The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-08-17
a look around before we go into the

finding pitehy pine knot lighted it,
They started cautiously within. blink
ing against the darkness.
The outlines of rusty 'fhoist." with
its cable leading down into a slantfng
hole in the rock, showed dimIy before
them-a massive, chunky, deserted
thing In the shadows The timbers
were rotting; one after another. they
had cracked and caved beneath the
weight of the earth above. giving the
tunnel an eerie aspect, uninviting
dangerous. Harry peered ahead
ut amt as bad as it looks" came
after a moments survey. TITS only
right ERE at the beginning that it's
caved. But that doesn't do US much
good"
"Why not?" Fairchild was staring
with him, IN toward the darkness of
the farther recesses. ''If it isn't caved
In farther back. we ought to be able
to repair this spot"
But Harry shook his head.
1--WE didn't go into the vein ere"
he explained. Eve figured we 'ad to
ave shaft anyway, sooner or later.
You can't do under'and stopping in a
mfne-go down on vein, you know.
You've always got to go up-you can't
get the metal out If you don't. That's
why we dug this shaft-and now look
at IT."
He drew the Pickering torch to the
edge of the shaft and held it there,
staring downward. Fairchild beside
him. Twenty feet below there came
the glistening reflection of the 1aring
flame. Water, Fairchild glanced
toward his partner
81 don't know anything about it," he
said at last. "But I should think that
would mean trouble"
PLENTY" agreed Harry lugubrious-
ly. "That shafts two 'unnerd feet
deep and there's a drift running off 1t
for couple o. 'unnerd feet more be-
fore 1t its the vein. Four 'unnerd
feet of water. 'Ow much money ave
you got?'
about twenty-five hundred dol
lars"
Harry reached for his waving mus
tache, his haven in time of storm.
Thoughtfully he pulled at it. staring
meanwhile downward. Then he
grunted
"And I amt got more'n five 'unnerd
1t amt enough. Les go back to town.
l don't like to stand around this place
| and just look at water in a ole
| They turned for the mouth Of the
! tunnel, sliding along in the greasy
muck, the torch extinguished now. A
moment of watchfulness from the
cover of the darkness, then Harry
pointed. On the opposite hill. the fig
ure of a man had been outlined for
| just a second. Then he had faded.
| And with the disappearance of the
watcher, Harry nudged his partner in
the ribs and went forth into the
brighter light. An hour more and
they were back in town Harry
reached for his mustache again.
"Go on down to Mother 'Oward's' u
he commanded "rve got to wander
around and say 'owdy to what's left
Of the fellows that was ERE when ]
was. It's been twenty years since I've
been away, you know" he added. land
the shaft can wait"
Fairchild obeyed the Instructions
looking back over his shoulder as he
walked along toward the boarding
house. to see the big figure of his com
panion lettering up the street, on the
beginning of his homecoming tour
The blocks passed. Fairchild turned
through the gate of Mother Towards
| pHi nd 20 n
to await the call for dinner. The
world did not look exceptionally
good to him; his brilliant dreams hat
not counted upon the decay of more
than a quarter of century, the slow
but sure dripping of water which hat
Seeped through the hills and made
the mine one vast well, instead of thu
free open gateway to riches which III
had planned upon. An hour of though
and Fairchild ceased trying to lool
into the future, obeying, instead, thu
insistent changing of the dinner bel
from downstairs. Slowly he opened
the door of his room, trudged dow
the staircase-then stopped in Devil
derment. Harry stood before him, il
all the splendor that a miner cal
know.
He had bought new suit, brillian
blue. almost electric in its f1ashiness
nor had he been careful as to style
The cut of the trousers was somewha
. along the lines of fifteen years be
; fore, with their peg tops and heay
cuffs. Beneath the vest. a glowing
! watermelon-pink shirt glared fort
from the protection of a purple tie
? A wonderful creation was on his head
, denied in four places each separate
with almost mathematical precision
Below the cuffs of the trousers wer
r bright, tan. bump-toed shoes. Harr
was a complete picture of SartOria
elegance, according to his OWE dreams
6 What was more, to complete II a
upon the third finger of his right haT
$ was diamond. dubious and yellO
and throwing off a dull radiance lii
Y the glow Of burnt-out arc light; FL
r of flaws, 1t is true. off color to gre
e degree, but a diamond nevertheless
= And Harry evidently realized it.
"Ain't I the cuckoo?" he doomed, ;
q Fairchild stared at him. Amt 1?
: 'ad to ave outfit, and
at might as well be now!" he pa
u APPRAISED, to the tune of the az
r whitened sextette from "Floradora
And look at the sparkler! Loo
81 at it,"
Il "But-but how did you do it?" can
gaspingly 81 thought"