The Ordway new era., 1922-08-11


overhead; the truck separated theh'
II hore down upon Alan, holding MN
motionless and. on the other side' "
crushed upon Corvet's legs.
He turned over, as far as ne couiu'
and spoke to Alan. "fou nave peem
saving me. so now tried to save you
he said simply. what reason dld you
have for doing that? Why nave you
been keeping by mel"
I'm Alan Conrad of Blue hapius,
Kansas" Alan cried to him. Ahu
you're benjamin Corvetl You know
me Won sent for mel Why did you
do that?" a.,
Corvet made no reply TO this. Aian'
peering at him underneath the truck.
rould see that his hands were pressed
against his face and that his ooay
shook. Whether this was from some
new physical pain from the movement
of the wreckage, Alan did not kho"
till he lowered his hands after mo-
ment: and now he did not heed Alan
or seem even to be aware of hlm.
Dear little ConnIe!' he said aloud.
Dear little Connie She mustn't
marry him-not him! That must be
seen to. What shall do, what shall
l do?"
Alan worked nearer him. "Why
mustn't she marry hlm?' he cried to
Corvet. "Why? Ben Corvet, tell me!
Tell me why!"
"who are you?" Corvet seemed only
-t.b ~ offor+ to bacorne conscious of
Alan's presence.
I'm Alan Conrad, whom you used
to take care of. Pm from Blue Rap
ids. You know about me; are you my
father, Ben Corvet? Are you my fa'
ther or what-what are you to me?'
"Your fatherf" Corvet repeated.
Did ne tell you that7 He killed your
father"
KILLED him? Killed him, how?"
"Of course. He killed them all-all
/ But your father-he shot him; he shot
him through the head!"
Alan twinged. Sight of Spearman
came before him as he had first seen
Spearman, covering In Corvets Ii
brary in terror at an apparltion. And
the bullet hole above the eye" So
that was the hole made by the shot
Spearman fired which had killed
| Alan's father-which shot him through
the head! Alan peered at Coryet and
/ called to him.
Father Benitotl" Corvet called In
response not directly in reply to
Alan's question, rather in response to
| what those questions stirred. Father
| Benitot !"
Some one drawn by the cry, was
moving wreckage near them. A hand
and arm with a torn sleeve showed |;
Alan could not see the rest Of the fig
ure, but by the sleeve he recognized
that 1t was the mate.
who's caught here?" he called
down.
"Benjamin Corvet of Corvet, Sher-
rill and Spearman, ship owners of Chi
cago," Corvets voice replied deeply,
wonder too-the wonder of man find
ing himself in a situation which his
recollection cannot explain.
Ben Corvet!" the mate shouted In
surprise; he cried 1t to the others,
those who had followed Corvet and
obeyed him during the hour before and
had not known why. The mate tried to
pull the wreckage aside and make his
way to Corvet; but the old man stopped
him. 1.-The priest, Father Benitot
Send him to me. l shall never leave
here; send Father Benitot"
The word was passed without the
mate moving away. The mate, after O
minute, made no further attempt tt
free Corvet; that indeed was useless
and Corvet demanded his right of sac
| rament from the priest who came ant
crouched under the wreckage beside
him.
Father Benitot! 7"
II am not Father Benitot. l am Fa
ther Perron of L'Anse"
ut was to Father Benitot of st. Ig
mace should have gone, Father! .
The priest got little closer as Cor
vet spoke, and Alan heard only voice.
now and then through the sounds O,
changing metal and the drum of ics
against the hull. The mate and hi.
helpers were working to get him free
They had abandoned all effort to saw,
the ship; 1t was settling. And will
the settling, the movement of tn,
wreckage imprisoning Alan was in
creasing. This movement made useless
the efforts Of the mate; 1t would fire,
Alan of itself In a moment, If 1t di,
not kill him; 1t would free or finisl
Corvet too. But he, as Alan saw him
was wholly oblivious Of that now. Hi
lips moved quietly, firmly; and his eye
were fixed steadily on the eyes of tn
priest.
CTo BE CoNTINUED)