The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1922-05-19

Say, WIN YOU! what ucllS Syou
dom here? Never see you before
go-go get Ben Corvet. JUS
say Ben Corvet, Lu-luke's shere. Ben
Corvetll know Lu-luke all right; al
waysh. alwaysh knows me. ;"
whats the matter with your
the man again. The first idea that this
might have been merely some old sail
or who had served Benjamin Corvet
or, perhaps, had been a comrade in
the earlier days, had been banished
by the confident arrogance Of the
mans tone-an arrogance not to be
explained, entirely, by whisky or by
the fever.
"How long have you been this way?'
Alan demanded. "Where did you come
from?' He put his hand on the wrist !;
1t was very hot and dry; the pulse
was racing, irregular; at seconds 1t
seemed to stop; for other seconds 1t
was continuous. The fellow coughed
and bent forward what is it
pneumonia" Alan tried to straighten
him up.
'Gf me drink! Go get Ben
Corvet, / tell you'll Get Ben
Corvet quick Say-yous shear? You
Ben Corvet; you tell him Lu-uke's
here; won't wait any more; goin'
t'have my money now sright
away, your shear? Kick me out s'loon );
l guess not no more Ben Corvet give
me all money l want or 1 talk!"
TALK"
"Syou know it I amt goin' :"
He choked up and tottered back !;
Alan, supporting him, laid him down
and stayed beside him until his cough
ing and choking ceased. and there was
only the rafting rasp Of his breathing.
When Alan spoke to him again, Luke's
eyes opened, and he narrated recent
experiences bitterly; all were blamed
to Ben COrvet's absence; Luke who
had been drinking heavily a few
nights before, had been thrown out
when the saloon was closed; that was
Ben Corvet's fault; if Ben Corvet had
been around, Luke would have had
no one would have thrown out Luke
then. Luke slept in the snow. all wet
When he arose, the saloon was open
again, and he got more whisky, but not
enough to get him warm. He hadn't
been warm since. That was Ben Cor
vets fault. Ben Corvet better be
round now; Luke wouldn't stand any
more.
Alan felt Of the pulse again; he
opened the coat and under fannels
and felt the heaving chest He went
to the hall and looked in the telephone
directory. He remembered the name
of the druggist on the corner Of Clark
street and he telephoned him, giving
the number on AstOr street
Il want a doctor right away" he
said. "Any good doctor; the one that
you can get quickest" The druggist
promised that physician would be
there within quarter of an hour.
Alan went back to Luke, who was
silent now except for the gasp Of his
breath; he did not answer when Alan
spoke to him, except to ask for whis-
ky. Alan stood watching, a strange
sinking tremor shaking him. This
man had come there to make claim
"a claim which many times before,
apparently, Benjamin Corvet had adj
mitted. Luke came to Ben Corvet
for money which he always got-all
he wanted-the alternative to giving
which was that Luke would talk"
Blackmail, that meant, of course !;
blackmail which not only Luke had
told of but which Wassaquam too had
admitted as Alan now realized. Money
for blackmail-that was the reason
for that thousand dollars in cash
which Benjamin Corvet always kept
at the house.
Alan turned with sudden SILVER
of revulSion toward his fathers chair
in place before the hearth; there for
hours each day his father had sat
| with book or staring into the fire
always with what this man knew
hanging over him, always arming
| against it with the thousand dollars
ready for this man, whenever he came.
Meeting blackmail, paying blackmail
for as long as Wassaquam had been
in the house, for as long as it took to
| make the once muscular powerful fig
ure of the sailor who threatened to
| talk into the swollen whisky soaked
hulk of the man dying now on the
lounge.
For his state that day the man
blamed Benjamin Corvet Alan, fore
| ing himself to touch the swollen face,
shuddered at thought of the truth I'M
DERIVING that accusation. Benjamin
| COrvet's act-whatever it might be
that this man knew-undoubtedly had
destroyed not only him who paid the
blackmail but him who received it;
the effect of that act was still going
on, destroying. hlighting. Its threat of
4 shame was not only against Benjamin
| Corvet; it threatened also all whose
names must be connected with Cor
vets. This shame threatened Alan
it threatened also the Sherrills. What
1 Sheriff. had told Alan and even Cor
vets gifts to him had not been able
| to make Alan feel tnat without uues-
ton Corvet was his father, but now
shame and horror were making him
feel it; in horror at Corvet's act
whatever 1t might be-and in shame
at Covert's cowardice. Alan was think
ing of Benjamin Corvet as his father
This shame. this horror were his in
heritance.
He left Luke and went to the win
dow to see if the DOCTOR was coming