Williams news., 1922-08-18

overdeveloped almost distortfng-
 muscles In his shoulders; but his body
 had become fat and soft, his face wa:
 puffed and his eyes watery and bright
 his brown hair, which was shot al | through with 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 intermit- | tently.
 "Lor" he greeted Alan. "Where's
 shat d-n Injin, hey? I 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 limp
 "Who are your" Alan asked. "Say, who'r your 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; all
 waysh, alwaysh knows me. :"
 "What's the matter with you?'
 Alan had drawn back but now went to
 the man again. The first idea that this might have been merely some old sail or who had served Benjamin Corvet
 
 the earlier days, had 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 way?" Alan demanded. "Where did you come from?' He put his hand on the wrist; 1t was very hot and dry; the pulse was racing, irregular; at seconds 1t seemed to stop; for other seconds 1t was continuous. The fellow coughed and bent forward. "What is it- pneumonia?' Alan tried to straighten him up.
 "Gi' me drink =. Go get Ben Corvet, I tell youi Get Ben Corvet quick! Say-yous shear? You get me Ben Corvet; you better get Ben Corvet; you tell him Lu-uke's here; won't wait any more; goin' t'have my money now sright away, your shear? Kick me out s'loon I guess not no more. Ben Corvet give me all money I want or talkI'
 ."Talki"
 "Syou know itl afn't goin' p He choked up and tottered back Alan, supporting him, laid him down and stayed beside him until his cough ing and choking ceased, and there was only the rattling rasp of his breathing. When Alan spoke to him again, Luke's eyes opened, and he narrated recent l experiences bitterly; all were blamed to Ben Corvet's absence; Luke, who | had been drinking heavily a few nights before, had been thrown out when the saloon was closed; that was | Ben Corvet's fault; If Ben Corvet had | been around, Luke would have had | | no one would have thrown out Luke | then. Luke slept in the snow, all wet. | When he arose, the saloon was open | again, and he got more whisky, but not | enough to get him warm. He hadn't | been warm since. That was Ben Cor vets fault. Ben Corvet better be round now; Luke wouldn't stand any more.
 Alan felt of the pulse again; he opened the coat and under-f1annels and felt the heaving chest. He went % the hall and looked in the telephone directory. He remembered the name ,f the druggist on the corner of Clark street and he telephoned him, giving he number on Astor street.
 '1 want a doctor right away" he aid. "Any good doctor; the one that -ou can get quickest" The druggist that physician would be here within a quarter of an hour. Han went back to Luke, who was ilent now except for the gasp of his reath; he did not answer when Alan poke to him, except to ask for whis- y. Alan stood watching, a strange, | hiking tremor shaking him. This nan had come there to make a claim | a claim which many times before, l pparently, Benjamin Corvet had ad- 1ftted. Luke came to Ben Corvet or money which he always got-al1 | e wanted-the alternative to giving mich was that Luke would talk" 'lackmail, that meant, of course; which not only Luke had old of but which Wassaquam too had ] as Alan now realized. Money or blackmail-that was the reason or that thousand dollars in cash l ,hich Benjamin Corvet always kept t the house. Alan turned with a sudden shiver [ revuIsion toward his fathers chair { a place before the hearth there for , ours each day his father had sat | l 'ith a book or staring into the fire 1 lways with what this man knew Y anging over him, always arming I gainst 1t with the thousand dollars I eady for this man. whenever he came. [eeting blackmatl, paying blackmail ,r as long as Wassaquam had been I l the house, for as long as 1t took to | ake the once muscular powerful fig U re of the sailor who threatened to ] a