The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-12-22

pumps, A peculiar gurgling sound had
come from the ends Of the hose, and
the flow deprecated greatly; instead
OF the steady gush Of water, a Shiny
silt was coming out now, spraying and
splattering about on the sides OF the
drainage ditch. Wildly Harry waved
a monstrous paw.
shut 'em off |" he yelled to Fair
child In the dimness Of the tunnel.
It's sucking the muck out Of the
stump! That means the ole drift Is
unwatered."
"Then the pumping jobs overT"
"Yeh." Harry rose. "You stay ere
and dismantle the pumps, so we can
send 'em back. I'll go to town. We've
got to buy some stuff"
Then he started off down the trail,
while Fairchild went to his work. AID
he sang as he dragged at the heavy
hose. Work was before him, work
which was progressing toward a goal
that he had determined to seek, in
spite of all obstacles. The mysterious
offer which he had received gave evil
dence that something awaited him, that
some one knew the real value Of the
Blue Poppy mine, and that If he could
simply stick to his task, If he could
hold to the unwavering purpose to win
in spite of all the blocking pitfalls
that were put in his path, some day,
some time, the reward would be worth
it's price.
More, the conversation with Mother
Howard on the previous morning had
been comforting; 1t had given a wom-
ans viewpoint upon another woman's
actions. And Fairchild in%tuitiyely be-
lieveG she was correct.
A shout from the road, accompanied
by the roaring Of a motor truck, an
nOunced the fact that Harry was max
ing his return.
Five men were with him, to help him
carry In ropes, heavy pulleys, weights
and a large metal shaft bucket, then
to move out the smaller Of the pumps
and trundle away with them, leaving
the larger n and the larger engine
for a single load. At last Harry turned
to his paraphernalia and rolled up his
sleeves.
"Ere's where we work !" he an
nOunced. ITS us for a pulley and
bucket arrangement until we can get
the 'oist to working and the skip to
running. ZIP me 'eave a few timbers."
1t was the beginning Of a three
days job, the building of a heavy stag
ing over the top Of the shaft, the affix-
ing of the great pulley and then the
attachment Of the bucket at one end,
and the skip, loaded with pig iron, on
the other. Altogether, it formed a
sort of crude, counterbalanced ele-
vator, by which they might lower
themselves into the shaft, with various
bumpings and delays-but which
worked successfully, nevertheless. To-
gether they piled into the big, iron
bucket, Harry Juggling along spikes and
and SledgeS and ropes. Then.
pulling away at the cable which held
the weights, they furnished the neces-
sary gravity to travel downward.
An eerfe journey, faced on one side
by the crawling rope of the skip as 1t
travelled along the rusty old track on
it's w~atersoaked ties, on the other by
the still dripping timbers of the aged
shaft and it's broken, rotting ladder,
while the carbide lanterns cast shad-
ows about, while the pulley above
creaked and the eroded wheels Of the
skip squeaked and protested! Down
ward-a hundred feet-and they col.
lided with the upward-bOund skip, to
fend off from it and start on again.
The air grew colder, moist. The
carbides spluttered and fiared.
A slight bump, and they were at the
bottom. Before them the drift tun-
mel, damp and dripping and dark.
awaited, seeming to throw back the
flare of the carbides as though to
shield the treasures which might lie
beyond. Harry started forward a step,
then p%ausing. shifted his carbide and
laid a hand on his companions Shout
der.
Boy" he said slowly, we're start
ing at something now-and l don't
know where It's going TO lead us.
There's a cave-in up ere, and if we're
going to get anywhere in this
mine, we'll ave to go past it. And Tn
afraid of what we're going to find
when we cut our wye through"
Clouds Of the past seemed to rise
and float past Faircbild-clOudi
which carried visions of a white. brok,
en- old man sitting by a window, wait.
ing for death. visions Of al old safe
and a letter 1t contained. For a long,
long moment, there was silence. Their
Harry's voice again.
"I'm afraid IL amt going to be good
news. Boy. But there amt no wye
to get around II. It's got to come out
sometime-things like that won't sta.
'idden forever. And your fathers gone
now-gone where It can't 'urt i'm"
II know" answered. Fairchild. In Q
queer, husky voice. HE must have
known. Harry-he must have been will
ing that II come, now that he is gone
He wrote me as much"
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