Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1922-07-15
THE INDIAN DRUM
By William Macfiarg and Edwin Balmer
Copyright by

that same gladness which had mingled
with her own sorrow over Uncle
Benny, that his father was aone--gont
from his guilt and his fear and hI,
disgracef Or would he resent thai
death which thus left everything un
| explained to him? He would be look
ing at the ring. That, at least, must
bring more JOY than grief to him. He
would recognize that 1t must be his
mothers wedding ring; IL 1t told him
that his mother must be dead, It would
tell him that she had been married, or
had believed that she was married!
Suddenly she heard him calling her.
Miss Sheriff" his voice had a 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 its top In
front of him.
Yes"
He Strengthened; he was very pale.
Would coins that my father had in
his pocket all have been more than
twenty years oid?"
She ran and bent beside him over
the coins Twenty yearsp' she re-
peated She was making out the dates
Of the coins now herself; the markings
were eroded, nearly gone in some in
stances, but in every case enough re-
manned to make plain the date.
"Eighteen-ninety - 1894 - 1885," she
made them out. Her voice hushed
queerly. What does it mean?" she
whispered.
He turned over and re-examined the
articles with hands suddenly steady
ing. There are two sets of things
here he concluded. 1.-THE muller
and paper of directions-they be-
longed to my father. The other things
1T 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 can't have
had these things; they were some
where else, or some, one else had them.
lie wrote his directions to that per-
son--after June twelfth, he said, so 1t
was before June twelfth he wrote 1t
but we can't tell how long before. It
might have been In February, when he
1t might have been any
time after that But II the directions
were written so long ago, why weren't
the things sent to you before this?
Didn't the person have the things
then? Did we have to wait to get
them? Or-was 1t the instructions to
send them that he didn't have? Or, If |
he had the instructions, was he wait
Ing to receive word when they were
10 be sent? You thought these things
proved my father was dead. | think
they prove he is alivel Oh, we must
think this out r.
He paced up and down the room; she
sank into chair, watching him. "The |
irst thing that we must do" he said
suddenly, SIS to find out about the
watch. What Is the phone number
IL tue teiegrapn 0flCeF
She told him, and he went out to the
telephone; she sprang up to follow
lin, but checked herself and merely
waited until he came hack.
1--WE wired to Buffalo, he an
1.-THE Merchants exchange,
I 1t is still In existence, must have
ecord of the presentation of the
watch"
Then you'll stay here with us until
IN answer comes?
IF we get reply by tomorrow morn
ng; TIL wait till then. IL not, I'll ask
'ou to forward 1t to me. must see
bout the trains and get back to Frank
ort. / can cross by boat from there
o Manitow0c--that will be quickest.
We must begin there, by trying to find
ut who sent the package"
She helped him put the muffler and
he other articles into the box; she no.
Iced that the wedding ring was no
onger with them. He had taken that.
hen; Il had meant to him all that she
ad known 1t must mean.
In the morning she was up very
arly; but Alan, the servants told her.
ad risen before she had and had gone
ut. The morning, after the cool north
IN night, was chill. She slipped a
weater on and went out on the veran-
a, looking about for him. An rides
ent haze shrouded the hills and the
ny In 1t she heard ships bell strike
vice then another struck twice--then
another-and another.
he haze thinned as the sun grew
'armer. showing the placid water of
le bay on which the ships stood dou-
lie. She saw Alan returning. and
moving from the direction from whitn !
e came that he must have been to the
,iegraph office. she ran 10 meet him, !
WAS there an answer" she inquired {
lgerly.
He took yellow telegraph sheet {
'om his pocket and held 1t for her to |
.ad. II
watch presented Captain Caleb
tatford. master of propeller freighter '
Iarvin Halch for rescue of crew and {
assengers Of sinking steamer Whine S
ago Off Long point. Lake Erie" h
She was breathing quickly In her ex- d
tement. Caleb Stafford y she ex- t
aimed. why. that was Captain Stat K
nd Of Stafford and Ramsdelll They S
yned the Miwakai' I
YES" Alan said. d