Licking Valley courier., 1922-04-27

saidc II shouldn't have let you in;
but-you saw him."
"Yes."
'Do you know him?'
"Know him?" She shook her head.
II mean, you've never seen him he
fore"
\ mo"
"His name is Luke-he speaks Of
himself by that name. Did\y ever
hear my father mention man named
LukeT
mo; never"
Luke's voice cut suddenly their con-
versation; the doctor probably had
given him some stimulant.
"Where'sh Ben Corvet?" Luke de
manded arrogantly of the doctor
"You go get Ben Corvet! Tell Ben
Corvet I want drink right away. Tell
Ben Corvet | want my thousan' dol
lar J"
Constance turned swiftly to her
maid. "Go out to the car and wait
for me-" she commanded.
Lukes mufiled, heavy voice went on;
moments while he fought for breath
interrupted it.
"You hear ME, you d-n Iniinl
You go tell Ben Corvet want my
thousan' dollars, or make 1t two mex
timel You hear me; you 60 tell Ben
Corvet. :. You let me go. you
d-n mjin"
Through the doorway to the library
they could see the doctor force Luke
back upon the couch; Luke fought him
furiously; then, suddenly as he had
stirred to strength and fury, Luke col
Iapsed asain. His voice went OF
moment more, aud RAPIDLY growing
weaker:
"You tell Ben COrvet want my
money, >or I'll tell. He knows what
I'll tell. You don't know, you
Tnjln devil. Ben Covet knows,
and l know. .. Tell him I'll tell
3. I'll tell I'll tell" The
threatening voice stopped suddenly. p
Constance, very pale, again faced
Alan. "0f course, understand" she
said. "Uncle Benny has been paying
blackmai to this man. For years, per-
haps. ;" She repeated the word
after an instant, in frightened voice
1Blackmail u
"Won't you please go, Miss Sher.
rillT Alan urged her. 'It was good
of you to come; but you mustn't stay
now. He's-he's dying, Of course"
She seated herself upon chair
I'm going to stdS with you," she said
simply. II was not, she knew, to share
the waiting for the man In the next
room to die; In that, Of itself, there
could be nothing for him to feel. II
was to be with him while realization
which had come to her was settling
upon him, Generalization Of what
this meant to him. He was realizing
that, she thought; he had realized It -;
II made him, at moments, forget her
while, listening for sounds from the
other room, he paced back and forth
beside the table or stood staring
away, clInging to the portieres. lie
left her presently, and went across the
hall to the doctor.
as he deadT Constance heard him
ask.
"Not yet" the doctor answered; "but
1t won't be long, now"
"There's nothing you can do TO make
him tallI-bring hinI- to himself long
enough so that he will tell what he
keeps threatening to tell?"
The doctor shrugged. "How many
times, do you suppose, he's been drunk
and still not told? Concealment is his
established habit now. It's an inhibi
tion; even In wandering, he stops short
of actually telling anything"
Alan came back TO Constance. Ont
side, the gray Of dusk was spreading
and within the house 1t had growr
dark. It was very quiet In the library
she could not even hear Luke's breath
ing now. Then the doctor came out t.
them.
ats over" he said to Alan "Theret
law covering these cases; you ma!
not be familiar with 1t. I'll make on
the death crtlfcate-rncmOni ant
n weak heart with alcoholism. But thu
police have to be notified at once; yd,
have no choice as to that. rll lool
aftes those things for you, II 20,
want"
"Thank you; II you will" Alan wen
with the doctor to the door and say
him drive away. Returning, he drey
the library portleres; then, COMM
hack to Constance, he picked up he
nun and collar from the chair wher
she had thrown them, and held ther
Out to her.
you'll 90 now, Miss Sheriff." h
ald. Indeed, you mustn't stay her
your cars still waiting, and-yo
mustn't stay here :. In this house
wont you come over home wit
me-" she said "and wait for fathe
d there till we can think this thing ou
! togetherT
4 Her sweetness almost broke hli
n down. "This together Thin
this outl oh, It's plain enough, ism
III For years-for as long as Wassi
guam has been here, my father ,hO
l. been seeing that man and paylr
n blackmall to him twice a year ,
!. least He lived In that mans powe
II He kept money In the house for hi
always II wasn't anything maglnNr
that hung over my father--or anythlu
created In his own mind. 1t was SOM
thing real-real II was dlspOce-dl
grace and worse-sonlething he d
served; and that he fought with blacl
mail money, like coward DlShon,
y. --cowardlce-hlackmnilw ~ ss.t
!, (The &C. hnuation of this intor6sK
D. nd absorbing story of mystery II
~ riumph of right "The Inlinn Drm