Shoshone journal., 1922-06-16
THE INDIAN DRUM
By William Macf1arg and Edwin Balmer
Copyright Edwm Bahno

them knew my father; they were only
amazed to find that anyone In Chicago
had known their names"
In her feeling for him, she had laid
her hand upon his arm; now her fin
gers tightened to sudden tenseness.
"What do you mean?' she asked.
"Oh, 1t is not definite yet-not
clear" She felt the bitterness in his
tone. "They have not any of them
been able to make 1t wholly clear to
me. 1t is like record that has been
blurred. These original names must
have been written down by my father
many years ago-many, most of those
people, think-are dead; some are
nearly forgotten. The only thing that
is fully plain Is that In every case my
inquiries have led me to those who
have lost one, and sometimes more
than one relative upon the lakes"
Constance thrilled to a vague hor
could give definite reason. His tone
quite as much as what he said was It's
cause. His experience plainly had
been forcing him to bitterness against
his father; and he did not know with
certainty yet that his father was dead.
you'll lunch with us, Of course"
she said to Alan, "and then go hack
with us to Harbor Point. It's days
journey around the two bays; but
we've boat here"
He assented, and they went down to
the water where the white and brown
power yacht, with long, graceful lines,
lay somnolently in the sunlight. A lit
tie boat took them out over the SHIN
mering, smooth surface to the ship;
swells from faraway freighter swept
under the beautiful, FURNISHED craft,
causing it to roll lazily as they board
ed it. A party Of nearly dozen men
and girls with an older woman chap
eroning them, lounged under the shade
of an awning over the after deck.
They greeted her gaily and looked
curiously at Alan as she introduced
him.
"Have you worked on any of our
boats?" she asked him, after luncheon
had been finished, and the anchor Of
the ship had been raised.
A queer expression came upon his
face. i've thought it best not to do
that, Miss Sheriff." he replied.
She did not know why the next mo-
ment she should think of Henry.
The yacht was pushing swiftly,
smoothly, with hardly hum from its
motors, north along the shore. He
watched intently the rolling, wooded
hills and the ragged little bays and in
lets. His work and his investigatings
had not brought him to the neighbor-
hood before, but she found that she
did not have to name the places to
him; he knew them from the charts.
Grand Traverse light" he said to
her as white tower showed upon
their left. Then, leaving the shore,
they pushed out across the wide mouth
of the larger bay toward Little Tray
erse. He grew more silent as they ap-
preached it.
1T is up there, isn't It," he asked,
pointing, that they hear the Drum?"
"Yes; how did you know the placer"
81 don't know it exactly; want you
to show me-"
She pointed out to him the copse,
dark, primeval, blue in It's contrast
with the lighter green of the trees
about it and the glistening white of
the shingle and of the more distant
sand bluffs. He leaned forward, staring
1T it, until the changed course of the
yacht, as 1t swung about toward the
entrance to the bay, obscnred 1t.
"Seeing the ships made me feel that
belonged here on the lakes" he re-
minded her. II have felt something
lot recognition exactly, but something
hat was like the beginning of recog |
times this summer when |
saw certain places. It's like one of |
hose dreams, you know, in which you |
ire conscious of having had the same |
lream before. / feel that l ought to |
,now this place"
They landed only a few hundred |
ards from the cottage. After bid |
ling good-by to her friends, they went |
Ip to 1t together through the trees.
There was a small sun room, rather |
hut off from the rest of the house, to
which she led him. Leaving him there,
he ran upstairs to get the things.
She halted an instant beside the
oor, with the box in her hands, be-
ore she went back 10 him, thinking
ow TO prepare him against the sig
ifcance OF these relies Of his father.
he need not prepare him against the
lere fact OF his fathers death; he
ad been beginning 10 believe that al
eady; but these things must have far
l0re meaniug for him than merely
baf. She went IA aud put the box
ORn upon the card fabie.
THE muller in the boa Was your
ifhers' she told him. ne bad if on
be- day he disappeared The other
llngs' her yoiee ehoked a litlle, 'are
he thinss be must have had ip bis
0ckels They've beqn Dying ln water