The Dolores star., 1922-11-24
THE CROSS-CUT

ave 10 work our fingers to the hone
nave TO starve and die there
Wen find It'll"
with that determination be ven, :,
peu, 10 awake in the morning filed
win a desire to reach the mine. to
GA" at Its vitals with the sharp-
euged drills, to swing the heavy sledge
until his shoulders and back ached
10 send the roaring charges of dyna-
mite digging deeper and deeper into
INA. 'nihhing vein. And Harry was
oeside MIN every step Of the way.
DAYS work, the booming charges
ana they returned to the stope to find
'hat the vein had neither lessened nor
grown greater. Another day-and one
after that. The vein remained the
same.
Squlnt Rodaine had established his
once IN small, vacant store building
on the main street, and FairchiId
could see, as he went to and from his
work, constant stream of towpspeo.
pie as they made that their goal
there to give their money into the
Keeping Of the be-scarred man and to
trust to the future for wealth. IT
CALLED Fairchild, 1t made his hate
stronger than ever. As for the girl
VINO was named as vice president
lie saw her, day after day, riding
through town In the same automobile
that he had helped retire on the Den
yer road. But now she did not look
Mt him; now she pretended that she
did not see him. She had gone over
TO the Rodaines, she was engaged to
marry the chalky-faced, hook-nosed
son and she was vice president of
their two-milllon- dollar mining cor
poration. Falrchild did not even strive
to find a meaning for it all; women
are women, and men do well some
times If they diagnose themselves.
The summer began to grow old. and
Fairchild felt that he was aging with
1t. The bank deposits were thinning,
and the vein was thinning with 1t.
Slowly but surely. rs they fought, the
strip of pay ore in the rocks was
pinching out. Soon would come the
time when they could work it no
longer. And then-but Fairchild did
not like to think about that.
September came, and with it the
grand jury. But here for once was
slight ray of hope. The body of
twelve good men and true wore them
selves out with other matters and ad-
journed without even taking up the
mystery Of the Blue Poppy mine. But
the JOY Of Fairchild and Harry was
short-lived. In the long, legal phrase
ology of the jury's report was the
recommendation that this important
subject be :he first for inquiry by the
next grand inquisitOrial body to be
convened and the threat still re-
mained.
But before the two men were now
realities which were worse even than
threats. and Harry turned from his
the most important.
'Well start single-jacking tonor-
row." he announced with little sigh.
"In the 'anging wall. The veins
plnched down until we amt even get
ting day laborer's wages out Of it
and It's October now"
October! October-and winter on
the way. October-and only month
until the time when Harry must face
n Jury on four separate charges, any
one of which might send him to Canon
City for the rest Of his days. Fair
childs hopes lay inert. He was only
working pow because great. strong,
big -shoulAered man had come from
Cornwall to help him and was willing
to fight II out to the end. October
and the announcement had said that
certain girl would be married in the
late fall, a girl who never looked in
his direction any more. who had al
lowed her name to become affiliated
with that of the Rodaines, now near
ing the task of completing their two
million. October
For a long moment, Fairchild said
nothing, then as Harry came from the
staging, he moved to the older mans
side.
IL didn't quite catch the idea,"
came at last. Harry pointed with his
sledge.
1--WE been noticing the vein. 1t
keeps turning to the left. 1t struck
me that 1t might ave branched off
from the main body and that there's
a bigger vein over there some'eres.
Well lust ave to make try for it.
It's our only chance"
"And II we fail to find 1t there?"
"If It amt there-we're whipped"
It was the first time that Harry had
said the word seriously. Fairchild
pretended not to hear. Instead, he
picked up q drill, looked at Its point,
then started toward the small forge
which they had erected just at the
foot of the little raise leading to the
stone. There Harry Joined him; to-
cether they heated the long pieces of
steel and pounded their biting faces
to the sharpness necessary to drilling
in the hard rock of the hanging wall,
tempering them in the bucket Of wa
hy working silently slowly