The daily Alaskan., 1922-06-29
CHAPTER X.
Caller.

As the first of the month was ap- preaching, WassaQuam had brought bis household bills and budget to Alan that morning directly after breakfast. To furnish Alan with whatever sums he needed, Sherrill had made cOnsid- erable deposit In Alan's name in the bank where he carried his own ac- count; and Alan had accompanied Sher- Till to the bank to be Introduced and had signed the necessary cards In or der to check against the deposit.
 Alan had required barely half of the hundred dollars which Benjamin Cor vet had sent to Blue Rapids. for his expenses in Chicago; and he had brought with him from "home' hun dred dollars of his own.
 The amount which WaSSaQuam now desired to pay the bills was much more than Alan had on hand; but that amount was also much less than the eleven hundred dollars which the SerV- ant listed as cash on hand. This, Was sauuam stated, was In currency and kept by him. Benjamin always had had him keep that much in the house; Wassuuuam would not touch that sum now for the payment of current eH' penses.
 On the first of the month, therefore, Alan drew upon his new bank account to Wasuquum'S order, and In the early afternoon WassuQuam went to the bank to cash his check-one of the very few uccuSiOIs when Alan had been left in the house alone; WuSsa. Quum's habit. il appeared. was Co g" about on the first Of the month and pay the tradesmeu In person.
 Some two hours later, and before Wassaquam could have been expected back, Alan. in the room which had be- come his. was startled by a sound of heavy pounding, which came suddenly to him from floor below. Shouts heavy. thick, and uninteilisible-min. gled with the pounding. He ruu swift ly down the stairs. then on and down the service stairs into the basement Yhe door Co the house from the area way WAS shaking tu irregular, heavy blows. which stopped as Alan reached the lower hallway; the shouts cuntln' ued still moment more, Now 'ha' the noise of pounding did not inter- fere, Alan could make out what the man was saying. Ben CoNrt - the name was almost mlnteIltgihle- Ben Corvet, Beu!" Then the shouts stopped, too.
 Alan sped to the door and turned back the latch. The door bore back upon him, not from q push, but from d weight without which had fallen against it. 4 big, heavy man, win a rough cap and muckinuw coat, would have fallen upon the floor Ii Alan had not caught hilu. His weight in Alan'S arms was su dull sO inert, that, If vlO- lence had been his intention, there was nothing to be feared from him now Alan looked up, therefore, to see 1T uuy one had come with him. The alley and the street were clear. The snow in the ureuway showed that the man had come tO the door alone and with great difficulty; he had fallen once up on the walk. Alan dragged the man Into the house and went back and closed the door.
 He returned and looked at him. The man was like, very like the one whom Alan had followed from the house on the night when he was attacked; cer- talnty that this was the same man came quickly to him. He seized the fellow again and dragged him up the stairs and to the lounge in the library. He was, or had been, very powerful man, broad and thick through with oyerdeyeloped - almost dlstOrtinS- muscles In his shoulders; but his body had become fatsand soft, his face was pufTed and his eyes watery and bright !; his brown haIr. which was shot all through witt gray, was dirty and mat ted he had three or four days growth of beard. When he sat up and looked about It was plain that whisky was only one of the forces working upon hIm-the other was fever which burned up and sustained him lntermlt- tently.
 "'Lo!" he greeted Alan. "Where's shat d-n Injln, hey? knew Ben Corvet was shere-knew he was shere all time. Course he's Shere; he got to be shere. That's shright. You go get i'm"
 'sWho are yOu?" Alan asked.
 Say, who'r you? What t'hells syou doin' here? Never see you before go-go get Ben COrvet. Jus say Ben COrvet, Lu-luke'S shere. Ben Corvetn know Lu-luke all right; al. wavsh. alwaysh knows me. ."
 "What's the matter. with youT' Alan had drawn back but now went to the man again. The first idea that -thlS might have been merely some old sail, or who had served Benjamin Corvet or, perhaps, had been cOmrade In the earlier days, Lad been banished by the confident arrogance of the mans tone-an arrogance not to be explained. entirely, by whisky or by the fever.
 "How long have you been this wayF l. 1.......-.lgl l,NNTbarn did yO,, come