The daily Alaskan., 1922-07-13

that same gladness which had mingled with her own sorrow over Uncle Benny, that his father was gOne-gOne from his guilt and his fear and his disgrace? Or would he resent that deaIh which thus left everything un- explained to him2 He would be look ing at the ring. That, at least, must bring more joy than grief to him. He would recognize that 1t mus, be his mothers wedding ring; if lt told him that his mother must be dead lt would tell him that she had been married, or had believed that she was married!
 Suddenly she heard him calling her. Miss Sherrillg" hIs voice had u sharp thrill of excitement.
 She hurried toward the sun room. She could see him through the door way, bending over the card table with the things spread out upon It's top In front of him,
 Yes"
 He strulghtened; he was very pale. "Wpuld coins that my father had in his pocket all have been more than twenty years old|
 She ran and bent beside him over the coins. Twenty years" she re- peated. She was making out the dates of the coins nUw herself; the markings were eroued, nearly guue in some in- stances. but In every case enough re- muIued Co make plain the date. "EighLrpn-uluety - lS14 - lSS&,' she made them out Her voice hushed Querrly, "Whut does 1t mean?' she whispered.
 Hr turned over and re-eXuminpd the articles with hands suddenly steady ing. "Thcre are two sets ot things npre." he concluded "The muller and paper of dIreCtiOnS-they be- luuged To my father The other things -it isn't six months or less than six months that they've lain in sand and water to become worn like this; it's twenty years My father cant have had these things; they were some where else, or some, one else had them. lie wrote his directions to that per son-ufter June twelfth, he said, so It was before June twelfth he wrote it; but We can't tell how long before. It might have been in February. when he disappeared it might have been any time after that But if the directions were written so long ago. why weren't the things sent To you before this? Didn't the person nave the things then? Did we have to wait to get them? Or-wns 1t the instructions 10 send them that he didn't have? Or, If he hud the instructions. was he walt Ing to receive word when they were to be sent? You thought these things proved my father WAS dead. l think they prove he Is alive! Oh, we must think this out!"
 He paced up and down the room; she sank into a chair. watching him. The first thing that We must do," he said suddenly, Ts to find out about the watch. What Is the phone number of the telegraph ofice?"
 She told him, and he went out to the telephone; she sprang up to follow him. but checked herself and merely waited until he came back i've wired to Buffalo" he an- nouuced. "The Merchants exchange, lf lt Is still In existence. must have q record of the presentation of the watch"
 Then yoIW stay here with us until an answer Comes?'
 "If we get reply by tomorrow morn ing; I'll wait till then. If not, I'll ask you to forward 1t to me. I must see about the trains and get back to Frank fort. can cross by boat from there to ManltOwoc-that will be quickest. We must begln there, by trying to find out who sent the package" She helped him put the muffler and the other articles Into the box; she nO- tlced that the wedding ring was no longer with them. He had taken that then: 1t had meant to him all that she had kno' q It must mean, ...
 In tr morning she was up very early: out Alan, the servants told her, had risen before she had and had gone out. The morning, after the cool north ern night. was chill. She slipped a sweater on and went out on the yeran. ca, looking about for him. An rides cent haze ShrOuded the hills and the bay; In it she heard a ships bell strike twice; then another struck twIce-then another-and another-and another. The hSzs thInned as the sun grew warmer, showing the placid water of the bay on which the ships stood dou- ble. She saw Alan returning, and knowing from the direction from which he came that he must have been to the telegraph office, she ran to meet him.
 Was there an answerT she inquired eagerly.
 He took a yellow telegraph sheet from hls pocket and held 1t for her to read
 Watch presented Captain Caleb Stafford, master of propeller freighter Marvin HaIch for rescue of crew and passengers of sinking steamer Winne- bago off Long point, Lake Erie"
 H.a.