The Red Cloud chief., 1905-07-28

cavern again." she inquired. Are you
In a hurry to get rich?"
IL was following an air shaft, not a
lode" he replied. Il am occasionally
troubled with after wit. and this Is an
flame Of the lamp flickcrcd while we
were opening up our mine?"
Yes"
II was so absorbed in contemplating
our prospective wealth that l failed to
pay heed to the true Significance OF
that incident. II meant the existence
of an upward current of air. Now,
where the current goes there must he
u passage, and while | was busy this
afternoon among the trees over there
- he pointed toward the valley of
dcnth-"it came to me like an inspira.
ton that possibly II few hours hcwing
and dclvlng might open II shaft to the
ledge. | have been well rewarded for
the effort. The stun I'm the vault il so
eaten away by water that 1t Is no
more solid than hard mud for the most
part. Already | have scoopcd out II
NlllIlllltN lNtI\t lPtl nlSU.
what good can that be-"
AT present we have only Il front
door-up the face of the rock. When
my work is complctcd-bcforc tomor-
row night, | hope-wc shall have a
back door also. OF curse | may IN
counter unforeseen obstacles Ms | adj
vance. \ twist in the fault would he
nearly fatal, but | am praying that It
may continue straight to the ledge"
II still don't see the great advantage
to u.s.
The advantages are many, believe
me. The more points of attack pre-
scented lr tlr c:t:Cy tho nnr effective
will be our resistance. | doubt If they
would ever bc able to rush the cave
were we To hold it, whereas | can go
up and down our back staircase when
ever | choose. If you don't mind being
left in the dark | will resume work
now by the light Of your lamp"
Bu Iris protested against this ar
rangcmcnt. She felt lonely. The long
hours of silence had been distasteful
to her. She wanted to talk.
II agree" said jerks, provided you
do not pin me down to something l
told you II month ago"
II promise. You can tell me as much
or as little MS you think fit. The sub
ject for discussion Is your court mar
| tial."
He could not see the tender light I'm
her eyes. but the quiet sympathy Of
her voice restrained the protest prompt
on his lips. Yet he blurted out after "a
slight pause:
That Is a very unsavOry subject"
rs it? | do not think so. | am a
friend, Mr.. jerks, not an old one, | adj
NIT, but during the past six weeks we
have bridged an ordinary acquaintance
ship of rs many years. Can you not
trust me-"
Trust her? He laughed softly. Then,
choosing his words with great dellbera-
ton, he answered: Yes. l can trust
you. ! intended to tell you the story
some day. Why not toniGhtT'
Unseen in the darkness, Iris hand
sought and clasped the gold locket sus-
pended from her neck. She already
knew some portion Of the story he
would tell. The remainder was OF
minor Importance.
at Is odd he continued, that you
should have alluded to six years a mo.
ment ago IT is exactly six years al
most to a day since the trouble began"
with Lord VentnorY" The name
slipped out involuntarily.
"ies. l was then a staff corps sub
altern, and my proficiency In native
languages attracted the attention OF
a friend in Simla. who advised me to
apply for an appointment m the po-
litical side Of the government OF In
dia. ] did so. He supported the appli-
cation, and I was assured Of the next
vacancy In a native state provided that
l got married. / was not n marrying
man. Miss Deane, and the requisite
qualification nearly staggered me. But
| looked around the station and came
to the conclusion that the commission
er's niece would make Il suitable wife.
| regarded her points, so to speak, and
they filled the bill. She was smart,
good looking, lively, understood the
art Of entertaining, was first rate in
sports and had excellent teeth. Indeed,
II n man selected a wife as he does n
horse, She
Don't be horrid. Was she really
pretty"
II believe so. People said she was"
"But what did you Think"
"At the time my opinion was biased.
/ have seen her since. and she wears