Sioux County pioneer., 1922-09-28

pumps. A peculiar gurgling sound had
come from the ends Of the hose and
the dow deprecated greatly; instead
Of the steady gush Of water, slimy
silt was coming out now, spraying and
splattering about on the sides Of the
drainage ditch. Wildly Harry waved
m0nstrous paw.
"Shut 'em OIL" he yelled to Fair
child in the dimness Of the tunnel.
"1t's sucking the muck out of the
sump! That means the 'ole drift IL
unwatered."
"Then the pumping jobs overt"
"Yeh." Harry rose. "You stay ere
and dismantle the pumps, SO we can
send 'em back. I'll 60 to town. We've
got to buy some stuff"
Then he started off down the trail,
while Fairchild went to his work. And
he sang as he dragged at the heavy
hose. Work was before him, work
which was progressing toward a goal
that he had determined to seek, In
spite of all obstacles. The mysterious
offer which he had received gave evil
dence that something awaited him, that
some one knew the real value Of the
Blue Poppy mine, and that If he could
simply stick to his task, If he could
hold to the unwavering purpose to win
in spite Of all the blocking pitfalls
that were put in his path, some day,
some time, the reward would be worth
its price.
More, the conversation with Mother
Howard on the previous morning had
been comforting; 1t had given a wom-
ans viewpoint upon another woman's
actions. And Fairchild intuitively be-
lieved she was correct.
A shout from the road, accompanied
by the roaring of a motor truck, an
nounced the fact that Harry was max
ing his return.
Five men were with him, to help him
carry in ropes, heavy pulleys, weights
and large metal shaft bucket, then
to move out the smaller of the pumps
and trundle away with them, leaving
the larger one and the larger engine
for single load. At last Harry turned
to his paraphernalia and rolled up his
sleeves.
"Ere's where we work !" he an
nounced. "It's us for a pulley and
bucket arrangement until we can get
the 'oist to working and the skip to
running. 'Elp me 'eave'a few timbers."
It was the beginning Of three
days job, the building of heavy stag
ing over the top of the shaft, the affix-
ing of the great pulley and then the
attachment Of the bucket at one end,
and the skip, loaded with pig iron, on
the other. Altogether, it formed a
sort Of crude, counterbalanced ele-
vator, by which they might lower
themselves into the shaft, with various
bumpings and delays-but which
worked successfully, nevertheless. To-
gether they piled into the big, iron
bucket, Harry Juggling along spikes and
timbers and sledges and ropes. Then.
pulling away at the cable which held
the weights, they furnished the neces-
sary gravity to travel downward.
An eerie journey, faced on one side
by the crawling rope Of the skip as it
travelled along the rusty old track on
it's watersoaked ties, on the other by
the still dripping timbers Of the aged
shaft and its broken, rotting ladder,
while the carbide lanterns cast shad-
ows about, while the pulley above
creaked and the eroded wheels Of the
skip squeaked and protested! Down.
ward-ea hundred feet--and they col
lided with the. upward-bound skip, to
fend off from it and start on again.
The air grew colder, more moist. The
scarbides spluttered and flared.
T A slight bump, and they were at the
bottom. Before them the drift tun-
mel, damp and dripping and dark,
awaited, seeming to throw back the
flare of the ,carbides as though to
shield the treasures which might lie
beyond. Harry started forward step,
then pausing, shifted his carbide and
laid hand on his companions shoul-
der.
'Boy," he said slowly, "we're start
ing at something now-and I don't
know where it's going to lead us.
There's a cave-in up ere, and If we're
ever going to get anywhere in this
mine, we'll ave to 60 past it. And I'm
afraid of what we're going to find
when we cut our wye through! I"
Clouds Of the past seemed to rise
and float past Fairchild-clouds
which carried visions of white, brok-
en- old man sitting by window, walt
ing for death, visions Of an old safe
and letter it contained. For long,
long moment, there was silence. Then
came Harry's voice again.
"I'm afraid it amt going to be good
news, Boy. But there amt no wye
to get around It. It's got to come out
sometime-things like that won't stay
'idden forever. And your fathers gone
now-gone where it can't 'urt i'm" !.
Il know" answered Fairchild, In 8
queer, husky voice. HE must have
known. Harry-he must have been Will.
ing that it come, now that he ia gone.