The Holly chieftain., 1922-08-03

overhead; the truck separated them.
1t bore down upon Alan, holding him
motionless and, on the other side, It
crushed upon Corvet's legs.
He turned over. as far as he could.
and spoke to Alan. "You have been
saving me, SO now / tried to save yOu,"
he said simply. what reason did you
have for doing that? Why have you
been keeping by me7'
I'm Alan Conrad of Blue Rapids,
Kansas" Alan cried to him. "And
you're Benjamin Corvetl You know
me; you sent for me! Why did you
do that?"
Corvet made no reply to this. Alan,
peering at him underneath the truck.
could see that his hands were pressed
against his face and that his body
shook. Whether this was from some
new physical pain from the movement
Of the wreckage, Alan did not know
till he lowered his hands after mo-
ment; and now he did not heed Alan
or seem even to be aware Of him.
Dear little Connie |" he said aloud.
| Dear little Conniel She mustn't
marry him-not himl That must be
seen to. What shall do, what shall
l do?"
Alan worked nearer him. "Why
mustn't she marry him?" he cried to
Corvet. "Why2 Ben Corvet, tell me |!
Tell me why!"
"Who are you?" Corvet seemed only
with an effort to become conscious Of
Alans presence.
"Pm Alan Conrad, whom you used
to take care Of. I'm from Blue Rap
Ids. You know about me; are you my
father. Ben Corvet2 Are you my ia.
ther or what-what are you to me?"
"Your father?" Corvet repeated.
"Did he tell you that7 He killed your
father"
KILLED him? Killed him, howl"
"Of course. He killed them all-all.
But your father-he shot him; he shot
him through the head!"
Alan twinged. Sight of Spearman
came before him as he had first seen
Spearman, covering in Corvet's H.
brary in terror at an apparition. "And
the bullet hole above the eyev' So
that was the hole made by the shot
Spearman fired which had killed
Alan's father-which shot him through
the head! Alan peered at Corvet aud
called to him.
"Father Benitot" Corvet called In
response, not directly in reply to
Alan's question, rather In response to
what those questions stirred. Father
Benitot!"
Some one, drawn by the cry, was
moving wreckage near them. A hand
and arm with torn sleeve showed |;
Alan could not see the rest of the fig
ure, but by the sleeve he recognized
that 1t was the mate.
who's caught here?" he called
down.
"Benjamin Corvet of Corvet, Sher-
rill and Spearman, ship owners of Chi
cago," Corvet's voice replied deeply,
fully: there was authority in 1t and
wonder too-the wonder of man find
Ing himself in situation which his
recollection cannot explain.
"Ben Corvet!" the mate shouted in
surprise; he cried it to the Others
those who had followed Corvet and
obeyed him during the hour before and
had not known why. The mate tried to
pull the wreckage aside and make his
way to Corvet; but the old man stopped
him. 1.-THE priest, Father Benitot !!
Send him to me. I shall never leave
here; send Father Benitot!"
The word was passed without the
mate moving away. The mate, after
minute, made no further attempt to
free COrvet; that indeed was useless,
and Corvet demanded his right Of sac
rament from the priest who came and
crouched under the wreckage beside
him.
Father Benitot!"
II am not Father Benitot. am Fa-
ther Perron of LAnse"
ut was to Father Benitot of st. Ig-
mace I should have gone, Father! /.
The priest got little closer as Cor
vet spoke, and Alan heard only voices
now and then through the sounds Of
changing metal and the drum of Ice
against the hull. The mate and his
helpers were working to get him free.
They had abandoned all effort to save
the ship; 1t was settling. And with
the settling, the movement of the
wreckage imprisoning Alan was in
creasing. This movement made useless
the efforts Of the mate; 1t would free
Alan OF itself In moment, If 1t did
not kill him; 1t would free or finish
Corvet too. But he, as Alan saw him,
was wholly obllvious Of that now. His
lips moved quietly, firmly: and his eyes
were fixed steadily on the eyes Of the
! priest.
Cro BE coNTINUED.)