The daily Alaskan., 1922-06-15


 where behind him, but did not go out; the beam of light shot back and wa vered and hlCkered over both of them, as the torch rolled on the floor. Alan rushed forward and. thrustIng through the dark, his hand struck the mans chest and seized hIs coat.
 The man caught at and seized AL ans arm; he seemed to feel of lt and assure himself of It's realty.
 "Flesh! Fleshw he roared In re lief; and his big arms grappled Alan. As they struggled, they stumbled and fell to the floor the big man under heath. His hand shifted It's hold and caught Alan's throat; Alan got an arm free and. with all his force, struck the mans face. The man struck back A heavy blow on the side of Alan's head which dizzled him but left him strength to strike again, and hls knuckles reached the mans face once more. but he got another heavy blow In return. The man was grapplng no longer; he swung Alan to one side and or of him. and rolled himself away. He scrambled to his feet and dashed out through the library, across the hall, and into the service room Alan got to his feet; dizzled and not yet familiar with the house, he blum dered against H wall and had to feel his way along it to the service room; as he slipped and stumbled down the stairway. door closed loudly at the end of the corridor he had seen al the foot of the S'airS. He ran along thp corridor Co the dnpr; It had closed with spring lock, and seconds passed while he fell In the dark for The catch he found it and tore the door open. and came ont suddenly into the cold mir of the night in a paved passage WHY beside the house which lel in one direction 'n the street and In the other 10 gate opening on the alley. He run forward 10 the street and looked mp and down. hut found it emp. ty: then he ran back to the alley. Al the end of the alley. where it inter sprtpd ,he cross street. the figure of the man running away appeared >'ld. denly out of the shadows. then dis appeared: Alan following a> far "s the street. could see nothing more of him. this street too was empty.
 He ran little farther and looked, then he went back 10 the house. The side door had swung shut again and Ig.rhpd. He lc' himself in at the front door and turned on the light in the reading lamp in the library. Th" electric torch still was burning on the floor and he picked if up and eXtln- guished It: he went upstairs and brought dowr his shoes He had seen a wood fire set ready for lighting In the library. and now he lighted lt and sa. before lt drying his wet socks he' fore he put on his shoes He was still shaking and breathing fast from hiS struggle with the man and his chase after him. and ty the StrungeneSS of what had taken place.
 When the shaft of light from the torch had flashed across AlCn'S fnre fin the dark library, the man had not trken him for wha' he waS-a living person: he had taken him for spec ter. His terror and the things he had cried out could mean only that The snrcter of whom? Not of Benjamin Corvet: for one of the things Alan had remarked when he saw Benjamin Coryef's picture was that he himself did moi look al all like his father, Be. sides. what the man had said made It certain that he did not think the spec fer was Ben: for the SpeCter haG "got Ben" Did Alan look like some one else. then? Like whom? Evi- dently like .he man-nOw dead. for he had a Chust-whO had """t" Ben, in -he big mans opinion. Who could that be?
 Alan got Ip and went to look at himself in the mirror he had. seen in the hall. He was white, now that the flush of the fighting was going; he probably had been pale before with excitement. and over his right eve there was round black mark. Alan looked down at his hands; a Title skin was off one knuckle. where he had struck the man. and his fingers were snudged with a black and sotty dust. He had Smudged them on the papers upstairs or else in feeling his way about the. dark house, and at some time he had touched his fore head and left the black mark. That had been the bullet hole"
 The res that the man had said had been O reference to some name; Alan had no trouble to recOllect the name. and, while he did not understand it at all, 1t stirred him queerly-"the Mi waka." What was thati The queer excitement and questioning that the name brought, when he repeated it to himself. was not recollection; for he could not recall ever having heard the name before; but 1t was not com pletely strange to him. He could de fine the excitement it stirred only in that way.
 Sherrill had believed that here in this house Benjamin Coryet had left or might have left-a memQrandum, 8