The Dolores star., 1922-09-01
CHAPTER XVII
Mr.. spearman Goes North.

bon copy-that message which had
brought tension to the offices OF Cor
vet, Sheriff. and Spearman and had
called Constance Sheriff. and her
mother downtown where further infor-
mation could be more quickly OBJ
ssined-was handed to Constance by a
clerk as soon as she entered her fa-
TIERS office. She reread 1t: il already
had been repeated TO her over the tele-
phone.
- :O5 a. m. Frankfort Wireless sta
don has received following message
from Number 25: We have Benjamin
Corvet. of Chicago, aboard"
You've received nothing later than
thIs7" she asked.
Nothing regarding Mr. Corvet, Miss
Sheriff." the clerk replied.
The crew2"
Yes: we have just got the names OF
the crew" He took another copied
sheet from among the pages and hand
ed 1t to her. and she looked swiftly
down the list of names until she found
that of Alan Conrad.
Her eyes filed, binding her, as she
put the paper down, and began to take
off her things. She had been cllngihg
determinedly In her thought to the
belief that Alan might not have been
aboard the ferry. Alan's message,
which had sent her father north to
meet the ship. had implied plainly
chat some one whom Alan believed
might be Uncle Benny was on Number
25; she had been fighting these last
gANr
therefore Alan must be on the ferry
too.
She stood by the desk, as the clerk
went out, looking through the papers
which ne had left with her. What she
was reading was the carbon of the
report prepared that morning and sent,
at his rooms, to Henry. who was not
yet down.
The last message read: &c 40, Pc
toskey is calling Manitowoc. Signals
from Number 25, after becoming in
distinct, failed entirely about 5:45,
probably by failure of ships power
to supply current Operator appears
TO have remained at key. From 5: :25
to 5 :43 we received disconnected mes
sages, as follows: Have cleared an
other car they are sticking to
1t down there engine room
crew Is also sticking hell on
car deck everything smashed
they won't give up
sinking now we're going
good-b3 stuck to end
hlat hand 1t to them
have cleared another car sink
S. q. Signals then en-
tirely ceased"
Constance had not realized, until the
reports OF the wireless messages told
her that he was gone, what compan-
fonship with Alan had come to mean
to her. She had accepted 1t as al
ways 10 be existent, somehow com
panfonship which might be interrupted
often but always to be formed again.
II amazed her to find how firm place
he had found in her world of those
close to her with whom she must al
ways be intimately concerned.
The telephone switchboard beside
Constance suddenly buzzed, and the
operator. plugging in a connection.
said: "Yes, sir; at once" and through
the partitions of the private office on
the. other side, a mans heavy tones
came to Constance. That was Henrys
office, and in tlmbre, the voice was his,
but IT was so strange in other charac-
teristtcs of expression that she waited
an instant before saying to the clerk,
'Mr. Spearman has come inf"
The clerk hesitated but the con-
tinuance of the tone from the other
side Of the partition made reply su-
perfluous. Eyes. Miss Sheriff."
Conatance went 70 Henry's door and
raped. He made no answer and no
move TO open the door; So after wait
ing moment, she turned the knob and
went In.
Henry was scated at his desk, facing
her. his big hands before him; one
of them he'd the telephone receiver
He lifted :. slowly and put 1t upon the
hook beside the transmitter as he
watched her with steady, silent, ag-
gressive scrutiny. He did not rise;
only after a moment he recollected that
he had not done 80 and came to his
feet. Good morning, Connie" he said.
"Come In. What's the news"
The impulse which had brought her
into his Office went from her. She had
mot seen nor heard from Henry direct
dy since before Alan's telegram had
come late yesterday afternoon; she
had heard from her father only that
he had Informed Henry; that was ALL
I've no news. Henry" she said.
~Have your" She closed the door be-
hind her, moving closer to him.
"How did you happen to be here,
CONNER" he asked.
She made no reply but gazed at him,
studying him. The agitation which he
was trying to conceal was not entirely
consequent to her coming in upon him;
It had been ruling him before. 1t had
underIain the loudness and abuse Of
his words which she had overheard.
That was no capricious outburst of
knx,,rar ~ frrttoftnp hol oor,o %ro,.