The Ordway new era., 1922-12-22
Copyright by Little, Brown = Co.

me. knew 1t would. Roady had come
and told me to dig n grave and put
1t In there. l did. We filed 1t with
quicklime Then we went upstairs
and 1t was gone. l do not understand
it. If Roady wanted me to kill him.
why didn't he say so7 1 will kill If
Roady will be good to me. I've killed
before for him."
"Still referring to somebody she's
killed." cut In Anita. II wonder II
1t could be possible"
1--WE just thought of the date !"
Harry broke in excitedly. at was along
about June Z. 1892. I'm sure 1t was
around there"
The old books were mulled over,
one after the other. At last Bardwell
leaned forward and pointed to a GER
tain page.
Here's an item under May %. 1t
says: .Roady has been at me again
He wants me to fix things so that the
three men in the Blue Poppy mine
will get caught in there by cave-in.'"
The sheriff looked up. "This seems
to read little better than the other
stuff. It's not so jagged. Don't guess
she was as much off her nut then as
she is now. Let's see. Where's the
place? Oh, yes: IF I'll help him. l
can have half, and We'll live together
again. and he'll be good to me and i
can have the boy. l know what It's
all about. He wants to get the mine
without Sissie Larsen having anything
to do with 1t. Sissie has cemented up
the hole he drilled into the pay ore
and hasn't told Fairchild about 1t, be-
cause he thinks Roady will go partner
ships with him and help him buy in.
But Roady won't do 1t. He wants
that extra money for me. He told me
so. Roady Is good to me sometimes.
But that's when he wants me to do
something. If he'll keep his promise
I'll fix the mine so they won't gee
out"
"The poor old SOUL" there was ach-
Ing sympathy in Anita Richmond's
voice. IL can't help 1t IL she was
willing to kill people. The poor old
thing was crazy"
yes, and she's 'ad us bloody near
crazy too. Maybe there's another
entry"
III toullHS u IL. II ulOUS III
June. The dates blurred Listen:
I did what Roady wanted me to.
sneaked into the mine and planted
dynamite in the tlmbers. wanted to
wait until the third man was there,
but / couldn't. Fairchild and Larsen
were fussing. Fairchild had learned
about the hole and wanted to know
what Larsen had found. Finally Lar-
sen pulled n gun and shot Fairchild.
He fell, and I knew he was dead.
Then Larsen bent over him, and when
he did hit him-on the head with a
single-jack hammer. Then I set off
the charge. Nobody ever will know
how it happened unless they find the
bullet or the gun. l don't care If they
do. Roady wanted me to do it,"
Fairchild started to speak, but the
sheriff stopped him.
wait, here's another item:
81 failed. / didn't kill either of
them. They got out someway and
drove out of town tonight Roady IL
| mad at me. He won't come near me.
And I'm so lonesome for himv"
"The explanation!" Fairchild al
and read it again. SHERIFF, I've got
to make confession. My father al
ways thought that he had killed /,
man. Not that he told me-but could
guess it easily enough. from other
things that happened. When he came
to. he found n single-jack hammer
lying beside him, and Larsen's body
across him. Couldn't he naturally be-
lieve that he had killed him while In
daze? He was afraid OF Rodaine-
that Rodaine would get up q lynch
Ing party and string him up. Harry
here and Mrs. Howard helped him out
OF town. And this Is the explana-
tiOn!''
Bardwell smiled quizzically.
ut looks like there's going to be q
lot of explanations. What time was
1t when you were trapped In that
mine, Harkins?"
"Along about the first Of Novem-
ber."
The sheriff turned to the page. It
was there-the story Of Crazy Laura
and her descent into the Blue Poppy
mine, and again the charge of dyna-
mite which wrecked the tunnel. With