The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1922-09-28
Harry jabbed out

a big finger. @s&@
""That's It," he announced, straight
a'ead" "
They wen on, Fairchild with q grip
ping at his throat that would not
down. This had been the hope of his
father-and here his father had met
what7 He swerved quickly and
stopped, facing the bigger man.
Harry" came sharply, II know
that 1 may be violating an unspoken
promise to my father. But I simply
can't stand 1t any longer. What hap
pened here? There was sone sort OF
tragedy"
Harry chuckled - In c~oncealment,
Fairehild thought, Of something he
did not want to tell him.
81 should think SO! The timbers
gave way and the mine caved in Il"
Not that! My father ran away
from this town. You and Mother
Howard helped him. You didn't come
back. Neither did my father. Even
tually it killed him"
"So?" Harry looked seriously and
studiously at the young man. "'E
didn't write me ofen."
"He didn't need to write you You
were here with him-when it hap
pened."
"No-" Harry shook his head. II
was in town. What's Mother Howard
told you?"
"A lot-and nothing"
II don't know any more than she
does"
But"
Friends didn't ask questions In
those days" came quietly. II might
ave guessed if I'd wanted to-but I
didn't want to-"
But If you hadF"
Harry looked at him with quiet, blue
eyes.
what would you guessf'
Slowly Robert Fairchild's gaze went
to the ground. There was only one
possible conjecture: Sissie Larsen had
been impersonated by a woman. Sis
sic Larsen had never been seer again
In Ohadi.
IL would hate to put it into
words" came finally. Harry slapped
him on the shoulder.
"Then don't. It was nearly thirty
years ago.. Let sleeping dogs lie. Take
a look around before we go into the
tunnel"
They ~reconnoitered, FIRST on one
side then on the other. No one was In
sight. Harry bent to the ground, and
finding a pitchy pine knot. lighted it.
They started cautiously within. blink
ing against the darkness.
The outlines of a rusty ''hoist." with
its cable leading down into a slanting
hole In the rock, showed dimly before
them-a massive, chunky, deserted
thing In the shadows. The timbers
were rotting; m after another, they
had cracked and caved beneath the
weight of the earth above, giving the
tunnel an eerie aspect, uninvfting,
dangerous. Harry peered ahead.
1T amt as bad as 1t looks" came
after a moments survey. TITS only
right ere at the beginning that it's
caved. But that doesn't do US much
good"
why not7" Fairchild was staring
with him, on toward the darkness of
the farther recesses. eff It isn't caved
N farther back, we ought to be able
TO repair this spot"
But Harry shook his head.
"We didn't 60 into the vein ere"
he explained. 1--WE figured we 'ad to
ave a shaft anyway, sooner or later.
You can't do under'and Stopping In a
pine-go down on q vein, you know.
you've always got to 60 up-you can't
get the metal out If you don't. That's
why we dug this shaft-and now look
ut it!
He drew the Pickering torch to the
sdge of the shaft and held 1t there,
staring downward, Fairchild beside
him. Twenty feet below there came
the giistening reflection of the fiaring
lame. Water Fairchild glanced
toward his partner.
Il don't know anything about It." he
Said at last. But I should think that
would mean trouble"
"Plenty" agreed Harry lugubrious-
". THAT shafts two 'unnerd feet
deep and there's a drift running or Il
for a couple O. 'unnerd feet moro BE-
fore 1t Its the vein. Four 'unnera
feet Of water. 'Ow much money ave
you got3"
"About twenty-five hundred doa
lars"
Harry reached for his waving rsuS.
tache, his haven In time Of Storm,
Thoughtfully he pulled ut II, staring
meanwhile downward. Then 10
grunted.
"And I amt got more'n FIVE 'unnerd.
1t amt enough. Les 60 back to town,
/ don't like to stand around this place
and just look at water In q ole"
They turned for the mouth Of the
tunnel, sliding along in the greasy
muck, the torch extinguished now. A
moment Of w~atchfulness from tho
cover Of the darkness, then Harry
pointed. On the opposite hiYl, the dg.
ure Of a man had been outlined foe
Just a second. Then he had faded.
And with the disappearance Of the "
watcher, Harry nudged his partner In
the ribs and went forth into the
brighter light. An hour more and
they were back In town. Harry
reached for his mustache again. T.
"Go on down to Mother 'Oward's" +
he commanded. i've got to wander
and say 'owdy to what's left
OF the fellows that was ere when I :
was. It's been twenty years since I've
been away, you know" he added. land
the shaft can wait" w
RairchilH ohayaa &ho ,x-- r.