The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-06-29


when, coming to see Corvet, he had
found Corvet gone. until now, he had
felt the impossibility of explaining
from anything he knew or seemed like
ly 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 go 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 it. Spearman.
Wassaquam had said, came from
there. 'The Land of the Drum I" 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 headlands.
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-
ther had spent the most active part
Of his life. There, then-these lists
now made 1t certain-that events had
happened by which that life had been
blighted. North, there by the meeting
Of the waters, was the region of the
wrong which was done.
"That's where must go" he said
aloud. That's where must goI"
afternoon, received a telephone call
from her father; he was coming home
earlier than usual. he said; If she had
planned to go out, would she wait un-
til after he got there7 The afternoons
mail was upon a stand in the hall. She
turned 1t over. looking through tin
vitations, social notes. She picked
from among them an envelope ad
dressed to herself in a 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. I must call mine. The pos
sibility 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 IL
the reason for this note. But 1t IL not
the only reason. / could not 60 away
without telling you how deeply I ap-
preciate the generosity and delicacy
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 night
makes 1t impossible for me to try to
see you again or even to write to you.
ALAN CONRAD"
She heard her fathers motor enter
the drive and ran to him with the let
ter in her hand.
Hes written to you, then r. he said
at sight OF II.
"Yes."
81 had a note from him this after
noon at the office, asking me to hold
in allegiance for the time being the
trust that Ben had left me and return
ing the key Of the house to me for
safekeeping."
"Has he already gonsT
II suppose SO; don't know"
"we must find out" She caught up
her wraps and began to put them on.
Sheriff. hesitated, then assented; and
they went round the block together to
the Corvet house. Sheriff., after a few
instants' hesitation, took the key from
his pocket and unlocked the door and
went in. The rooms, they saw, were
all In perfect order; summer covers
had been put upon the furniture: pro
tecting cloths had been spread over
the beds upstairs. After their inspec-
ton, they came out again at the front
door. and her father closed 1t with a
swapping of the spring lock.
Constance. as they walked away,
turned and looked back at the old
house, gloomy and dark among its
newer, fresher-looking neighbors. and
suddenly she choked and her eyes
grew wet. That feeling was not for
Uncle Benny; the drain of days past
had exhausted such surge of feeling
for him. That which she could not
wink away was for the boy who had
come to that house a few weeks ago
ard for the man who just now had
gone.
CHhfTlH XII