The diamond drill., 1922-01-20

tic CkRtirt VI uuifuluk u new smart
house and installing new machinery.
Why has he changed his mind. when
| he knows that he could sfarye us out
In a few daysr
IL been thinkin about that. right
p'intedly. Stannie. Shouldn't wonder
II somethin's IN the -somethin'
we don't know about"
"Then there's another thing" put
in. "SupposIng. just for the sake OF
argument. that our first guess was
right: that he did take JeanIe TO
Angels three days ago and that they
were married there. You know your
daughter. Daddy, and / know her. q
little. Nobody but an idiot would sup
pose that she'd live with Bullerton as
his wife for single minute II he
makes himself your murderer
1T sure does look that-away 10 q
man up q tree" admitted the stout
old fighter.
I'm hanging on TO-. the little hope
like dog to root. Daddy" I con-
fessed. III can only keep on believ-
Ing that they're not married, can put
up better fight. or be snuffed out--lf
have TO be--with good few less
heartburnings."
But at this the old man. who no
longer ago than the yesterday, had
seemed to lean definitely toward the
no-marriage hypothesis, suddenly
changed front.
Don't you go to bankin' on any
thing like that, Stannie, son. he said
In tone of deep discouragement.
Charley Bullerton's liar. from the
place where they make liars for
livin'. and 'tain't goin' to be no trick
attain for him to make Jeanie, and a
lot o. other folks, b1ieve that we
blowed ourselves up with our own
dynamite. No. sir; don't you 60 to
bankin' on that"
Then you do believe that Jeanie
went with Bullertonr
Looks like there amt nothing else
left to believe" he asserted dolefully.
Look at IL for yourself, son: she's
been gone three whole days. II che
hadn't gone with him--and the good
Lord only knows where else she could
have gone-don't you reckon she'd we
been back here long afore this? No,
Stannie; we been lettin' the wish II
was run away with the had TO be- /
reckon we just got TO grit our teeth,
son, and tough II out the best we can"
During this waiting interval. which
seemed like hours and was probably
only few minutes, we were momen-
tarily expecting another crash. II did
not come; but I'm due course OF time
we heard a stir outside and then
voices. and one OF the voices, which
was not Bullerton's said: "Tll bet
that cartridge smoked 'em out good an
plenty, capn. Gimme tn ak, Tom, till
we bust open the door an have a
squint at 'em."
Just at that moment a submerging
wave of depression surged over me
and showed me down so deep that l
think possibly if Fullerton had called
out and demanded our surrender /
should have been tempted TO tell him
that i was not so much Of a hog az
not to know when 1 had enough. But
the old man squeezed in beside me un-
der the arched boiler plate was made
OF better fiber; he was game to the
last hair I'm his beard. With "A Wild
Indian yell he hunched his Winchester
into position and fred once. twice,
thrice. Mt the door. as rapidly as he
could pump the reloading lever.
! A scattering fusillade was the reply
TO this, but the aim was bad and the
only result was TO set the air OF our
prison fortress 10 buzzing as IL n
swarm of angry bees had been turned
/ loose on us. After this, the raiders
withdrew, so we judged; at all events,
the silence of the dark hour before
daybreak shut down upon us again,
and once more we had space In which
to gather our minds" as Daddy put
| II.
II may be dastardly confession OF
weakness to admit IL, but am free TO
say that the prolonged struggle was
gradually undermining my nerve. II
Bullerton had made up his mind TO
write or the loss OF the mine buildings
and machinery. II was battle lost for
us. II could be only a question of
little time and enough daylight to en-
able the bombers to throw straight,
until we should be buried In the wreck
of the shafthouse and hoist--and with
out the privilege Of dying in a good.
old-fashIoned. stnnd-up fight.
All OF this hastily pointed out TO
Daddy Hiram, adding that, for Jeanie's
sake, II for no better reason. he ought
to take his chance OF staying upon
earth. As long as live shall
always have a high respect for the
wrath of mild-mannered man. The
old prospector was fairly Berserk,
mad. foamlng at the mouth, and short
of dragging him out by main strength
there was no way OF making him let
go.
mo, sir; done promised your
gran'paw at I'd stand by for him, and
be paid me money for doin' IT, When
| III A.