Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1922-04-21

later, he looked up TO see the man
these things had told him must be
Sheriff. standing In the door and look
ing at him.
Alan had arisen at sight of him ;
Sheriff., as he came In, motioned him
back to his seat; he did not sit down
himself, but crossed to the mantel and
leaned against it.
II am Lawrence Sheriff." he said.
AS the tall, graceful. thoughtful
man stood looking down at him, Alan
could tell nothing Of the attitude Of
this friend Of Benjamin Corvet to-
ward himself. His manner had the
same reserve toward Alan, the same
questioning consideration Of him, that
Constance Sheriff. had had after Alan
had told her about himself.
"My daughter has repeated to me
what you told her, Mr.. Conrad"
Sheriff. observed. ais there anything
you want to add to me regarding
thatYs
There's nothing I can add" Alan
uuSWCICu. tOIu uCi dil IudI L AuOW
about myself"
"And about Mr.. Corvet7"
II know nothing at all about Mr..
Corvet"
II am going to tell you some things
about Mr.. Corvet," Sheriff. said. 81
had reason--I do not want to explain
just yet what that reason was-for
thinking you could tell us certain
things about Mr.. Corvet, which would,
perhaps, make palmer what has hap
pened to him. When tell you shout
him now, it is In the hope that. ia
that way, may awake some forgotten
memory of him in you; IL not that
you may discover some coincidence OF
dates or events In Corvet's life with
dates or events in your own. WIN you
tell me frankly, If you do discover any
thing like thatf"
"Yes; certainly"
For several moments, Sheriff. pc ced
up and down before the fire; then he
returned to his place before the
mantel.
uIOL IuCt DcAJdmlu SOifCI, hC
commenced, nearly thirty years ago.
l had come West for the frst time
the year before; was about your own
age and had been graduated from
college only short time, and busI-
ness opening had offered itself here.
Times were booming on the Great
Lakes. Chicago, which had more than
recovered from the fire, was doubling
its population every decade; Cleve-
land, Duluth, and Milwaukee were
leaping up as ports. Men were grow
ing millions Of bushels Of grain which
they couldn't ship except by lake
hundreds Of thousands Of tons Of ore
had to go by water; and there were
tens Of millions of feet of pine and
hardwood from the Michigan forests.
Sailing vessels, 1t is true. had seen
their day and were disappearing from
the lakes; were being Sold many of
them. as the saying is. to the insur-
ance companies by deliberate wreck
Ing. Steamers were taking their place.
Towing bad come in. I felt. young
man though was, that this trans
portation matter was all one thing
and that In the end the railroads
would own the ships I have nevc
engaged very actively IN the Operations
Of the ships; my daughter would Ike
me to be more active in it than l have
been; but ever since, have had
money in lake vessels. 1t was the
year that l began that sort OF invest
ment that / first met Corvet."
Alan looked up quickly. "Mr. Cor
vet was-?' he asked.
"Corvet was-is q lakeman," Sher-
rill said.
Alan sat motionless, as he recoi-
lected the strange exaltatiOn that had
come to him when he saw the lake
for the first time. Should he tell
Sheriff. of that? He decided 1t was
too vague, too indefinite to be men
toned; no doubt any other man used
only to the prairie might have felt the
same.
"He was a shipowner, then," he
said.
"Yes; he was q shipOwner-not,
however, on large scale at that time.
He had been master, sailing ships
which belonged to others; then he
had sailed one Of his own. He was
operating then. I believe, two vessels
but with the boom times on the lakes,
his interests were beginning to ex-
pand. l met him frequently In the
next few years, and we became close
friends"
Sheriff. broke off and stared an In
stant down at the rug. Alan bent
forward; he made no interruption but
only watched Sheriff. attentively.
Between 1885, when first met him,
and 1895, Corvet laid the foundation OF
great success; his boats seemed lucky
men liked to work fer him, and he
got the best shippers and crews. There
was a saying that In storm Corvet
ship never asked help; 1t gave 1t
certainly in twenty years no Corvet
ship had suffered serious disaster
Corvet was not yet rich, but unless
accident or undue competition inter
vened, he was certain to become so