The Dolores star., 1922-07-21

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overdeveloped - almost diStortins-
muscles in his shoulders: but his body
had become fat and soft. his face was
puffed and his eyes watery and bright
I his brown hair. which was shot all
through with gray. was dirty and mat
ted he had three or four days growth
/ Of beard. When he sat up and looked
I about it was plain that whisky was
I only one of the forces working upon
I him-the other was fever which
f burned up and sustained him Intermgt-
( tently.
"LoH he greeted Alan. ''where's
I shat d-n lnjin, hey? knew Ben
| Coryet was shere-kuew he was shere
| all time. Course he's shere; he got
/ 10 be shere. That's shrl-ht You 60
1 get inn"
"who are you?" Alan asked.
"Say, who'r you7 What t'hells syou
/ dOin' here? Never see you before
Eo-go get Ben Corvet. Jus
say Ben Corvet, Lu-luke's shere. Ben
/ Corvet1I know Lu-luke all right; al
waysh, alwaysh knows me. :"
whats the matter with you?"
Alan had drawn back but now went to
the man again. The first idea that this
/ might have been merely some old sail
I or who had served Benjamin Corvet
I 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
l the fever.
How long have you been this way?'
Alan demanded. "Where did you come
frum?" He put his hand on the wrist;
it 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
pneumonlaT Alan tried to straighten
him up.
"Gr me drink. Go get Ben
Corvet, l tell YOU! Get Ben
Corvet quick! Say-yous shear? You
get me Ben Coryet; you better get
Pen 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:
guess not no more. Ben COrvet give
me all money l want or talk"
Talk"
"Syou know It! I amt Coin' ="
He choked up and tottcred back
! Alan. supporting him, laid him down
| and stayed beside him until his cough
| ing and choking ceased, and there was
only the rattling rasp of his breathing
Nrlap 10 $50
eyes opened, and he narrated recent
experiences bitterly; all were blamed
| to Ben COrvet's absence; Luke, who
| had been drinking heavily few
nights before. had been thrown out
when the saloon was closed: TINT was
| Ben Corvet's fault; If Ben Corvet had
| been around, Luke would have had
money, all the money any one wanted !:
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 hannels
| 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
81 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 a 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 q claim
"a claim which many times before,
apparently, Benjamin Corvet had ad-
mitted. Luke came to Ben Corvet
| for money which he always got-alI
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 shiver
| 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 srrning
against 1t with the thousand doIlars
ready for this man. whenever he came.
Meeting blackmail, paying biackman
for as long as Wassaquarn had been
In the house. for as long as It took 70
make the once muscular powerful FIX.
ure Of the sailor who threatened 10