Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1922-07-01


Alan; but Corvet had kept trace In the
same way and with the same secrecy
of many other people-of about O
score Of people. When Alan thought
of Corvet, alone In his silent house
he must think of him as sollcitous
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.
II 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 1t 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
| Bile 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 1t, as Corvet had lived,
and as Corvet had got his wealth. Alan
was feeling like one who, bound, has
been suddenly unloosed. From the time
when, coming to see Coryet, he had
found Corvet gone, until now, he had
felt the impossibility of explaining
from anything he knew or seemed like
~ 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 60 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 1t. Spearman.
pWassaquam had said, came from
there. THE Land of the Drum !" 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 fa-
Their had spent the most active part |
of his life. There. then-these lists |
now made II eertain~-that events had |
happened by which that life had been
bllghted. North there by the meeting
of the waters, was the regiGn Of the
wrong which was DONE
That's where I must got" he said
aloud. That's where must got"
Constance Sheriff., on the following
afternoon. received telephone call
from her father; he was coming home
earlier than usual, he said; II she had |
planned to go out would she wait UNI
til after he got therei TIE afternoons
mail was upon stand in the hall. She
turned 1t over. looking through Tin
vltations, social notes. She picked
from among them an envelope adj
dressed to herself In q firm clear
hand, which, unfamiliar to her, still
queerly startled her. and tore 1t open.
Dear Miss Sheriff." she read
Il am closing. for the time being,
the house which. for default of other
ownership. must call mine. The pos
siblity that what has occurred here
would cause you and your father anxi-
ETY. about me In case | went away
without telling you of my intention Is
the reason for this note. But 1t Is not
the only reason. could not 20 away
without telling you how deeply | up
preclate the generosity and delcacy
you and your father have shown me
in spite of my position here and of the
fact that had no claim at all upon
you. | shall not forget those, even
though what happened here last ngh,
makes II Impossible for me to try to
see you again or even to write to yen
ALAN CONRAD"
She heard her fathers mutor enter
the drive and raL o him with the bet.
ter In her hand.
HES written to sou, then?" he said.
at sight of It.
yes"
81 had note from him this after
noon AT the Office. .sking me to hold
In abeynnce for the time being the
trust that Ben had left me and return
ing the key of the horse To me for
"Has he already gomez"
Il suppose so; | don't know"