The Ordway new era., 1922-09-29
THE CROSS-CuT

/ AhS Woihdh AL hAS "a Ahos I'S1 a. Nv
did run me OF and wouldn't go back
to Cornwalli"
| Red-faeed, she pushed him away
and slapped his cheek playfully; 1t
was like the tap of light breeze
against granite. Then Harry turned.
AVE you looked at the miner"
/ The question brought back to Fair
| child the happenings of the morning
| and the memory of the man who had
| trailed him. He told his story. while
Mother Howard listened. her arms
crossed, her head bobblng. and while
Harry. his big grin still on his lips,
took In the details with avidity. Then
the grin faded.
| Les go up there" he said quietly.
This time the trip to Kentucky
| gulch was made by skirting the town:
soon they were on the rough. narrow
roadway leading into the mountains.
A long time they walked. at last to
stop in the shelter of the rocks where
| Fairchild had shadowed his pursuer,
and TO glance carefully ahead. No
one was in sight. Harry tabbed out
big finger.
""That's It." De announced, straight
a'eadr"
They went on. Fairchild with a grip
ping at his throat that would not
down. This had been the hope Of hi,
father-and here his father had met
what? He swerved quickly and
stopped. facing the bigger man.
Harry" came sharply. "I know
that l may be violating an unspoken
promise to my father. But l simply
can't stand 1t any longer. What hap
pened here? There was some sort OF
tragedy"
Harry chuckled in concealment,
Fairchlld thought, of something he
did not want to tell him.
81 should think so The timbers
gave way and the mine caved I'M"
Not thati 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"
"SoT" Harry looked seriously and
studIousIy at the young man. "'E
didn't write me of'en."
He didn't need to write you. You
were here with hlm-when It hap
pened."
No" Harry shook his head. "T
was in town. What's Mother Howard
told your
"a Iot-and nothing"
81 don't know any more than she
does"
But"
Friends didn't ask questions in
those days" came quietly. ~ might
ave guessed If I'd wanted to-but 1
didn't want to-
But II you had?'
Harry looked at him with quiet, blue
eyes.
what would you guess?"
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 seen again
in Ohadi.
words" came finally. Harry slapped
him on the shoulder.
"Then don't. 1t 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 rusty "hoIst," with
its cable leading down into a slanting
boI fv tba oh ty,I,
them-a massive, chunky, deserted
thing in the shadows The timbers
were rotting; one after another, they
had cracked and caved beneath the
weight of the earth above, giving the
tunnel an eerie aspect, uninviting,
dangerous. Harry peered ahead.
1T amt as bad as it looks" came
after moments survey. ITS only
right ere at the beginning that it's
caved. But that doesn't do US much
good"
"Why not?" Fairchild was staring
with him, on toward the darkness of
in farther back, we ought to be able
to repair this spot
But Harry shook his head.
I'VE didn't go into the vein ere"
he explained. 1--WE figured we 'ad to
ave shaft anyway, sooner or later.
You can't do under'and Stopping in a
mine-go down on a vein, you know.
You've always got to go up-you can't
get the metal out II you don't That's
why we dug this shaft-and now look
at itr'
He drew the Pickering torch to the
edge of the shaft and held 1t there,
staring downward Fairchild beside
him. Twenty feet below there came
the glistening reflection of the fiaring
flame. Waterl Fairchild glanced