The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-05-12

man, Dlouu anu lHlCh through NllI
overdevelopcd = almost distorting-
muscles in his shoulders; but his body
had become fat and soft, his face was
pulled and his eyes watery ana bright
his brown hair, WHICH was shot all
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.
"Lo" he greeted Alan. where's
shat d-n lnjin, hey? l 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 i'm"
"WhO are your Alan asked.
"Say, who'r you? What t'hells Y o
dom here? Never see you before
Il. . go-go get Ben Corvet. JUS
say Ben COrvet, Lu-luke's shere. Ben
Corvet'll know Lu-luke all right; al
waysh, alwaysh knows me. d.. . :"
whats the matter with your
Alan had drawn back but nov went to
the man again. The first idea that this
might have been merely some old sail
or who had served Benjamin COrvet
or, perhaps, had been Il cOmrade in
the earlier days, had been banished
by the confident arrogance OF the
mans tone-an arrogance not to be
explained, entirely, by whisky OF by
the fever.
GLOW long have you been this way?'
Alan demanded. "Wherc did you come
from?" lie put his hand on the wrist
it was very hot and dry; the pulse
WAS racing, irregular; at seconds it
seemed to stop; for other seconds it
was continuous. The fellow C0ughed
and bent forward. "NVhat is it
pneumonia" Alan tried to straighten
him up.
"Gi' me drink! Go get Ben
Corvet, l tell you! Get Ben
Corvet quick! Say-yous shear? You
get me Ben COrvet; you better get
Ben Coryet; 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
/ guess not no more. Ben Corvet give
me all money l want or / talk ~
"Talk :"
"Syou know 1t! l amt goin' . . :"
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 rafting rasp of his breathing.
When AlaE spoke to him again, Luke's
eyes opened, and he narrated recent
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
money, all the mOEey any one wanted /;
no one would have thrown out Luke
then. Luke slept in the snow, all wet.
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-fannels
and felt the heaving chest. He went
TO the hall and looked In the telephone
directory. He remembered the name
of the druggist OF the corner Of Clark
street and he telephOned him, giving
the number on AstOr street.
Il want a doctor right away" he
said. "Any good doctor; the n that
you can get quickest" The druggist
promised that a physician would be
there within a quarter " ah siCur.
Alan went back to Luke, who was
silent now except for the gasp OF his
breath he did not answer when Alan
spoke to him, except to ask for whis-
ky. Alan stood watching, a strange,
sinking tremOr shaking him. This
man had come there to make q claim
"a claim which many times before,
uIltI cltly, bCiJdiu'h SOINCl III du-
mitted. Luke came to Ben COryet
for money which he always got-all
he wanted-the alternative to giving
which was that Luke would talk"
BlackmaiI, that meant, of course;
blackmail which not only Luke had
told of but which Wassaquam too had
admitted, as Alan now realized. Money
for blackmail-that. was the reason
for that thousand dollars in cash
which Benjamin Corvet always kept
ut the house.
Alan turned with n sudden shiver
OF revulsiOn toward his fathers chair
In place before the hearth; there for
hours each day his father had sat
with q book or staring into the fire
always with what this man knew
hanging over him, always aiming
against 1t with the thousand dollars
ready for this man, whenever he came.
Meeting blackmail, paying blackmail