
him say to some one within:
HE says he's him."
"Ask him in; I. will speak to him."
It was girls voice-this second one,
q voice such as Alan never had heard
before. 1t was low and soft but quite
clear and distinct, with youthful, i'm
pulsive modulations and the manner
Of accent which Alan knew must go
with the sort of people who lived in
houses like those on this street.
The servant, obeying the voice, re-
turned and opened wide the door.
"Will you come in, sir?'
Alan put down his suitcase on the
stone porch; the man made no move
to pick it up and bring it in. Then
Alan stepped into the hall face to face
with the girl who had come from the
big room on the right. 4#
She was quite young girl-not
over twenty-one or twenty-five, Alan
Judged; like girls brought up in
wealthy families, she seemed to Alan
to have gained young womanhood In
far greater degree in some respects
than the girls he knew, while, at the
same time, in other ways. she retained
more than they some characteristics
Of a child. Fer slender figure had a
Woman's assurance and grace; her
soft brown hair was dressed like a
woman's; her gray eyes had the open
directness Of the girl. Her face
smoothly oval, with. straight brows
and q skin so delicate that at the
temples the veins showed dimly blue
was at once wOmanly and youthful /;
and there was something altogether
ltkable and simple about her, as she
studied Alan now. She was slightly
pale, he noticed, and there were lines
Of strain and trouble about her eyes.
II am Constance Sheriff." she an
nounced. Her tone implied quite evi-
dently that she expected him to have
some knowledge of her, and she seemed
surprised to see that her name did not
mean more to him.
"Mr. Corvet is not here this morn
ing" she said.
he hesitated, but persisted: II was
to see him here today, Miss Sheriff..
He wrote me, and telegraphed him l
would be here to-day"
IT know she answered. 1--WE had
your telegram. Mr.. Corvet was not
here when 1t came, SO my father
opened It," Her voice broke oddly,
and he studied her in indecision, won
dering who that father might be that
opened Mr.. Corvet's kilograms.
"Mr. Corvet went away very sud-
denly, she explained. She seemed, he
thought, to be trying to make some
thing plain to him which might be
shock to him; yet herself to be un-
certain what the nature of that shock
might be. Her look was scrutinizing,
questioning, anxious, but not un-
friendly. "After he had written you
and something else had happened
I think to alarm my father about
him, father came here to his house to,
look after him. He thought some-
thing might have -. happened to Mr..
Corvet here In his house. But Mr..
Corvet was not here.r
You mean he has disappeared?
Yes; he has disappeared"
Alan gazed at her dizzily. Benja.
min Corvet whoever he might be-
had disappeared; he had gone. Did
any one else, then, know about Alan
Conrad? .s 4. i q
NO one has seen Mr.. Coryet," she
said. "since the day he wrote to
you. We knew that-that he became
80 disturbed after doing that writing
to you-that we thought you must
bring with you information Of him"
INF formal lion r. 9
$50 we have been waiting for you
to come here and tell us what you.
know about him or--or your connec-
tion with him. : " S8s s',