The Adair County news., 1921-12-27

A Little Later the Girl Returned to
Set the Table.
After we left the table the blue.
eyed maiden got hOusewifely busy, and
the old man and l sat before the FIRE
and smoked. l don't remember just
how it was that we finally drifted
around to automobiles and motor boats
and such things, but we did. and may
be l may have Dragged a bit about
having driven and tinkered pretty
and water-as really had.
"KnOw about machinery, do your
said my hearth-mate; and then, with
a humorous CLINT in his mild eyes
shouldn't wonder if you could be
sort of GOdsend to me, If you want
ed to. To-mOrruh, if you amt In too
big hurry to be leavin' US, I'll get
you to show me a few things that
don't know, long them lines, maybe.
OF course, acQuiesced, cheerfully
BY and by the girl came in and sat
down to knit, just as her grandmother
might have done, and at that her faith
er got up, and, lighting a lantern
went out. l was fairly perishing by
this time to know a vast number OF
things, but hardly knew how to begin
asking about them. So, as the old man
clapped on his hat and left the cabin
l blew out the first foolish remark
that came uppermOst.
"All dressed up, and nowhere to go
isn't that about the way of it for you
two up on this mountain"
Meaning Daddy, and now, particu
larly?" she said, smiling across at me
He has gone to make his regular
round of the mine buildings and cab
ms. Not that there is the slightest use
of 1t; only he likes to feel that he is
at least pretending to earn his pay
THE miner / queried.
. Yes; this is the old Cinnabar, you
know; and Daddy is the-well, 1 sup
pose you might call US the caretakers
though there isn't much to take care
of. The mine has been shut dOwr
for year and more"
rs it gold mine"
''It was"
"Why the past tense|
Water" she said, briefly. Its {
idrowned mine. That is why it wa:
shut down."
OF course, this was exactly what
was expecting to hear, and yet this
plain unvarnished confirmation o
things gave me damp and sOggy feel
ing of dependency. Percy had wired
you remember, that his letter was M
joke; but it seemed that it really wa
one, and that the jOke-which wa
a mighty grim One-was on me.
Cant the water be pumped OutF
l asked.
- 1T seems not. l understand tn
company spent thousands of dollar
trying to pump it out. lists rathe
! pitiful."
You mean, the cOmpany's lOssE
No; the company didn't lose any
thing. 1t was just one old man."
Now we were coming to the rea
! meat of the thing and l looked m,
hand of cards over carefully to tn
! end that l should. not everyday it.
! Pm fond of stOries," l yentured
especially mining Stories" and there
upon she told me the story of the Gin
nabar. 1t was a fair repetition o
BullertOn's tale, with a few more o
| the particulars thrown in.
As my blue-eyed little Scheherazad
understood it, my grandfather ha
been a minority stakeholder in tn
company during its prosperous period
When the water debacle came, the fac
of it was carefully concealed frOl
him and he was generously permitte
to come to the rescue-which he di
by paying a fabulous sum (Scheheri
zade did not know how much) for hi
Observation-Disclosures holdings. In Othe
words, they had sold him gold brick
soaked him for a final cleanup on
doomed mine. That was about a
there was to it.
did my-did the old gentleman 70
speak of ever come out here himself?
/ - she nOQueO.
"Once that we know off; that wa
after it was all over and the place wa
deserted. At that time Daddy ha
taken up a claim just west of here i
the next gulch and we were living
this cabin; squatters, 1 guess you
call us. So we camped down."
"That was quite right and prope
And this Mr.. Jasper Dudley; he didn
turn you out when he came, did he?
ooh, no, indeed; he was very kint
When he found that Daddy's guile
claim wasn't going to pan out any
thing, he said he needed a caretake
here, and since that time he has sen
us money every month. But now
suppose it will all be different. Nj
Dudley is dead"
''But the leirSY' | suggested