The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1922-06-15

nd0 become Iat anu SOIt, his lace WAS
pulled and his eyes watery and 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 il 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 Injin, 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 syou
dom here? Never see you before
F.. go-go get Ben Corvet. JUS
say Ben Corvet, Lu-luke's shere. Ben
CorvetH know Lu-luke all right; al
waysh, alwaysh knows me. . . :"
whats the matter with your"
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
or, perhaps, had been a 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 or by
the fever.
"How long have you been this wayT'
Alan demanded. "Where did you come
fromT' He put his hand on the wrist
II was very hot and dry; the pulse
was racing, irregular; at seconds it
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.
CT me drink! Go get Ben
COrvet. ] tell you! Get Ben
Corvet quickl 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 l want or / talk!
"Talk ~
"Syou know 1t / 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 Alan 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 money any one wanted /;
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 flannels
and felt the h~eaving chest. He went
10 the hall and looked I'm the telephone
directory. He remembered the name
of the druggist on the corne of Clark
street and he ~telephoned him, giving
the number on Aston street.
Il a 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 of an hour.
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 a claim
"a claim which many times before.
apparently. Benjamin Corvet had adj
mitted. Luke came TO Ben Corvet
he wanted-the alternative to giving
which was that Luke would talk
Blackmail, that meant. of course;
blackmail which not only Luke had
told of hut which Wassaquam too had
admitted. as Alan now realized. Money
for Northumberland was the reason
for thar thousand dollars In cash
which Benjamin Corvet always kept
at the house.
Alan turned with a sudden shiver
of revulsion toward his fathers chair
In place before the hearth: there for
hours each day his father had sat
with a book or staring into the fire
always with what this man knew
hanging over him. always arming
against II with the thousand dollars
ready for this man, whenever he cane
Meeting blackmail. paying biackmail
for as long rs Wassaquam had been
In the house. for as long as II took 10
make the once muscular pow erful fg
ure OF the sailor who Threatened to