The St. Charles herald., 1922-08-05

overhead; the truck separated them.
1t bore down upon Alan, holding MIN
motionless and, on the other side' II
crushed upon Corvet's legs.
He turned over, as far as he could.
and spoke to Alan. "You have Deen
saving me, so now tried to save you,
he said simply. "What reason did you
have for doing that? Why have you
been keeping by meT
I'm Alan Conrad Of Blue Raplds.
| Kansas" Alan cried to him. Anu
you're Benjamin Corvet! You Know
me; you sent for me! Why DID you
| do that2"
Corvet made no reply to this. Alan,
| peering at him underneath the truck,
| could see that his hands were pressed
against his face and that his body
shook. Whether this was from some
new physical pain from the movement
of the wreckage, Alan did not know
till he lowered his hands after mo-
ment; and now he did not heed Alan
or seem even to be aware OF him.
| Dear little Connie!" he said aloud.
Dear little Connie! She mustn't
marry him-not him! That must De
seen to. What shall l do, what shall
I do"
Alan worked nearer him. "Why
mustn't she marry him?' he cried 10
Corvet. "Why? Ben Corvet, tell me!
Tell me why!"
"Who are you?" Corvet seemed only
with an effort to become conscious OF
Alan's presence.
"Pm Alan Conrad, whom you used
to take care of. I'm from Blue Rap
Ids. You know about me; are you my
father, Ben Corvet? Are you my IA
ther or what-what are you to mel"
"Your fatherT' Corvet repeated.
"Did ne tell you thatf He killed your
father"
KILLED him? Killed him. how?'
"Of course. He killed them all-all.
But your father-he shot him; he shot
him through the head"
Alan twinged. Sight Of Spearman
came before him as he had first seen
Spearman, covering in Corvet's IL
brary in terror at an apparition. "And
the bullet hole above the eye" So
that was the hole made by the shot
Spearman fired which had killed
Alans father-which shot him through
the head! Alan peered at Corvet and
called to him.
"Father Benitotw Corvet called in
response, not directly In reply to
Alan's question, rather In response to
what those questions stirred. Father
Benitot!"
Some one, drawn by the cry, was
moving wreckage near them. A hand
and arm with torn sleeve showed;
Alan could not see the rest Of the fig-
nre, but by the sleeve he recognized
that it was the mate.
"Who's caught here?" he called
down.
"Benjamin Corvet of Corvet, Sher-
rill and Spearman. ship owners OF CHI
cago." Corvet's voice replied deeply.
fully: there was authority in 1t and
wonder too-the wonder of man find
ing himself in situation which his
recollection cannot explain.
"Ben Corvet!" the mate shouted In
surprise; he cried it to the others,
those who had followed Corvet and
obeyed him during the hour before and
had not known why. The mate tried to
pull the wreckage aside and make his
way to Corvet; but the old man stopped
him. "The priest, Father Benitot!
Send him to me. I shall never leave
here: send Father Benitot"
| VryafhnYvt fho
: mate moving away. The mate, after
minute, made no further attempt to
free Corvet that indeed was useless,
and Corvet demanded his right Of sac
} rament from the priest who came and
. crouched under the wreckage beside
him.
Father Benitotl"
: 81 am not Father Benitot. am Fa.
: ther Perron of L'Anse."
ut was to Father Benitot Of st. Ig
5 mace should have gone. Father! (.
. The priest got little closer as Cor
/; vet spoke, and Alan heard only voices
0 now and then through the sounds Of
8 Changing metal and the drum Of ict
against the hull. The mate and his
o helpers were working to get him free
0 They had abandoned all effort to save
t the ship; It was settling. And will
!. the settling, the movement Of tht
e wreckage imprisoning Alan was in
n creasing. This movement made useless
e the efforts Of the mate; It would sre'
}, Alan Of itself in moment, If 1t dit
!; not kill him; it would free or finisl
d Corvet too. But he. as Alan saw him
e was wholly oblivious Of that now. Hi
6 lips moved quietly. firmly; and his eye
!, were fixed steadily Oh the eyes Of tn
, priest.
70 CTO BE CONTINUED.)