The Meeker herald., 1922-09-23
Copyright BY Edwin BAlmsr
CHAPTER xx-continoed.

4 '"What is 1t you want to know"
Sheriff. asked.
what were the relations between
benjamin Corvet and Captain Stat
ford?"
( Sheriff. thought moment.
= "Corvet." he replied. was very
able man; he had insight and mental
iHrasp-and he had the fault which
SeGmetimes goes with those, n hesitancy
of action. STAFFORD was mn able man.
TOO. considerably younger than Corvet.
/ Iwenty years ago. when the conflict
of competing interests was at its
! height, Corvet was the head Of one
liie. Stafford was head OF another, and
the two lines had very much the same
connections and competed for the same
. cargoes."
II begin to see r. Father Perron ex-
claimed. "Pleass go on
Tn the early nlneties both lines still
were young; Stafford had. believe.
two ships; Corvet had three"
$50 few7 Yes: It grows plainer!"
I'm 1894. Stafford managed a stroke
which. II fate had not interviewed, must
have assured the ultimate extinction
of Corvet's line or Its absorption into
\ Stafrord's. Stafford gained as his part
I ner Franklin Ramsdell. wealthy man
whom he had convinced that the lake
traffic offered chances Of great profit !;
aid this connection supplied him with
sthe capital whose lnck had been ham,
perin9 him, As II was still hampering
Corvet. The new tirm-Stafford and
4 Ramsdell-proJccted the construction,
Z with Ramsdell's money. of number
tor great steel freighters. The first Of
sthese-the Miwaka. a test ship whose
Experience was to guide them In the
Redistribution Of the rest-was launched
in the fall of 1895. and was lost on Its
maiden trip with both Stafford and
!Kamsdell aboard. The Stafford and
SRamsdell interests could not survive
ftbe death Of both owners and disap-
lspeared from the lakes. Is this what
fyou wanted to know"
I The priest nodded. Alan leaned
eensely forward. watching: what he
had heard seemed to have increased
serd deepened the priests feeling over
Nwhat he had to tell and to have aided
bis comprehension Of 1t.
h .His name was Caleb Stafford" Fa-
Ahsf Perron began. "(This Is what
Bsnjamin Corvet told to me when he
was dying under the wreckage on, the
ferry.) He was as fair and able a
man - the lakes ever knew. had
ny will Of most men In the lake trade
b those days: but could not have
- AN kA L. n
.Sr3ds in. he had to pick out for his that
frame which already had chosen for
my own. But fought him fair. Ta.
kher-I fought him fair. and would
have continued to do that to the end.
"I was at Nanlstee, Father. In the
Seph ct the acknowledgements NTH Of
ISIS. The ice had begun to form very
early that year and was already bad !:
there was cold and high gale. ! had
laid up one Of my ships at Manistee.
and was crossing that night upon a
TUG to Aianitowoc. where another was
70 be laid up. I had still third one
loading up on the northern penlnsularat
1lrnistIque for last trip which. II It
could he made. would mean good
profit from n senson which so fur, be-
cause Of Staffori's competition. had
been only fair. After leaving Manis-
tee, II grew still more cold. and l was
afr id the Ice would close in on her
and keen her where she was, so deter
mined to go north that night and see
tbs: she got out. None knew. Father.
except those aboard the tug, that had
made that change.
SAT midnight, Father. to westward
bf the Foxes. we heard the four blasts
pf steamerJn dlstress-the four long
blasts which have sounded in my soul
1ver sincei We turned toward where
he saw the steamers lights; we went
bearer and, Father. It was his great
bhip-the MIwaka! We lind heard two
bays before that she had passed the
be; We had not known more than that
where she was. She had broken her
IN shaft, Father. and was intact ex-
at for that. but helpless In the rising
="
rhe priest broke of. ''The Miwaka
otid mot understand all that that had
bant to him until just now-the new
D. Of the rival line, whose building
INT for him failure and defeati
There 10 no higher duty tran the
cue Of those In peril at sea. He
,jamin Corvet, who told me this
pre to me that. at the beginning
&c upon the tug had any thought ex-
"a to give aid. A small line was
Ifted down to the tug and to this q
WISER was attached which they
Iled aboard. There happened then
nrst Of those events which led
20 upon the tug into doing great
Jug. He-Benjamln Corvet-had
zen charge Of the wheel Of the tug :
ee men were handling the hawses
70 and washing water at the stern.
4 whistle accidentally blew. which
ne on the Mwaka understood to
n that tho hAwsse had been -.
esA - tAag drew y tie slack: thl
L.