The diamond drill., 1921-12-31

breakfast, but / don't recall any meal
OF my life that ever came so near
choking me. told Daddy about the
smashing Of the machinery, and the
proof had that II had been a piece
! Of sabotage.
Reckon maybe he allowed you'd find
out he done IL and try a dogfall r
somethin' with him 10 pay him backf'
Daddy querled.
IL don't know" / confessed.
went on eating In silence, or rath-
er trying TO eat. and turning over the
puzzling and bad-tastlng questionings
In my mind. How could Jeanie go OF
with Fullerton, knowing him TO be the
scamp he was? And why, IL she had
been meaning all along to do this thing,
had she blocked his game by telling
me that / wasn't 10 sell him the Gin
nabar?
II was In the midst Of these reflec-
tions that chanced 10 feel In the coat
pocket where had been carrying the
deed turned over to me by Daddy
Hiram; and for the second time that
morning / nearly choked The pocket
was empty
whats hit you now. sonf" Daddy
inquired; seeing my Jaw drop, l sup
pose.
THE last thing there was In the box
that could fall out and hit me" / CUR
gled. "Bullerton has stolen my deed
to the Cinnabarw
''The mischief he hasl Plum sure
you hain't lost IL out o. your pocketr
We made sure, without the loss OF
a moment looking in my loft sleeping
place and In the mine buildings. The
deed was gone, safely enough, and we
both agreed that Bullerton had had
plenty OF chances 10 steal IT, Wearing
overclothes while was working about
the machinery, | had often left my
coat hanging In the cabin. As mat
ter OF fact. l hadn't worn 1t at all on
the previous day.
"Well, Daddy" said i, after the pro
longed search had proved futile,
where does this leave meI"
Threshing the facts out we soon
found where II left me. Grandfather
Jasper as you may remember, had
made no mention of the mine, or in-
deed, Of any legacy 10 me in his will
as IL had been probated; there was no
need OF II because he had already
decided the Cinnabar to me, and at the
time Of his death IL was no longer
among his assets. Moreover his law
yers had told Fullerton (according 20
Bullerton's story told me In the Pull
man smokeroom) that there was no
record OF any mining transaction
whatever In his papers. Therefore. in
the absence of the memorandum which
my grandfather had given Cousin
Percy--and which Percy had doubt
less carried with him TO China-there
was nothing but the deed 10 show for
my ownership; absolutely nothing.
AT that, the loss Of the deed wouldn't
have been fatal II the document had
been properly recorded II hadn't
been, And NOW. with the unrecorded
deed gone, there was nothing TO prove
that ] had ever owned the Cinnubar.
The loss was total--with no insur-
ance.
Daddy Hiram was shaking his head
sorrowfully after we had run this last
bunch Of straw through the threshlng
machine.
With things looking as blue as the
bluest milestone that ever clicked
upon scythe we tried 10 settle upon
some line OF action. Copah was the
county seat, and the obvious first step
would have been for me 10 20 there
for a search In the county records for
evidence of the sale OF the mine 20 my
grandfather. But the minute I should
show myself on the railroad. I'd be
nabbed for the theft OF that Internal
inspection car. Daddy offered 10 20
in my place. but that alternative didn't
appeal TO me at all. ! knew perfectly
well how helpless he'd be I'm any such
lawyerlike search as would have 10 be
made In the county recorders Office.
Being stopped off short In every
other direction, we finally gravltated
over TO the shaft-house and went to
work I'm an aimless sort OF fashion
gathering up the wreckage OF the
smashed gear train and putting things
shipshape again. With steam up we
turned the machinery over few
times. Just TO see that everything was
in working order again, and threw In
the clutch OF the centrifugals, merely
for the satisfaction OF hearing the
food rushing through the outlet. When
the pumps were going at full speed
went TO look down the shaft. As be-
fore, when we had run the pumps for
a week on end. there was slight dis
turbance OF the water. but nothing
more. My makeshift hoat-and-pulley
gauge showed no change In the level.
Suddenly a freak notion seized me
that I'd like TO know just what was
going on down In those black depths
into which the suction pipes " the
big pumps led.
Daddy, I'm going to try 20 find out
something" | declared and forthwith
began to strip my clothes or "We've
seen fhe water comtnp ont nj fha 9th