The Hope pioneer., 1922-09-21

everybody IN the costume OF Cn..(y OF
forty years ago. Don't you want to
buy ticket? H's the last one I've
got !" she added prett1ly.
"When's it to be2'
"A week from tomorrow night. Are
you going to be here that long?"
She realized the slip of her tongue
and colored slightly. Fairchild, recov-
cred now, reached into a pocket and
carefully fingered the bills there.
Then. with a quick motion, as he
drew them forth, he covered a ten
dollar bill with one-dollar note and
thrust them forward.
"Yes, I'll take the ticket"
She handed it to him, thanked him.
and reached for the money. AS 1t
passed into her hand. a corner Of the
ten-dollar bill revealed itself, and she
hastily thrust it toward him as
though to return money paid by mis-
take. Just as quickly, she realized
his purpose and withdrew her hand.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, almost in a
whisper, II understand" She flushed
and stood second hesitant, flustered,
her big eyes almost childish as they
looked up into his. "You-you must
think I'm a cad!" Then she whirled
and left the store, and a slight smile
came to the lips of Robert Fairchild
as he watched her hurrying across the
street. He had won a tiny victory, at
least.
With q onfhnSioSpo fov
desire than ever to win out in the
fight which had brought him to Ohadi,
he hurried to the courthouse and the
various technicalities which must be
coped with before he could really call
the Blue Poppy mine his own.
1t was easier than he thought. A
few signatures. and he was free to
wander through town to where idlers
had pointed out Kentucky gulch and
to begin the steep ascent up the mar
row road on a tour Of prospecting
that would precede the more legal and
more safe system of surveyor.
The ascent was almost sheer in
places, for in Kentucky gulch the
hills huddled close to the little town
and rose in precipitous inclines al
most before the city limits had been
reached. He stepped aside to allow
the passage of ore-laden automobile
trucks, loaded until the springs had
f1attened and until the engines howled
with their compression as they sought
to hold back their burdens on the
steep grade. And it was as he stood
there, watching the big vehicles travel
down the mountain side, that Fair
child caught glimpse of human
figure which suddenly darted behind
clump of scrub pine and skirted far
to one side, taking advantage Of every
covering. A new beat came into
Fairchild's heart. He took to the road
again, plodding upward, seemingly a
man entirely bereft of suspicion. A
qtarter of mile he went, a half.
Once, as the road turned beside a
great rock, he sought it's shelter and
looked back. The figure still was fol-
lowing, running carefully now along
the bank of the stream in an effort
to gain as much ground as possible
before the return Of the road to open
territory should bring the necessity of
caution again.
A mile more, then, again in the, shell
ter of rocks, he swerved and sought a
hiding place, watching anxiously from
his concealment for evidences of dis
covery. There were none. The shad-
over came on, displaying more and
more caution as he approached the
rocks, glancing hurriedly about him
as he moved swiftly from cover to
cover. ClOser-closer-then Fairchild
repressed a gasp. The man was old.
almost white-haired, with hard, knot
ted hands which seemed to stand out
from his wrists; thin and wiry with
the resiliency that outdoor, hardened
muscles often give to age, and with
face that held Fairchild almost hyp-
Noticed. 1t was like hawks; hook
beaked, colorless. toneless in all ex-
pressions save that of a malicious
tenacfty; the eyes were slanted until
they resembled those of some fantas-
tic Chinese image, while just above
the curving nose blue-white scar
ran straight up the fOrehead.-Suuint
Rodaine!
So he was on the trail already {!
Fairchfld watched him pass. sneak
around the corner of the rocks. and
stand moment in apparent bewilder-
ment as he surveyed the ground be.
fore him. A mumbling curse and he
went on, his cautious gait discarded.
walking briskly along the rutty, boul-
der-strewn road toward gaping hole
In the hill, hardly furlong away.
There he surveyed the ground care
fully, bent land stared hard at the
earth, apparently for trace of foot
prints, and finding none, turned SLOWLY
and looked intently all about him.
Carefully he approached the mouth of
the tunnel and stared within. Then
he Strengthened, and with another
glance about him, hurried off I'M a
gulcl leading away from the road
into the hills. Fairchild Law and
watched him until he was out of sight.
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