The Holbrook news., 1922-12-01

yer road. But now she did not look
 at him; now she pretended that she
 did not see him. She had gone over to the Rodaines. she was engaged to
 marry the chalky-faced, hook-nosed son and she was vice president of
 their two-million-dollar mining cor poration. Fairchild did not even strive to find a meaning for 1t all; women are women, and men do we'll some times if they diagnose themselves.
 The summer began to grow old, and Fairchild felt that he was aging with 1t. The bank deposits were thinning, and the vein was thinning with 1t. Slowly but surely, as they fought. the strip of pay ore in the rocks was pinching out. Soon would come the time when they could work 1t no longer. And then-but Fairchild did not like to think about that. September came, and with 1t the grand jury. But here for once was slight ray of hope. The body of twelve good men and true wore them selves out with other matters and ad- journed without even taking up the mystery of the Blue Poppy mine. But the joy of Fairchild and Harry was short-lived. In the long. legal phrase ology of the jury's report was the recommendation that this important subject be the first for -inquiry by the next grand inquisitorial body to be convened and the threat still re- mained.
 But before the two men were now realities which were worse even than threats, and Harry turned from his staging late one afternoon to voice the most important.
 Well start ngle-jacking tomor- row." he announced with little sigh. ''In the 'anging wall. The veins pinched down until we ain't even get ting day laborer's wages out of It. and it's October now"
 Octoberi October-and winter on the way. October-and only a month until the time when Harry must face jury on four separate charges, any one of which might send him to Canon City for the rest of his days. Fair child's hopes lay inert. He was only working now because a great, strong, big-shouldered man had come from Cornwall to help him and was willing to fight 1t out to the end. October and the announcement had said that certain girl would be married in the late fall, girl who never looked in his direction any more, who had al- lowed her name to become affiliated with that of the Rodaines, now near ing the task of completing their two million. October!
 For a long moment. Fairchild said nothing, then as Harry came from the staging, he moved to the older mans side.
 'T-I didn't quite catch the idea," came at last. Harry pointed with his sledge.
 i've been noticing the vein. It keeps turning to the left. It struck me that 1t might lave branched off from the main body and that there's bigger vein over there some'eres. We'll just ave to make a try for it. It's our only chance"
 And If we fail to find 1t there?"
 eff 1t ain't there-we're whipped"
 It was the first time that Harry had said the word seriously. Fairchild pretended not to hear. Instead, he picked up drill, looked at It's point, then started toward the small forge which they had erected just at the foot of the little raise leading to the stope. There Harry joined him; to- gether they heated the long pieces of steel and pounded their biting faces to the sharpness necessary to drilling in the hard rock of the hanging wall, tempering them in the bucket of wa ter near by. working silently. slowly hampered by the weight of defeat. They were being whipped; they felt 1t in every atom of their beings. But they had not given up their fight. Two blows were left in the struggle, and two blows they meant to strike before the end came. The next morn- ing they started at their new task, each drilling holes at points five feet apart in the hanging wall, to send them in as far as possible. then at the end of the day to blast them out, tearing away the rock and stopping their work at drilling that they might muck away the refuse. And day after day, each, without mentioning 1t to the other, was tortured by the thought of that offer of riches, that mysteri- ous proffer of wealth for the Blue Poppy mine-tortured like men who are chained in the sight of gold and cannot reach 1t. For the offer car ried always the hint that wealth was there, somewhere, that Squint Ro- daine knew 1t. but that they could not Either wealth that would yield Squint a hundredfold for his purpose. or sheer that would answer their offer to sell. And each man gritted his teeth and said nothing. But they worked on.
 October gave up It's fight. The first day of November came, to find the chamber a wide, vacuous thing now, sheltering stone and refuse and two struggling men-nothing more. Fair child ceased his labors and mopped his forehead. dripping from the heat engendered by frenzied labor. A long moment, then:
 Harry"
 Aye"