Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1906-11-29
CHAPTER VI.-Continued.
Copyright, 1905, by ]. p. Lippinco.t Coz

The Dewness of us and the bridge at
the head of the gulch," he said, half
to himself. And then more pointedly
to the foreman: "Bridgebuilders to
the front at the first crack OF dawn,
Mike. Why wasn't this break filled
in the grading?"
fSure, sorr, tbs a dhrain 1t is," said
the Irishman; from the placer up
5eyant," he added, pointing to a
washed-out excoriation on the steep
upper slope of the mountain. Major
Evarts did be tellin' us we'd have the
lawyers afther us hot-fut again if we
didn't be LAWN ut open the full
width"
"Mmph," said Adams, looking the
ground over with a critical eye. ITS
n bad bit. 1t wouldn't take much to
bring that whole slide down on us II
at wasn't frozen solid. Who owns the
placer?"
Two fellies over in Carbonate. The
company did be thryin' to buy the
claim, but the sharps wouldn't SELL
bein' put up to hold ut by thin G. &
G. r. divils. It's more throuble We'll
be havin' here, I'm thinking"
.echoing among the cliffs of the upper
gorge like an eldritch laugh announced
the coming of a train from the direc-
ton of Carbonate. Adams looked at
his watch.
I'D like to know what that is" he
unused. ITS two hours too soon for
the accommodation. BY Jove!"
The exclamation directed itself at
sone-car train which came laundering
down the canyon to pull in on the
siding beyond the Rosemary. The car
was passenger coach, we'll lighted,
and from his post on the embankment
Adams could see armed men filing the
windows. Michael Branagan saw
them, too, and the fighting Celt IN
him rose to the occasion.
"'Tis Donnybrook Fair we've cone
TO this time, Misther Adams. Shall
call up the b'ys wild their guns?"
Not yet. Let's wait and see what
happens"
What happened was a peaceful
.fsortie. Two men, each with a kit of
some kind borne in a sack, dropped
from the car, crossed the creek and
struggled up the hill through the un-
0ridged gap. Adams waited until they
were fairly or the right of way, then
he called down to them
Halt, there. you two. This is cor
poration property"
Not much it ANTI retorted one of
fhe trespassers, grufly. "Its the
s1rain-way from our placer up yonder."
What are you going to do up there
at this time of night?"
None O. your blame business!" was
Ehe explosive counter-shot.
Perhaps it isn't" said Adams, mild
1y. Just the same. I'm thirsting to
know. Call it vulgar curiosity If you
like"
"All right, you can know, and be
ocassed to you. We're goin' to work
our claim. Got anything to say
against it?"
-'Oh, no" rejofned Adams; and when
the twain had disappeared in the up
per darkness he went down the grade
with Branagan and took his place on
the man-loaded fats for the run to
the construction camp thinking more
of the lately arrived car with its COM
piement OF armed men than of the
two miners who had calmly announced
their intention of working a placer
claim on high mountain, without
water, and in the dead of winter! BY
which it will be seen that Mr.. Morton
p Adams. c. e. Inst Tech. Boston,
Mad something yet to learn In the
matter of practical field work.
BY the time All Foo had served him
mis- solitary supper in the dinkey he
had quite forgotten the incident Of the
mysterious placer miners. Worse
than that. it had never occurred to
him to connect their movements with
the Rajah's plan of campaign On the
other hand, he was thinking altogeth-
'er of the carload c. armed men, and
trying to devise some means Of finding
out how they were to be employed in
durthering the Rajah's designs.
The means suggested themselves
after supper, and he went alone over
TO Argentine to spend a half-hour IN
the bar of the dance hall listening to
uhe gossip of the place. When he had
Nearned what he wanted to know, he
1orthfared to meet Winton at the in
coming train.
I'VE are in for it now," he said,
when they had crossed the creek to
the dinkey and the Chinar.an was
Infringing Winton's beated supper.
The Rajah has imported carload
OF armed mercenaries, and he is going
ia clear us all out tomorrow; arrest
everybody from the gang foreman up"
Winton's eyebrows lifted 80? that
Is a pretty large contract. Has he
men enough to do it?"
''Not so many men. But they are
sworn-in deputies with the sheriff of
Ute county in commando posse, in
fact. So he has the law on his side"
Which is more than he had when
he set thug on me this afternoon at
Carbonate" said Winton, sourly; and