The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-08-17
CHAPTER XVII.
-he Watch Upon the Beach.

Constance was throbbing with deter
mination and action. as she found her
purse and counted the money in 1t.
She never in her life had gone alone
upon an extended journey, much less
been alone upon a train overnight. If
she spoke of such thing now. she
would be prevented; no occasion for
1t would be recognized; she would not
be allowed to go. even If properly ac-
companied." She could not, there
fore. risk taking handbag from the
house; SO she thrust nightdress and
toilet articles into her muff and the
roomy pocket of her fur coat. She de-
scended to the side door Of the house.
gained the street and turned west
ward at the first corner to street
car which would take her to the rail-
way station.
The manner Of buying a railway
ticket and Of engaging a berth were
unknown to her-there had been serv-
ants always to do these things-but
she watched others and did as they
did. She procured a telegraph blank
and wrote a message to her mother,
telling her that she had gone north to
Join her father. When the train had
started, she gave the message to the
porter, directing him to send 1t from
the first large town at which they
stopped.
Constance could not, as yet, place
Henry's part in the strange circum-
stances which had begun to reveal
themselves with Alan's coming to Chi
cago; but Henry's hope that Uncle
Benny and Alan were dead was begin
ming to make that clearer. She lay
without voluntary movement in her
berth, but her bosom was shaking with
the thoughts which came to her.
Twenty years before. some dreadful
event had altered Uncle Benny's life;
his wife had known-or had learned
enough of that event so that she had
left him. 1t had seemed to Constance
and her father, therefore, that 1t must
have been some Intimate and private
event
Uncle Benny had withdrawn him
self from men; he had ceased to be
active in his business and delegated 1t
20 others. This change had been
strangely advantageous to Henry.
Henry had been hardly more than
common seaman then. He had been a
mate-the mate on one of Uncle Ben
ny's ships. Quite suddenly he had
become Uncle Benny's partner. Henry
had explained this to her by saying
that Uncle Benny had not trusted
Henry; he had been suspicious of
him; he had quarreled with him. How
strange, then. that Uncle Benny should
have advanced and given way to a
man whom he could not trust!
Uncle Benny had come to her and
warned her not to marry Henry; then
he had sent for Alan. There had been
purpose In these acts Of Uncle Ben
ny's; had they meant that Uncle Ben
ny had been on the verge Of making
explanation-that explanation which
Henry feared-and that he had been
-prevented7 Her father had thought
this; at least, he had thought that
Uncle Benny must have left some ex-
PLANTATION in his house. He had told
Alan that, and had given Alan the
key to the house SO that he could
find 1t. Alan had gone to the house
In the house Alan had found some
one who had mistaken him for
ghost, a man who had cried out mt
sight of him something about ship
about the Afiwaka, the ship Of whose
loss no one had known anything ex-
cept by the sounSings of the Drum.
What had the man been doing in the
house? Had he too been looking for
the explanation-the explanation that
Henry feared? Alan had described
the man to her; that description had
not had meaning for her before; but
now remembering that description she
could think Of Henry as the only one
who could have been in that house
Henry had fought with Alan there!
Afterwards, when Alan had been at
tackled upon the street, had Henry
anything to do with that?
Henry had lied 20 her about being
in Duluth the night he had fought
with Alan; he had not told her the
true cause Of his quarrels with Uncle
Benny; he had wished her to believe
that Uncle Benny was dead when the
wedding ring and watch came to her
the watch which had been Captain
S.afford's of the Miwaka! Henry had
urged her to marry him at once. Was
that because he wished the security
that her father-and she-must give
her husband when they learned the
revelation which Alan or Uncle Ben
ny might bring?
At Petoskey she went from the train
directly to the telegraph office. II
Henry was in Petoskey, they would
know at that office where he could be
found; he would be keeping in touch
with them.
Mr.. Spearman. the operator said, had
been at the office early In the day;
there had been no message for him;
he had left instructions that any
which came were to be forwarded 20