The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1919-07-05

the wall on either side Of me.
i must have been stunned by the
conclusion OF the landslide. BY .
miracle had not been struck.
''Help mel Help mel"
tried 10 find the voice. I crawled
three feet toward II. and the wall
stopped me. But the voice was there.
IL came from under the wall. felt
about me in the darkness. and my
hand touched something damp.
whipped IL back In horror. II was the
face OF man.
There was only the face. Where the
body and limbs ought TO have been was
only rock. The face was on my side
OF n wall OF rock, pinning down the
body that lay outstretched beyond.
recognized the voice now. Ii was
that Of Philippe Lacroix.
"Ah. mon Dleui Help me. Help
me I"
He continued to repeat the words In
every conceivable tone. and his suffer
Ing was pItiable. felt one hand come
through the tiny opening In the wall
and grasp at me.
"who is it?" he mumbled. 'Ts that
you. Hewlettf For Gods sake. kill
mel"
j crouched beside him, but did not
know what TO say or do. ! could only
wait there. that he might not die alone.
"Give me a knifew he mumbled
again; clutching at me. "a knife.
HEWLETT Don't leave me to die like
this Bring Pere Antoine aud my
mother. ] want TO tell her--to tell
her"
He muttered In his delirlum until
his voice died away. thought that he
would never speak again. But present
ly he seemed to revive again to the
consciousness of his surroundings.
"Are yous with me. Hewlett?" he
whispered.
] placed my hand in his, and he
clutched at II with feverish force.
"You will have the gold. Hewlett"
he muttered, apparently ignorant that
], too. was a prisoner and In hardly
better plight. II tried to kill you. Hew-
lett. Are you going to leave me to die
alone In the dark nowT
"No," I answered. at doesn't mat
ter. Lacroix." And. really, II did not
matter.
IL wanted to XIII you" his voice
rambled on. 'Lacroix II dead. I
watched him die. / thought if--you
died. too, no one but would know the
secret of the gold. tried to murder
you. blew up the tunnel!"
He paused. and l heard him gasp
for breath. His fingers clutched at my
coat sleeve again and hooped them
selves round mine like claws of steel.
81 had a knife-once." he resumed.
relapsIng into his delirium; 'but left
IL behind me and the police got IL.
Isn't IL odd. Leroux," he rambled on.
"that one always leaves something be
hind when one has killed man? But
the newspapers made no mention about
the knife. You didn't know he was
dead. did you. Leroux. for all your
cleverness, until that fool Hewlett left
that paper upon the table? You knew
enough to send me TO Jail. but you
didn't know that II was i who killed
him. Help mel" He screamed hor-
ribly. "He is here, looking at mel"
There Is nobody here. Philippe"
I said. trying to soothe his agony Of
soul. What a poor and stained soul
II was. travelling into the next world
alone 'srhere is nobody but me. Phil
Upper
"You lie T. he raved. Louis is here
He has come for mel He deserved 10
die. He tricked me after we had found
the gold. He tricked me twice. He
told Leroux, thinking that he would
win his gratitude and get free from
the mans power. And the second time
he told Carson. Then there were three
OF Us In the secret"
"What did you DOR asked. though
II was like conducting post-mortcm
upon a murderers corpse.
II went 10 New York 10 get my
share. wasn't going to be ousted. I.
who had been one OF the discoveries.
don't know how much Carson paid
Louis, but | meant to demand half.
thought he had the money In his
pocket.
Il followed him all that afternoon
after he had left Carson's Office.
watched him In the street At night
he went TO room somewhere-at the
top OF tall building. followed him.
When I rot In found woman there.
Louis was talking 10 her and threaten
Ing her. He said she was his wife.
How could she be his wife when he
had married Jacqueline Duchaine7
II didn't care-it was no business
OF mine. couldn't see them. because
there was curtain In the way. There
was no light In the bedroom. There
was light In the room In which
was. ] put II out, so that neither Of
them should see my face. she might
have betrayed me. you know. Simon.
''He spun round when the light went
out. and pushed the curtain aside.
was waiting for that. had calculated