The Ordway new era., 1922-07-28

found ont they were nhines
IN, had relatives on the Miwaka!
"Whatf'
Recalling how her blood had run
whom Alan had told her that, Henrs
,,httsness and the following suitusion
NJ his face did not surprise her.
81 told that fellow long ago NOT 10
s,ar, stirring these matters up about
Ben Corvet, and particularly l toiu
him that he was not TO bring any VI IL
70 Won. It's not-a thing that man
like Ben covered up for twenty years
til IT drove him crazy is sure NOT 10
be n thing for girl to know. Let IL
alone, | tell you"
She stood flushed and perpieNeu'
gazing at him. She never had seen MN
under stronger emotion.
.You misunderstood me once, Con-
nie!" he appealed. you'll unders'ahu
me now y
she had been thinking about that
Injustice she had done him in her
thought-about his chivalry to MS
mariner and former benefactor, when
Uncle Benny was still keeping MS
place among men. Was Henry now
moved. in way which she conld hoe
understand, by some other obligation
TO the man who long ago had aided
him? Had Henry hazarded more than
he had told her of the nature or the
thing hidden which, If she could guess
il. would justify what he said?
She had made Alan promise to write
her If he was not to return, regarding
what he learned and letter came TO
her on the fourth day from him In
ManItowoc. The post office employees
had no recollection, he said, of the
person who had mailed the package;
it simply had been dropped by some
one into the receptacle for mailing
/ packages of that sort. Alan, however,
was continuing his inquiries.
She wrote to him In reply; in lack
of anything more important TO tell
| him, she related some of her activities
and inquired about his. After she had
written him thus twice, he replied, de-
scribing his life on the boats pleasant
ly and humorously; then. though she
Immediately replied, she did not hear
| from him again.
A new idea had seized Constance.
| Captain Caleb Stafford was named
among the lost, of course; with him
had perIshed his son, boy of three.
That was all that was said and all
that was TO be learned of him, the
boy.
Alan had been three then. This was
wild. crazy speculation. The ship was
lost with all hands; only the Drum,
believed in by the superstitlous and
the most ignorant, denied that. The
Drum said that one soul had been
saved How could a child of three
have been saved when strong men, to
the last one, had perlshed? And, if he
had been saved, he was Stafford's son.
Why should Uncle Benny have sent
him away and cared for him and then
sent for him and, himself disappear
ing, leave all he had to-Stafford's 8
SOM
Or was he Staffords son? Her
thought went back to the things which
had been sent-the things from a
mans pockets with a wedding ring
among them. She had believed that
the ring cleared the mothers name
might 1t in reality only more involve
it? Why had 1t come back like this to
the man by whom, perhaps, 1t had been
given? Henry's words came again and
again to Constance: Its queer con-
cern you've got for Ben. Leave il
alone, L tell your He knew then
something about Uncle Benny which
might have brought on some terrible
thing which Henry did not know but
might guess? Constance went weak
within. Uncle Bennys wife had left
him, she remembered. Was it better
after all, to leave it alone?
telegraph envelope addressed tc
her father was on the table in the hall
A servant told her the message had
come an hour before, and that he had
telephoned to Mr.. Sherrill's office, but
Mr.. Sheriff. was not in. There was nc
reason for her thinking that the mes
sage might be from Alan except his
presence in her thoughts, but she wen,
at once to the telephone and called
her father. He was in now, and he
directed her to open the message ant
read it to him.
Have some one," she read aloud
she choked in her excitement at what
came next-"Have some one who
knew Mr.. Corvet well enough to recog
nize him, even if greatly changed
meet Carferry Number 25 Manitowot
Wednesday this week Alan Conrad
Her heart was beating fast. "Art
you there?" she said into the phone.
yes"
Whom shall you send?'
Ihere was an instant's silence. "T
shall go myself" her father said.
She hung up the receiver Had Alar
found Uncle Benny? He had found
| aDDarpntIy Gonna ono ,rbo,o uo,a..