Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1922-10-06
THE CROSS-CUT

II we have to starve and die there
wen find I'll"
With that determination, he went to
bed. to awake in the morning filed
with a desire TO reach the mine. to
claw at Its vitals with the sharp
, edged drills, to swing the heavy sledge
until his shoulders and back ached.
to send the roaring charges Of dyna-
mite digging deeper and deeper into
that thinning vein. And Harry was
beside him every step Of the way.
A days work, the booming charges,
and they returned to the stope tn find
that the vein had neither lessened nor
grown greater. Another day--and one
after that. The vein remained the
same.
Sauint Rodalne had established his
office In small vacant store building
on the main street, and Fairchlld
could see. as he went to and from his
work. a constant stream OF townspeO-
| 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. II
| CALLED Fairchlld, Il made his hate
| stronger than ever. AS for the girl
who was named as vice president
| He 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
ut 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 twomilllon-dollar mining cor
poration. Fairchild did not even strive
to find meaning for II all; women
are women. and men do well some
times II they diagnose themselves.
The summer began to grow old. and
Falrchild felt that he was aging with
Il. The bank deposits were thinning.
and the vein was thinning with II.
Slowly but surely. ,tNthey fought, the
strip OF pay ore In the rocks was
plnching out. Soon would come the
time when they could work II no
longer. And then--but Fairchild did
not like to think about that.
September came, and with II 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 adj
journed without even taking up the
mystery of the Blue Poppy mine. But
the JOY of FairchId and Harry was
short-lived. In the long legal phrase
ology of the jury's report was the
recommendation that this important
subject be the first for inquiry by the
next grand inaulsitorial body to bt
convened - and the threat still re
NAMED
But before the two men were now
realities which were worse even thar
threats. and Harry turned from hl'
staging late one afternoon to voice
the most important.
"We'll start ngle.iacking tomor
row." he announced with little sigh
'In the 'angng wall. The veins
pinched down until we amt even get
ting day laborer's wages out of it
and it's October now"
Octoberl October-and winter oil
, the way. October-and only a montl
until the time when Harry must fac
n Jury on four separate charges, an.
one Of which might send him TO Canol
: City for the rest of his days. Fair
, child's hopes lay inert. He was Onl.
, working now because great, strong
big shouldered man had come iron
Cornwall to help him and was wlllln
to fight II out to the end. October
, a certain girl would be married in tn
late fall. girl who never looked 4
his direction any more. who had al
lowed her name TO become affiliate
with that of the ROdaines, now neal
4; ing the task of completing their tw
million. October
, For long moment, Falrchlld sal
nothing, then as Harry came from tn
staging, he moved to the older man
side.
I'll didn't quite catch the idea,
came ut last. Harry pointed with hi
sledGe.
"I've been noticing the vein.
keeps turning to the left. II struc
me that It might ave branched o
from the main body and that there
bigger vein over there someere
Wen Just ave to make try for 1
It's our only chance"
"And II we fail to find II therei"
"If II amt there-we're whipped
I II was the first time that Harry la
| said the word seriously. Fairchll
| pretended not to hear, Instead, i
picked up drill looked at its poin
then started toward the small fOrg
which they had erected just at tn
foot OF the little raise leading to I'll
stope. There Harry Joined him; I,
gether they heated the long pieces {
steel and pounded their biting face
to the sharpness necessary to drillin
In the hard rock OF the hanging wal
temperlng them In the bucket of VI
ter near by, working silently, slowly
hampered by the weight of defea
They were. being whipped; they fe
II in every atom of their beings. 81
they had not given up their figi
. Two blows were left In the struggl
and two blows they meant to stril
y before the end came. The next NOR
h ing they started at their new taS
n | aoob 1rtIlinn hnIaa M pnInta Ava 20