The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1922-11-09

A Piece of Paper.
critical is brewing, but I don't know
what. Suggest you keep watch on
him. Please destroy this"
That was all. There was no sigma
ture. But Robert Fairchild had seer
the writing Of Anita Richmond onc
before1s
So she was his friend! So all these
days Of waiting had not been in vain
all the cutting hopelessness of seeing
her, only to have her turn away her
head and fail to recognize him, had
been for their purpose after all. And
yet Fairchild remembered that she
was engaged to Maurice Rodaine, and
that the time Of the wedding must he
fast approaching. Perhaps there had
been a quarrel, perhaps Then he
smiled. There was no perhaps about
It'll Anita Richmond was his friend;
she had been forced into the promise
Of marriage to Maurice Rodaine, but
quishment of her desire to reward him
somehow, some way, for the attention
that he had shown her and the liking
that she knew existed In his heart.
Hastily Fairchild folded the paper
and stuffed it into an inside pocket.
Then, seeking out one Of the workmen,
he appointed him foreman of the gang,
to take charge In his absence. Fol-
lowing which, he made his way out of
the mine and into town, there to hire
J men. Of Mother Towards suggestion
and send them to the Blue Poppy, to
take their stations every few feet
along the tunnel, to appear mere spec.
tators, but in reality to be guards who
were constantly or the watch for any
thing untoward that might occur.
Fairchild was taking no chances now.
An hour more found him ut the Sam
pier, watching the ore as 1t ran through
the great erusher hoppers, to come
forth finely crumbled powder and be
sampled, ton by ton, for the assa 10 By
old Undertaken Chastine and three
other men Of his type, without which
NO sampler pays for ore. Bittson ap-
preached, grinning.
"Yea guessed just about right" he
announced. "That stuff's running
around two hundred dollars q ton.
Need any money now?"
"A1 you can let me have |"
"Four or five hundred? We've gotten
In eight tons OF that stuff already ;
dent guess I'd be taking any risk on
that !" he ehuckled. Fairchild reached
for the currency eagerly. All but a
hundred dollars Of 1t would 60 to
Mother 'Howard-for chat debt must
be paid off first. And, that accom-
plished, denying himself the invitation
OF rest that his bed held forth for him,
he started out into town, apparently
to loiter about the streets and receive
the congratulations Of the townspeo-
pie, but In reality to watch for one
person and n al~one-Squint Ro-
daniel
He saw him late In the afternoon,
shambling along, his eyes glaring, his
] lips moving wordlessly, and he took
, up the trail. But 1t led only to the Of
flce, Of the Silver, Queen Development
company, where the scar-faced man
doubled at his desk and, stufing a
cigar into his mouth. ehewed on it
anerly. Instinctiyely Fairchild knew
that. the greatest part Of his mean
temper was due to the strike in the
Blue Poppy; instinctively also he felt
that SQuint Rodaine had known Of the
value oil along, that now he was ours
inx. himself for the failure Of HE
schemes 70 obtain possession Of what
had appeared until only a day before
DO be nothing more than a disappoint-
Inn, unlucky, il1-omened hole in the
ground. Fairchild resumed his loiter-
inx. but evening found him near the
Eilyer Queen office.
Anita's note had told him little, yet
| had implied much. Something was
fermenting In the seething brain OF
Suuint Rodaine. ana If the past count
al Tor anything. it was something that
concerned him.
An hour more, then Fairchild sud
denly slunk into the shadows Of a
doorway. squint hat, snapped out the
ns1s q wss ocklng the doef. 10y
.set, tnen faircnIio teppea nrom me
ao 49, ana =. eoo1 ns y 'ns .r. y ..,,ov