The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1906-09-20

banAment into the deep bed OF the
creek at a point precisely opposite Mr..
Somerville Darrah's private car.
CHAPTER VII.
An early riser b choice. and made
an earlier this morning by a vague
anxiety which had turned the night
into half-waking vigil for her. Vir-
ginia was up and dressed when the
sullen shock of the explosion set the
windows EARRING In the Rosemary.
Wondering what dreadful thing had
happened, she hurried out upon the
observation platform and SO came to
look upon the ruin wrought by the
landslide, while the dust-like smoke of
the dynamite still hung in the air.
Rather unlucky for our friends the
enemy" said a colorless voice behind
her; and she had an uncomfortable
feeling that Jastrow had been lying in
wait for her, seconded instantly by the
conviction that he had done the same
thing the previous morning.
She turned upon him quickly.
"Was 1t an accident Mr.. Jastrow?"
"How could 1t be anything else?"
he inquired, mildly.
81 don't know. But there was an
explosion; 1 heard it. Surely Uncle
Somerville wouldn't"
The secretary shook his head.
"No: think you may exonerate Mr.
Darrah, personally; in fact am quite
sure you may"
but someone planned it. You
knew it was going to happen-you
were out here watching for it."
"Was IL" The secretGry's smile was
a mere barring of the teeth. His blood
was the sycophantic lymph which
flows in the veins of those who do
murder at great mans nod.
at is horribly unfair" she went on
"I understand the sheriff is here.
Couldn't he have prevented this?"
Jastrow's reply was an evasion.
"Oh, it's all legal enough. That bare
place up there is placer claim. Sup
posing the owners found 1t necessary
to put in few sticks of dynamite to
loosen the frozen ground. 1t is Mr..
Wintons misfortune If his railroad
happens to be in the way, don't you
think?''
but 1t was planned beforehand, and
you knew of It," she insisted. Her
eyes were flashing. and the secretary's
desire for possession warmed into
something like admiration.
Ibid II" i,:iC.Et,!
eyes, you did,"
at would be impolite to contradict
you"
1T is more impolite not to answer
my question. Couldn't the sheriff
have prevented it?"
"Supposing he didn't want to pre-
vent it? Surprising he brought the
men who did it over on his train last
pight?"
Then I say again it is horribly un.
fair"
The secretary's rejoinder was q
platitude: Everything is fair-in love
or war"
But this is neither" she rctorted
Think not?" he said, coolly. wait
and you'll see. And a word in your
ear, Miss Carteret: you are one of us
you know, and you mustn't be dis
loyal. know what you did yesterday
after you read those kilograms"
Virginia's face became suddenly
wooden. Until that moment it had
not occurred to her that Jastrow's mo-
tive in showing her the two kilograms
might have been carefully calculated
Though she would have disavowed II
emphatically. Miss Carteret was an
aristocrat of the aristocrats; and the
conviction that the secretary had de-
liberately gone about to establish a
confidential relation filled her with
cold anger.
Il have never given you the right
to speak to me that way, Mr. Jas
strow," she said. with the faintest pos
sible emphasis on the courtesy prefix;
and with that she turned from him
to focus her field glass on the con-
struction camp below.
At the Utah stronghold all was ac-
tivity Of the fiercest. Winton had
raced back with his news of the catas-
trophe, and the camp was alive with
men clustering like bees and swarm
ing upon the fiat cars of the material
train to be taken to the front
While she looked, studiously ignor-
ing the man behind her, Virginia saw
the big octopod engine come clamor-
ing up the grade. showing the flats be-
fore it. losing itself quickly in the
doubling of the gulch loop to reappear