The daily Alaskan., 1922-06-08

ships still had a most favorable record. In 1902 I proposed to him that l buy full ownership in the vessels partly controlled and ally them with those he and Spearmau operated. Since then. the firm name has been Corvet Shcrriu. and Speurman.
 our friendship had strengthened and ripened during those years. The Intense activity of Corvets mind, which as a younger man he had di- rected wholly to the shipping, was directed, after he had isolated himself in this way, 10 other things. He took up almost feyerishIy an immense num- Der of SJudirs-strunge studies most of them for a man whose youth had been almost violently active and who had once been lake captain. l can not tell you what they all were geology. ethuol0gy, nearly a score of subjects: he rorrrspnndcd with varl- ouS scientific societies: he has given almost the whole of his attention to such things for about twenty years. Hut he hus made very few acuuuint- unceS in that time, and has kept almost none of his old friendships. Ile has lived alone in the house on Astur street with only one Servant- the same one all these years.
 "The only house he has visited with any frequency has been mine. He has always liked my wife; b, had-he has a great affection for m daughter, who, when -ne was child, ran m and out or his home as she pleased. My daughter believes now thar his pre- cnt di~appvaraucr-whatrycr has hap punpd to him-is connected in some way with herself. l do not think that ls S,-"
 ShrrrnI broke oT and stood in thought for a moment: ne seemed to consider. and ro decide that it was not necessary to say anything more ou that subject.
 "Is there anything in what l have told you which makes Il possible for you to recullerJ or to eXplaiU?
 Alan shook his head, flushed, and then grew a little pale. What SherriIl told him had excited him by the coin cIdcnrrs lt offered heJwr"u events In Beuiuulu Cur,rl> life and his own; lt lnd uou made lin "rero'lect' Curvet, but it had given definIteness and direction ru his speru.ut.UuS as to Corvcrs relation tc himself.
 ShrrriII drew uue of the large chairs nearer to Alan and sat down facing him. He feJr in an inner pocket and brought out an envelope; from the en- velonp he took rhrrr pictures and handed the smallest of them Jo Alan. As Alan took 1t. he saw that it was rintyI,c uc himself us u round-faccd boy of seven
 "That is you?" Shorri1 asked.
 "Yrs; it was taken by the photog- rupnrr iu Blue HapIds.'
 "And rhls?"
 The >rrnId picture Alan saw, was one th1t had been taken in srout of the barn at the farm. IL showed Alan a. twelve. in oyeralls and harefoolei, holding stick over his head at which a shepherd dog was jumping,
 Yes that Is Shep and 1, Mir, Sher- Till. IL was taken by a man who stopped at the house for dinner one day: he liked Shep and wanted a picture of him; so he got me to make Shep jump, and he took it."
 Doesn't 1t occur To you that 1t was your picture he wanted and th0t he had been sent to get lt? I wanted ~our verifcatlon that these earlier pictures were of you, but thIs last one is easily recognizable"
 Sherrln unfolIcd the third picture; it was larger than the others and had been folded across the middle to get t Into the envelope. Alan leaned for ward to look at il.
 "That is the University of Kansas football team" he said. "I am the second one in the front row; played end my junior year and tackle when 1 was a senior Mir, Corvct-?
 "Yes: Mir. Corvct had these pictures. They came into my possession day be- fore yesterday. the day after Corvet disappeared; I do not want to tell Just vet how they did that"
 Alan's face, which had been flushed at first with excitement, had gone quite pale, and his hands, as he 1pnchpd and unClenChed them nerv- ously, were cold, and his lips were very dry. He could think of no pos sible relationship between Benjamin Corvet and himself. except one, which could account for Coryet's obtaining and keeping these pictures of him through theIyears.
 ~ think you know who I am" Alan said. ,/
 "Ycu have guessed, If I am not mis- taken. that you are Corvet's son"
 The color famed 10 Alan'S face for an instant, then left It paler than be- fore. q thought it must be that way" he answered; but you said he had DO children"
 "Beniamin Corvet and his wife had no children"