The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-04-04
CONTINUED from last issue)
=. CHAPTER XVIII.

mination and action, as she found her
purse and counted the money in it.
She never in her life had gone alone
upon an extended journey, much less
been alone upon a train overnight. If
she, spoke Of such a thing now. she
would be prevented; no occasion for
It would be recognized; she would not
be allowed to co.. even if properly ac-
companied." She could not, there
fore. risk taking 4 handbag from the
house; SO she thrust nightdress and
toilet articles into her muff and the
roomy pocket. Of her fur coat. She de.
scended to- the, side door Of the house,
gained the street and turned west
ward at the first corner to street
car which would take her to the rail-
way station. '-e'
The manner of buying q railway
ticket and Of engaging a berth were
unknown to her-there had. been serv-
ants always to do these things-but
she watched others and did as they
did. She procured 9? telegraph blank
and wrote! q message, to her mother,
telling her that she had gone north to
join her father. When the train had
started, she gave the message to the
porter, directing him to send It. from
the first large town at which they
stopped.
Constance could not, as vet, place
Henry's part in the, strange circum-
stances which had begun to reveal
themselves with Alan's coming to Chi
cago; but Henry's hope that Uncle
Benny and Alan were dead was. begin
ming to make that clearer! She lay
without voluntary movement in her
berth, but her hosotnf aslshaking with
the thoughts which Came to her. = :
Twenty years befof1::s some dreadful
event had altered Uncle !Benny's life;
his wife had known-tor had learned
enough Of that event 10 that she had
left him: 1t had seemed to Constance
and her father, therefore, that it must
have, been some intimate and private
event. ssk% 49,.
Uncle Benny had withdrawn. him
self from men: he had ceased to be
active in his businessman delegated 1t
20 others. .sThis f1ange had been
strangely advantageous to. Henry,
Henry had been hardly more than a
common seaman then: He had been a
mate-the mate on one Of Uncle Ben.
ny's ships. Quite suddenly he had
become Uncle Benny's partner. Henry
had explained this to her by. saying
that Uncle Benny had. not trusted
Henry; he had been, suspicious Of
him; he had quarreled with him. How
strange, then, that Uncle Benny should
have advanced and given way to
man whom he could not trust!
Uncle Benny had come to her and
warned her not to marry. Henry; then
he had sent for Alan. There had been
purpose In these: acts Of Uncle Ben
ny's had they meant that Uncle Ben
ny had been on the; verge Of making
explanation-that explanation which
Henry feared-and that he had been
prevented? Her father had thought
this; at least, he had thought that
Uncle Benny must have left some ex-
PLANTATION In his house. He had told
Alan that, and had given Alan the
key to the house SO that he could
find it. Alan had gone to the house
In the house Alan had found some
one who had mistaken. him for a
ghost, a man, who had cried out at
sight OF him something about ship
about the Miwaka. the ship Of whose
loss no one. had known anything ex-
;cept by, the. soundings Of the Drum
What had the man been doing in the
house? Had he too been looking for
the explanation-the explanation that
Henry feared? r. Alan had described
the man to her that, description had
not had meaning for her before; but
now remembering that description she
could think Of Henry as the only one
who could have been in that house!
Henry had fought with Alan there!
Afterwards, when Alan had been at
tackled upon the street, had Henry
anything to do with that?
Henry had lied, 20 her about being
in Duluth. the night he had fought
with Alan; he had not told her the
true cause Of his quarrels with Uncle
Benny; he had wished her to believe
that Uncle Benny SAs dead when the
wedding ring and watch came to her
the watch which had been Captain
S.afford's Of the Miwakal Henry had
urged her to marry him!at once. Was
that because he wished the security
that her father-aiid she-must give
her husband when they learned the
revelation which Alan or Uncle Ben
ny might brings
At Petoskey she went from the train
directly to the telegraph office. L
Henry, was, in Petoskey, hey would
know at that Office where he could be
found; he would be keeping in touch
with them. ~ o.
=. Mr.. Spearman, the operator said, had
been Mt the Office early in the day;
there had been no message for kin;
be. had left 1nstructiQpa that arr
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