The Holbrook news., 1922-09-29
CHAPTER w

child reached the bottom of the grade, and again stopped to survey the scene of defeat.
 Dangerous character?" Fairchild hardly knew why he asked the ques- ton. The sheriff smiled grimly.
 If 1t was the fellow we were after, he was plenty dangerous. We were trailing him on word from Denver described the car and said he'd pulled a daylight hold-up on a pay-wagon for the Shelter company-so when the car went through Golden, we took up the trail couple of blocks behind He kept the same speed for a little while until one of my deputies got a little anxious and took a shot at a tire. Man. how he turned on the juice thought that thing was jack rabbit, the way it went up the hilll I guess it's us back to the office."
 The automobile went its way then, and Fairchild his, still wondering. And so thoroughly did the Incident en- gross him that 1t was not until truck had come to full stop behind him, and driver mingled a shout with the footing of his horn, that he turned to allow it's passage.
 Didn't hear you, old man." he apol- ogized. Could you give a fellow a lift?"
 {. Guess so.' It was friendly, even though bit disgruntled; "hop on." I And Eairnhi1d hnnrnd tr sit on the tailboard, swinging his legs, but this time his eyes saw the ever- changing scenery without noticing it. In spite of himself, Fairchild found himself constantly staring at a vision of pretty girl in riding habit, with dark-brown hair straying about ' equally dark-brown eyes. almost fren- zied in her efforts to change a tire in time to elude pursuing sheriff. Some way, it all didn't blend. If she hadn't committed some sort of depreciation against the law, why on earth was she willing to part with ten dollars, mere ly to save a few moments in changing tire and thus elude a sheriff? If there had been nothing wrong, could not moment of explanation have sat isfied anyone of the fact?
 It was too much for anyone and Fairchild knew it. Yet he clung grim ly to the mystery as the truck clat- tered on, mile after mile. A small town gradually was coming into view. A mile more. then the truck stopped with a jerk.
 "Where you bound for, pardner?'
 "Ohadi."
 That's it, straight ahead. I turn off here Miner?"
 Fairchild shrugged his shoulders and nodded noncommittally
 "Just thought I'd ask. Plenty of work around here for single and double jackers. Things are beginning to look up bit-at least in silver"
 'Thanks. Do you know a good place to stop?"
 "Yeh. Mother Towards boarding house. Everybody goes there, sooner or later. You'll see it on the left-hand side of the street before you get to the main block. Good old girl; knows how to treat anybody in the mining game from operators on down. She was here when mining was miningr
 Fairchild lifted his bag from the rear of the vehicle, waved a farewell to the driver and started into the vil- lage. And then the vision of the girl departed, momentarily, to give place to other thoughts. other pictures, of a day long gone. The sun was slanting low, throwing deep shadows from the hills into the little valley with its chattering, milk white stream, sOftening the scars of the mountains with their great refuse dumps; reminders of hopes of twenty years before and as bare of vegeta- ton as in the days when the pick and gad and drill of the prospector tore the rock loose from it's hiding place under the surface of the ground. The scrub pines of the almost barren mountains took on a fluffier, softer tone; the jutting rocks melted away into their own shadows; 1t was a pie ture of peace and of memories. And it had been here that Thornton Fairchild. back in the nineties, had dreamed his dreams and fought his fight. A sudden cramping caught the sons heart, and it pounded with some thing akin to fear. The old forebod- ing of his fathers letter had come upon him, the mysterious thread of that elusive. intangible Thing great enough to break the will and resist ance of a strong man and turn him into a weakling-silent, white-haired sitting by window, waiting for death What had it been? Why had it come upon his father? How could it be fought? He brushed away the beady precipitation with a gesture al- most of anger. then wit look of re- lief, turned in at small white gate toward big, rambling building which proclaimed itself, by the sign on the door, to be Mother Towards boarding | house.
 A moment of waiting, then he faced gray-haired. kindly faced woman, who stared at him with wide-open eyes as she stood, hands on hips, be- 1 fore him.