The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1922-10-12

den and oversKndowed now, he turned
away from the cell and It's optimistic
cccupant--out into the night.
Il was only q short walk to the hos
pital and Fafrchild went there, to
leave with at least a ray OF hope. The
probing operation had been completed;
the fiddler would live, and at least the
charge against Harry would not be
one OF Aurder. That was a thing for
which to be thankful; but there was
plenty to cause, CONSERVATION, as Fair
child walked slowly down the dark,
winding street toward the main thor
oughfare. Without Harry, Fairchild
now felt himself lost. Before the big,
genial, eccentric Cornishman had come
into his life he had believed, with
some sort OF divine. ignorance, that
he could carry ont his ambitions by
himself, with no Wedge Of the tech
meal details meet lry to mining, with
no, previous history of the Blue Pop
py to guide him, and with no help
against the enemies who seemed every
re- where. Now he saw that 1t was i'm
possible. More, the incidents Of the
night showed how swiftly those enc
: mics were working, how sharp and
stiletto-ike their weapons.
That Harry was innocent was GER
tain-to Robert Fairchild.
Looking back over 1t now, he could
see how easily Fate had played into
the hands OF the Rodaines. II the Ro-
. DANES had not possessed a deeper con-
Germ than merely to seize upon q hap
pening and turn it to their own ac-
count. The highwayman was big. The
highwayman talked with a "Cousin-
Jack" accent-for all C%ornishmen ar"
cousin Jacks" In the mining country.
Those two features in themselves
Fairchild thought. as he stumbled
along in the darkness. were sufficient,
to start he~scheming plot in the brain
of Maurice Rodaine, already ugly anil
evil through the trick played by fairy
ON his father and the rebuke that had
come from Anita Richmond. 1t was
an easy ma+ter. for him to get the in
, SEPARATION. leap out of the window. and
then wait until the rohber had gone.
that he might flare forth with his
accusation. And after that.
Either Chance or something strong
err. had done the rest. The finding of
the stolen horse and the carelessly
made cache near the mouth of the
Blue Poppy mine would he sufficient
in the eyes Of any jury. The evidence
was both direct and circumstantial
-" I%airchiId's mind. there was small
chance for escape by Harry, nee his
case wen to trial.
| Down the dark street the nan wan
dered. his hands sunk deep in his
; pockets. his head low between his
shoulders-only to suddenly galvanize
into intensity. and to stop short that
he might hear again the voice which
a big house-a house whose occupants
he knew instinctively. for he had seen
the shadow of q woman, hands out
stretched. as she passed the light
strewn shade Of a window on the Sec
ond floor. More. he had heard her
voice, supplemented by gruffer tones.
And then it came again.
1t was pleading, and at the same
time angered with the pa ssion of a
person approaching hysteria. A bark
ing sentence. answered her, something
that Fafrchild could not understand.
He left the old board sidewalk and
crept to the porch that he might hear
the better. Then every nerve within
him tangled. and the black of the dark.
ness changed to red. The Rodaines
were within; he had heard first the
cold voice Of the father, then the rasp-
ing tones Of the son. In upbraiding.
More, there had come the sobbing of a
woman; instinctively Fairchild knew
that it was Anita Richmond. And
then: ~ ~
1t was her voice, high, screaming.
Hysteria had come-the wild, racking
hysteria of a person driven to the
breaking point: IL
Leave this house-hear mel Leave
this house! Can't you see that you're
killing him? Don't you dare touch me
leave this house! Mo- won't be
quietI won't-you're killing him, I
tell you"
And Fairchild waited for nothing
more. A lunge, and he was on the
veranda., One more spring and he
had reached the door, to find it un-
locked. 10 throw II wide and to leap
into the hall. Great steps, and he had
cleared the stairs to the second floor.
Dimly, as through a red screen, Fair
child saw the frightened face Of Anita
Richmond. and on the landing, front
ing him angrily, stood the two Ro-
DANES. For a moment, Fairchild dis
regarded them and turned to the Sob
bling, disheveled little being in the
doorway. =
"What's ~happenedf" f
.sThey were threatening meA-and
father" she >moaned. "But you
h6]AlM