The diamond drill., 1921-12-10


made my escape from the cabin
as soon asI could and tramped over
10 the mine. A glance into the shaft
showed the black pool In its depths as
placid and untroubled as II we hadn't
| just lifted million or SO cubic feet
of wafer out OF II by hard labor.
In morose discouragement recalled
the few things I had learned about
drowned mines while I was knocking
about In the Cripple Creek district
trying to trace Bullerton. Particular
Ion by those two simple-minded souls
hadn't first spoken OF II myself
ihis l did In the evening OF the
same day. when Daddy had gone 70
make his entirely useless night round
OK the mine property. As ON most
evenings. Jeanie sat at her corner Of
.ne hearth. knitting. and was filling
bedtime pipe.
| seanie," broke cut, Il wish you,d
tel me why You and your father are
20 sood 10 me. How do you know that
I'm not the crazy criminal that other
people believe me to bef I aid steal
tne car and get II smashed. you know y
Iou are not a criminal and I am
sure you didn't mean to get the car
smashed Besides. you had taken
shelter under our roof.
iou are true Bedouins,- / laughed
ls that the code In the West7-vour
coue to defend anybody who has eat.
en- salt with you %
should think II would be anv.
body's code"
'You and your father were expecting
.nis man Beasley to come here look.
Ing for me?"
Daudy thought he might Just han
pen along. We are only four miles
from Atropia, you know"
AND was that the reason Won mn,
tne old transit at the window so
you might watch for hlm?"
"Of course" d
Dy 1ovel Another woman, any 9th.
er woman In the world. / thought
would have let some little shred of n
sentiment show: she couldn't have
heiped IT, But this one didn't
ooy couldn't have looked me in the
eyes any more frankly and souarelv
uiah she did when she said aOf
course" Since had eaten their broad
was. for so long as / chose 70 stav
member of the clan.
IL was near the end of the fortnight
ma Daddy Hiram and / had secured
ana rubbed and scraped and reas-
'e"oieu the engine and pumps and
we're finishing the cleaning Of the boil
'rs. lhese were pretty badly rusted
ana scaled, and to do the lob properIv.
We had taken the mnnhole heads out :
'f the holes left 70 give access 70 ,ha
n'e.'or OF the shells, and had had a
'ocd-natured squabble as to which of I
~ should crawl inside to do the scrap }
ns' DADDY insisting upon doing II. be- s
ause as ne pointed out, he WINS the G
inaner man, and I arguing that
mould because l was the younger and a
tronger.
TO settle II finally we fiIpped n coin
-one OF those inch-wide copper pen. l,
les that Daddy carried for a pocket.
iece--and won the toss. The lob
,asnt exactly picnic. but got along b
~ rignt until we came TO the last OF \
nc battery. ] fonnd that the repair.
IN had at some past time Inserted n c.
oupie or extra stay-rods, 90 that there
as little enough room left IN the old
[eel shell for professional boiler u
'onkey TO wriggie about In. "a saw &
othing Of husky young chan who HI
ppeu the beam at around a hundred Ia
nd seventy pounds. stripped. al
JUST the same. made shift to knock IL
ie worst OF the scale on and rattio
down 30 that II could be washed st
u from below. and was backing out Il
make my escape. when found that
70 OF the extra stay-rods was loose OF
my asking. Daddy screwed up the di
u on the outside OF the boiler head In
tighten the rod, and then passed the ht
rench In to me 30 that could screw yo
the nut on the inside. To this ~
od day l don't know Just what ala IN,
ppen. but guess the big s-wrench ",
ast have slipped or the nut while IN
was pulling on II. Anyhow. some op
ms nit me a stunning crack over cn
eye. and I promptly faded out a.,
nk, Ike penny candle In a gust ~,
wind. vi
When came to myself again II was m.
mt and was lying undressed and -
real bed In room that was total no,
unfamiliar. In the looking-eiass :,
ich hung on the opposite wall rot -.
glimpse Of myself with a regular 49,. 49,
rk's turban OF white stun wound =,
'und my head and skew-anried TO :,
'er one eye. When stirred. Jeanie
'ped In from somewhere to ask what -. ~.
could do for me. WI
What was IT." ! asked: ian earth ,na na
skefr ina
Daddy says you hit yourself with
wrench. Does II hurt much nowr
Not more than having sound tooth CO. 49,.
led; no. But was inside the boil 80, 80,
wasn't n How did you manage ~ ~
get me outr s",.
'he turned her face away and even csn
n one eye could see that she was -
Ing 70 hlde n s,,,tlo NAF