The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1922-11-16

ton,' added FairchiId, laughing. aNo
wonder Rodaine wanted it,
"TH sye so A long time Of con-
gratulatory celebration, then Harry
led the way to the far end Of the great
cavern. Ere it isr he announced,
as she pointed to what seemed to both
Of them never to, be anything more
than a issure in the rocks. tits tho
thing that saved my life"
Fairchild stared into the darkness Of
the hole in the earth, a narrow crack
: in the rocks barely large enough to III
low a human form to squeeze within.
{ He laughed. Nf ~ ~
s.You must have made yourself
pretty small. Harry"
"What? When / went through there?
Sye, I could ave gone through the eve
of q needle. There were six charges
of dynamite just about to- go off behind
me! @*
Again the men chuckled as they
leaked at the assure. a natural, usual
| fling III q mine. and often leading. as
| This one did, by s~ubterranean breaks
and Slips to the underground bed of
some tumbling spring. Suddenly, how
ever. Fairchild ,whirled with a thought.
Harry! I Wonder-couldn't it have
been possible for my father to have
escaped from this mine in the same
/ way?"% s&@@
"'E must ave"
"And that there might not have
: been any killing connected with Lar
sen at all? why couldn't Larsen have
been knocked out by a flying stone
just like you were? And Why"
"'E might of, Boy" But Harry's
voice was negative. "The only thing
about it was fhe fact that your father
'ad a bullet 'ole in is cad" Harry
leaned forward and pointed to his own
scar. "It 1T right about ERE, and
: glanced"
"But the gum We didn't find any"
"'E 'ad it with i'm. 1t was Sissie
Larsen's. No, Boy, there must ave
been a fght-but don't think that I
mean your father murdered anybody.
If Sissie Larsen attacked i'm with a
gun, then e 'ad a right to kill. But
as I've told you before-there wouldn't
ave been a chance for m to prove is
story with Squint working against
I'm" He ceased and perked his head
toward the bottom Of the shaft, listenl
ing intently.. "Didn't you ear some
thing"
IT thought SO. Like a woman's
voice."
"Lfsten-there it is againw
"Mr. Fairchild"
They ran to the foot of the shaft,
and Fairchild, cupped his hands and
called:
"Who wants me?"
cts me-" The voice was palmer
now-a voice that Fairchild recog-
nized Immediately.
"Tm-T'm under arrest or some
thing up here" was added with. a
laugh. "The guard won't let me come
down."
"Wait, and I'll raise the bucket for
you. All right, guard" Then, blink
ing with surprise, he turned to the
estaring Harry. cts Anita Richmond"
he whispered. ~,
The bucket was at the top now. A
signal from above, and Fairchild low
cred It, to extend a hand and to aid
the girl to the ground, looking at her
with. wondering, eager eyes. In the
light of the carbide torch, she was the
same boyish-appearing little person he
had met on the Denver road except
that snow had taken the place of dust
now upon the whipcord riding habit,
and the brown hair which caressed
the corners of her eyes was moist
with the breath of the blizzard. Some
way Fairchild found his voice, lost for
q moment.
"Are-are you in trouble?"
mo She smiled at him.
"But out on a night like this-in a
blizzard. How did you get up here?"
She shrugged her shoulders.
II walked. Oh" she added, with a
smile, ut didn't hurt me any. The
wind was pretty stif-but then I'm
fairly strong. T rather enjoyed it."
"But what's happened-what's gone
wrong? Can I help you with anything
o." 49,
Then it was that Harry, with a roll
Of his blue eyes and a funny waggle
of his big shoulders, moved down the
drift toward the stope, leaving them
alone together. Anita Richmond
watched after him with a smile, wait
ing until he was out Of hearing dis
lance. Then she turned seriously.
SsNFnfhor HouorI foll mn xvbaro MN
were" came quietly. 1T was the
only chance I had to see you. IL
maybe I was a little lonely or--or
something. But, anyway, I wanted to
e you and thank you and"
THANK me? Fer what?' ,
"For everything. For that day on
the Denver road, and for the night
after the Old Times dance when you
came to help me. IL haven't had an
easy time. Most OF the people I know
r afraid and-some OF, them aren't
to be trusted. And-you-well, I knew
the Rodaines were your e~nemies-and
I've rather liked you for It."
"Thank you. But" and Fairchild's
voice became a bit .frigid-"T haven't
been able to understand everything.
You are engaged to Maurice Rodaine."
II was. you mean"
"Then' I t' a.. i %$@@s
my engagement ended with my ia
TIERS DEATH" came slowlyr-and there
was a catch In her voice. He wanted
TIT was the nj thing that held the
Rodaines of him. And he was dying
slowly.-it was all / could do to help