Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1922-08-04
CHAPTER XVII
Me-. spearman eoes North.

brought tension to the offices of Cor
vet, Sheriff. and Spearman and had
called Constance Sheriff. and her
mother downtown where further infor-
nation could be more quickly OBJ
tained--was handed to Constance by a
clerk as seen as she entered her ia
theirs office. She reread 1t 1t already
had been repeated to her over the tele-
phone.
Il :05 a. m. Frankfort Wireless sta
ton has received following message
from Number rs: We have Benjamin
Corvet, of Chicago, aboard
you've received nothing later than
this?" she asked.
Nothing regarding Mr.. Corvet, Miss
Sheriff." the clerk replied.
1.-THE crew.
Eyes; we have just got the names of
the crew." He took another copied
sheet from among the pages and hand
ed 1t to her, and she looked swiftly
down the list Of names until she found
that of Alan Conrad.
Her eyes filled, binding her, as she
put the paper down, and began to take
off her things. She had been cllnging
determinedly In her thought to the
belief that Alan might not have been
aboard the ferry. Alan's message,
which had sent her father north to
meet the ship, had implied plainly
that some one whom Alan believed
might be Uncle Benny was on Number
%; she had been fighting, these last
few hours, against conviction that
therefore Alan must be. on the ferry,
too.
She stood by the desk, MS the clerk
went out, looking through the papers
which ne had left with her. What she
was reading was the carbon of the
report prepared that morning and sent,
at his rooms, to Henry, who was not
yet down.
The last message read: g 40 Pc
toskey is calling Manitowoe, Signals
from Number IS, after becoming In
distinct, failed entirely about 5 AS,
probably by failure of ships power
to supply current. Operator appears
TO have remained at key. From rs
to 5:43 we received disconnected mes
sages, as follows: Have cleared an
other car they are sticking to
II down there engine-room
crew Is also sticking /. hell on
car deck everything smashed
fhau xunptt nIx.a ,.p
sinking now :. we're going
good-by stuck to end
all they could know
That hand 1t to them i
have cleared another car sink
s. O. Signals then en-
tireIy ceased"
Constance had not realized, until the
reports OF the wireless messages told
her that he was gone, what compan-
ionship with Alan had come to mean
to her. She had accepted 1t as al
ways to be existent, somehow COM
partnership which might be interrupted
often but always to be formed again.
II amazed her to find how firm a place
he had found In her world OF those
close to her with whom she must al
ways be intimately concerned.
The telephone switchboard beside
Constance suddenly buzzed, and the
operator, plugging In connection.
said: Yes, sir; at once" and through |
the partitions OF the private Office on
the other side. mans heavy tones |
came to Constance. That was Henry's
office, and In timbre. the voice was his,
but 1t was so strange In other charac- |
teristics of expression that she waited |
an Instant before saying to the clerk,
mfr Spearman has come int"
The clerk hesitated, but the con-
tinuance of the tone from the other |
side of the partition made reply SUI
pertiuous. "Yes. Miss Sheriff."
Constance went to Henry's door and |
raped. He made no answer and no
move to open the door; so, after walt.
ing n moment, she turned the knob and
went In.
Henry was seated at his desk facing |
her. his big hands before him; one |
OF them held the telephone receiver.
He lifted It slowly and put II upon the |
hook beside the transmitter as he |
watched her with steady, silent, ag.
gressive scrutiny. lie did not rise |
only after moment he reeollected that |
he had not done so and came to his
feet. Good morning, Connie" he said. |
"Ceme in. What's the newsT
The impulse which had brought her
into his office went from her. She hadsl
not .een nor heard from Henry direct
iy since before Alan's telegram had |
con,e late yesterday afternoon; she |
had heard from her father only that |
he ! nd informed Henry; that was all. |
'rve no news, Henry" she said.
Have your She closed the door be- |
hind her, moving closer to him.
How did you happen to be here,
C0nnief" he asked.
She made no reply but gazed ut him,
studying him. The agitation which he |
was trying to conceal was not entirely |
consequent to her coming In upon him;
Il had been ruling him before. II had |
underlain the loudness and abuse Of |
his verbs which she had overheard.
That was no capriclous outburst of
temper or Irritation; II had come from
something which had seized and held
hlfl, To suspense, In dread-in dread.
A.