Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1922-10-20
CHAPTER xvl-contInued.

days Of waiting had not been in vain;
all the cutting hopelessness OF seeing
her. only to have her turn away her
head and fall to recognize him, had
been for their purpose after all. And
yet Fairchlld remembered that she
wns engaged to Maurice Rodaine, and
that the time of the wedding must he
fast approaching. Perhaps there had
been a quarrel. perhaps Then he
smiled There was no perhaps about
It'll Anita Richmond was his friend;
she had been forced into the promise
OF marriage to Maurice iodaine, but
she had not been forced into relln-
qulshment OF her desire to reward him
somehow. some way, for the attention
that he had shown her and the liking
TINT she knew existed IN his heart.
Hastily Falrchild folded the paper
and stuffed II into an Inside pocket.
Then. seeking out one Of the w0rkmen,
no appointed him foreman Of the gang.
to take charge In his absence. Fol-
lowing which, he nude his way out OF
the mine and into town, there to hire
men of Mother Howar,l's suggestion
and send them to the Blue Poppy, to
take their stations every few feet
along the tunnel to appear mere spec.
tators, but In reality to be guards who
were constantly on the watch for any
thing untoward that might occur.
FaIrchlld was taking no chances now.
An hour more found him at the SAM
pier, watching the ore as It ran through
the great crusher hoppers to come
forth finely crumbled powder and be
sampled, ton by ton. for the assays by
Old Undertaken Chastlne and three
other men Of his type, without which
no sampler pays for ore. Bittson APP
preached. grlnnlng
"You guessed Just about right" he
announced. "That stuff's running
around two hundred dollars a ton.
Need any money now7"
"Ail you can let me have"
Sour or FIVE hundred? We've gotten
In eight tons Of that stun already !:
don't guess I'd be taking any risk on
thati" he chuckled. Falrchlld reached
for the currency eagerly. All but n
hundred dollars Of 1t would go 10
Mother HOward--for that debt must
be paid off first. And, that. accom-
Pushed. denying himself the invitation
OF rest that his bed held forth for him.
he started out into town, apparently
to lOiter about the streets and receive
the congratulations OF the townspeo.
pie, but In reality to watch for one
person and one alone-Squlnt Ro-
dainei
He saw him late In the afternoon
shambllng along. his eyes glaring, his
lips moving wordiessly, and he took
up tho trnlI. But 1t led only to the Of
Ace OF the Silver Queen Development
company, where the scar-fnced ma,l
doubled at his desk and. stutiing a
cigar into his mouth. chewed on Il
angrily. Instinctlveiy Falrchlld knew
that the greatest part OF his mean
temper was due to the strike In the
Blue Poppy: lnstlnctively also he felt
that Squint Rodnine had known of the
value all along. that now he was ours
ing himself for the failure of his
schemes to obtain possession of what
had appeared until only day before
10 be nothing more than q disappoint.
ing, unlucky, Ill-Omened hole In the
ground. EairchIld resumed his loiter.
Ing, but evening found him near the
Silver Queen Office.
Anit0's note had told him little, vel
had implied much. Something was
fermentlng In the seethIng brain OF
Gnuint Dnlofno anh 10 Tho ,,oa. o,,u,
cd for anything, II was something that
concerned him.
An hour moro. then Fairchlld sud
deniy skunk into the shadows of a
doorway. Squinr had snapped out the
Hight and was locking the door. Fifty
feet, then Fairchiid stepped from the
doorway and took up the trail
II wns not a hard one to follow
Slulnt Rodalne passed the street lead
Ing Ia his house without even looliinl
NJ. Two blocks more. and 'theS
reached the city limits.
A mile, and they were In the oper
country. crossing and recrossng tn,
Ice-dotted Clear creek. furlOn;
more, then Squint ROdalne turned M
the lane wlIch led to n great sham
bling. old. white building that, in tn,
rasy days OF the mining game, hu(
been a rOadhOuse, but which now
barely furnished In only few OF III
rooms, Inhabited by mountain rats an,
autteriRg bats and general decay 70
TIE most part, formed the uncomfort
nbie abode Of Crazy Laura
And Falrchlld followed. II COult
meun only one thing when Roduln,
sought the white-halred, mumbling oil
hing whom once he had called his wife
II could mean but one outcome, ant
that OF disaster for some one. Mothe
Howard had said that Crazy Laur!
would kin for Squlnt. And now tina
Squlnt ROdalne was seeking her, Fair
child meant to follow, and TO hear
such thing were within the range o
human possiblllty--the evil dripping
ofqhls crooked lips.
lie crossed 10 the side OF the roa
where ran the inevitable gully anC
taking advantage OF the shelter, hui
rled forward. smiling grlmly In tn
darkness at the memory of the fac
that things were now reversed; tina
ne was following Suulnt ROdalne q