The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-03-18

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.
"Gi' me drinkl Go get Ben
! COrvet, tell yOui -. Get Ben
COrvet quick! Say-yous shear? You
get me Ben Corvet; you better get
| Ben Corvet; you tell him Lr--uke's
here; won't WHIT any more; goin'
t'have my money now, sright
away, your shear? Kick me out s'loon ;
guess not no more Ben Corvet give
me all money l want or talk!"
"Talk!"
"Syou know it! 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 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 hcaving chest. He went
to the hall and looked in the telephone
directory. He remembered the name
Of the druggist on the corner Of Clark
street and he telephoned him, giving
the number on Astor street.
II want doctor right away" he
said. ANY good doctor; the one that
you can get quickest" The druggist
promised that physician would be
there within n quarter Of an hour.
Alan went back to Luke, who was
silent now except for the gasp Of his
breath; lie did not answer when Alan
spoke to him, except to ask for whis-
Ky. Alan stood watching, strange,
sinking trem0r shaking him. This
man had come there to make a claim
"A claim which many times before,
apparently, Benjamin Corvet had ad-
United. Luke came to Ben COrvet
for money which he always got--all
lie wanted-the alternative to giving
which was that Luke would talk"
Blackmail, that meant, Of course;
hlackmall which not only Luke had
told of but which Wassaquam too had
admitted. as Alan now realized. Money
for blackmall-that was the reason
for that thousand dollars in cash
which BENJAMIN COrvet always kept
at the house.
Alan turned with sudden shiver
Of revuIslon toward his fathers chair
in place before the hearth; there for
hours each day his father had sat
with book or staring into the fire
always with what this man knew
hanging over him, always arming
against 1T with the thousand dollars
ready for this man, whenever he came.
Meeting blackmail. paying blackmail
for as long as Wassaquam had heen
in the house, for as long as 1t took to
make the once muscular powerful fig
ure Of the sailor who threatened to
"talk" into the swollen whisky-soaked
hulk Of the man dying now on the
lounge.
For his state that day the man
blamed Benjamin Corvet. Alan, fore
ing himself to touch the swollen face,
shuddcred ut thought of the truth I'M
DERIVING that accusation. Benjamin
Corvet's act-whatever it might be
that this man Internationally had
destroyed not only him who paid the
blackmail but him who received It;
the effect Of that act was still going
on, destroying. blishting. Its threat Of
shame was not only against Benjamin
Corvet; it threatened also all whose
names must be connected with Cor
vets This shame threatened Alan !;
It threatened also the Sherrills. What
Sheriff. had told Alan and even Cor
vets gifts to him had not been able
to make Alan feel that without ques-
ton Corvet was his father, but now
shame and horror were making him
feel 1t; In horror at Corvet's act
whatever it might be-and in shame
Mt Covert's cowartlice Alan was think
ing Of Benjamin. Corvet as his father.
This shame, this horror were his In
heritance.
He left Luke and went to the Win
dow to see If the doctor was coming
He had called the doctor because in his
first sight Of Luke he had not recog-
nized that Luke was beyond the aid
of doctors and because to summon a
doctor under such circumstances was
the right thing to do; but he had
thought Of the doctor also as Wit
ness to anything Luke might say. But
now--did he want a witness? He had
no thought Of concealing anything for
his owl sake or for his fathers. but
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