The Holbrook news., 1922-10-27
THE CROSS-CUT

answer:
 Its Doc Mason's. Must have been stolen. Doc was at the dance."
 T guess that settles It." The offi- cer reached for his hip pocket. "Stick out your hands. Harry, while l put the cuffs on them."
 But low in bloody 'ell ave l been doing anything when I've been up ere working on the chiv wheel? 'Ow-T'
 "They say you held up the dance tonight and robbed us" Fairchild cut in. Harry's face lost its surprised look, to give way to glance of keen questioning
 And do you say it?"
 "I most certainly do not. The iden- titicatiOn was given by that honorable person known as Mir. Maurice R0- daine."
 "Ohl One thief identifying an- other"
 "SheriffI' Again the voice from be- low.
 "Yehi"
 We've found a cache down here. Must have been made In hurry-two new revolvers, bullets, a mask, cou- pie of new handkerchiefs and the money"
 Harry eyes grew wide. Then he stuck out his hands.
 "The evidence certainly Is piling up!" he grunted. q might as well save my talking for later."
 That's a good idea" The sheriff snapped the handcuffs into place. Then Fairchild shut off the pumps and they started toward the machine. Back in Ohadi more news awaited them. Harry, If Harry had been the highwayman, had gone to no expense for his outfit. The combined general store and hardware emporium of Gregg Brothers had been robbed of the articles necessary for disguise also the revOlvers and their bullets. Robert Fairchild watched Harry placed in the solitary cell of the county jail with a spirit that could not re- spond to the Cornishman's grin and
 
 bring a fighting of affairs. Four charges hung heavy above him: that cf horse-stealing, of burglary, of high way robbery, and worse, the final as- sault with attempt to kill. Fairchild turned wearily away; he could not find the optimism to join Harry's cheerful announcement that it would be "all right" The appearances were otherwise. Besides. up in the little hospital on the hill. Fairchild had seen lights gleaming as he entered the jail. and he knew that doctors were work ing there over the wounded body of the fiddler. Tired, heavy at heart. his earlier conquest of the night sod den and overshadOwed now, he turned away from the cell and its optimistic cccupant-out into the night.
 It was only short walk to the hos pital and Fairchild went there, to leave with at least ray of hope The probing operation had been completed 1; the fiddler would live, and at least the charge against Harry would not be one of murder. That was a thing for which to be thankful; but there was plenty to cause consternation, as Fair child walked slowly down the dark, winding street toward the main thor Oughfare. Without Harry, Fairchild now felt himself lost. Before the big. genial, eccentric COrnishman had come into his life. he had believed, with some sort of divine ignorance, that he could carry out his ambitions by himself, with no knowledge of the tech nical details necessary to mining, with no previous history of the Blue Pop py to guide him, and with no help against the enemies who seemed every where Now he saw that it was inn possible. More. the incidents of the night showed how swiftly those enc mics were working, how sharp and stiletto-like their weapons.
 That Harry was innocent was cer- tain-to Robert Fairchid.
 Looking back over 1t now, he could see how easily Fate had played into the hands of the RodaineS, if the RO- daines had not possessed a deeper con- cern than merely to seize upon hap pening and turn 1t to their own ac- count. The highwayman was big. The highwayman talked with a Cousin Jack" accent-for all COrnishmen are Cousin Jacks" in the mining country. Those two features in themselves. Fairchild thought. as he stumbled along in the darkness, were sufficient to start the scheming plot in the brain of Maurice ROdaine, already ugly and evil through the trick played by Harry on his father and the rebuke that had come from Anita Richmond. It was an easy matter for him to get the in spiration, leap out of the window, and then wait until the robber had gone, that he might flare forth with his accusation. And after that.
 Either Chance. or something strong CT, had done the rest. The finding of the stolen horse and the carelessly aS@3aSaS4S@89.@S9:.ss:aia8asa