The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-06-29

towoc, Wisconsin, The boz, ike the
outside wrapping. was carefully tied
with a string.
Constance, knowing no one In Mani
towoc and surprised at the nature Of
the package, glanced at the postmarls
on the brown paper which she had re-
moved; It too was stamped Manlto-
voc. She cut the strings about the
box and took Off the cover black
and brown dotted silk cloth filed the
box; and, seeing it. Constance caught
her breath. 1t was-at least 1t was
very like-the muffler which Uncle
Benny used to wear IN winter.
She started with trembling fingers
to take 1t from the box; then, realiz-
ing from the weight of the package
that the cloth was only a wrapping or.
at least, that other things were in the
box, she picked up box and wrapping
and ran up to her room. She locked
the door and put the box upon the
bed; now she lifted out the cloth. 1t
was wrapping, for the heavier things
came with 1t; and now, also, it re-
vealed itself plainly as the scarf-Un-
Gle Benny's scarfi A paper fiuttered
out as she began to unroll it-a little
cross-lined leaf evidently torn from a
pocket memorandum book. 1t had
been folded and rolled up. She spread
1t out; writing was upon 1t, the small
irregular letters of Uncle Benny's
hand.
"Send to Alan Conrad" she read !;
there followed Chicago address-the
number Of Uncle Benny's house on
Astor street. Below this was another
line:
Better care Of Constance Sheriff.
(Miss)." There followed the sher-
rills' address upon the Drive. And to
this was another correction:
mot after June 12; then to Harbor
Springs, Mich. Ask some one of that I;
be sure the date; after June r."
Constance. trembling, unrolled the
scarf; now coins showed from a fold.
next a pocketknife, ruined and rusty,
next a watch-a mans large gold
watch with, the case queerly pitted
and worn completely through in places.
and last plain little band of gold of
the size for woman's finger--a we'd
ding ring. Constance, gasping and
with fingers shaking so from excite
ment that she could scarcely hold
these objects, picked them up and ex
amined them-the ring first.
1t very evidently was, as she had
Immediately thought, wedding ring
once fitted for finger only trifie
less slender than her own. One side
Of the gold band was very much worn,
not with the sort OF wear which a
ring gets on hand, but by some diff
ferent sort of abrasion. The other
side Of the band was roughened and
pitted but not SO much worn; the in
side still bore the traces Of an In
scription. "As long as we bo
all alive" Constance could read. and
the date. "June 2, 1891"
1t was in January, 1895, Constance
remembered, that Alan Conrad had
been brought to the people in Kansas
he then was "about three years old"
II this wedding ring was his mothers
the date would be about right; 1t was
a date probably something more than
a year before Alan was born. Con-
stance put down the ring and picked
up the watch. 1t was like Uncle Ben
ny's watch-or like one of his watches.
He had several. she knew, presented
to him at various times-watches al
most always were the testimonials
given to seamen for acts Of sacrifice
and bravery. The spring which op-
Grated the cover would not work, but
Constance forced the cover open.
There, inside the cover as she had
thought 1t would be, was engraved
writing. Sand had seeped into the
case; the inscription was obliterated
in part.
For his courage and skill in
seam /. master Of . which he
brought to the rescue of the passen-
gers and crew Of the steamer Whine