Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1922-05-26


for twenty years, had kept trace of
Alan but Coryet had kept trace In the
same way and with the same secrecy
Of many other people-of about q
score of people. When Alan thought
Of Corvet, alone In his silent house,
he must think of him as solicitous
about these people; as seeking for
their names In the newspapers which
he took for that purpose, and as re-
cording the changes In their lives. The
deaths, the births, the marriages
among these people had been Of the
intensest interest to Coryet.
1t was possible that none Of these
people knew about Corvet; Alan had
not known about him in Kansas, but
had known only that some unknown
person had sent money for his support.
! But he appreciated that it did not
matter whether they knew about him
or not; for at some point common to
all Of them, the lives Of these people
must have touched Corvet's life. When
Alan knew what had been that point
of contact, he would know about Cor
vet; he would know about himself.
Alan had seen among Coryet's
books set of charts of the Great
Lakes. He went and got that now and
an atlas. Opening them upon the ia
bic, he looked up the addresses given
on Corvet's list. They were most of
them, he found towns about the north
ern end of the lake; very few upon
other lakes-Superior and Huron
but most were upon or very close to
Lake Michigan. These people lived by
means of the lake; they got their sus-
tenance from it, as Corvet had lived,
and as Corvet had got his wealth. Alan
was feeling like one who, bound has
been suddenly Embossed. From the time
when, coming to see Corvet, he had
found Corvet gone. until now, he had
felt the impossibility Of explaining
from anything he knew or seemed like
ly to learn the mystery which had sur
rounded himself and which had sur
rounded Corvet. But these names and
addresses They indeed offered some
thing to go upon, though Luke now
was forever still, and his pockets had
told Alan nothing.
He found Emmett county on the map
and put his finger on it. Spearman,
Wassaquam had said, came from
there. 1.-The Land of the Drum p he
said aloud. Deep and sudden feeling
stirred in him as he traced out this
land on the chart-the little towns and
villages, the islands and headands,
their lights and their uneven shores.
A feeling of "home" had come to him,
which he had not had on coming to Chi
cago. There were Indian names and
French up. there about the meetings
of the great waters. The sense that
he was of these lakes, that surge of
feeling which he had felt first in con-
versation with Constance Sheriff. was
strengthened an hundredfold
He gazed down at the lists of names
which Benjamin Corvet had kept so
carefully and so secretly; these were
his fathers people, too; these ragged |
shores and the islands studding the |
channels were the lands where his ia
Their had spent the most active part |
of his life. There, then-these lists |
now made it certain-that events had |
happened by which that life had been
blighted. North, there by the meeting |
of the waters, was the region of the
wrong which was done.
''That's where l must go." he said
aloud. That's where 1 must go"
Constance Sheriff., on the following
afternoon, received a telephone call
from her father; he was coming home
earlier than usual. he said; if she had
planned to go out, would she wait I'M
til after he got there? Tie afternoons
mail was upon a stand in the hall. She
turned ii over, looking through it--in-
vitations social notes. She picked
from among them an envelope adj
dressed 10 herself In a firm. clear
hand, which, unfamiliar TO her, still
lueerly startled her. and tore It open.
Dear Miss Sheriff." she read.
Il am closing. for the time being.
he house which, for default Of other
ownership. must call mine. The pos
'ibility that what has occurred here
you'd cause you ana your father aDxi-
ny about me ia case / went away
without telling you Of my intention Is
he reason for this note. But IL is not
he only reason. could not 90 away
Without telling you how deeply ! ap-
'reciate the generosity and delicacy
'ou and your farther have shown me
q spite Of my position here and VI fhe
acf thai had 20 claim az ali upon
.ou. shall not forget ulQse e}fu
hougb what happened here last niglt
lakes u impossible for me t0 ry ID
az you again or even fQ Nrlfe fo yQp
'AlAN tOARAnN
She hoard her nuers motor enter
le drive aud ral 30 h|m N.iA ihe lel-
NJ M her hand
"lien WrIup I0 foH tNfnN pa sn.d
e|shi 4f f
'lfs,
Hl lad naf rm h.m l0a HIim
..... .| III. ...".. .II. ..||H