The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1922-11-30
CHAPTER xlv-continued.

--t- AHF iA'AalAr. ihQ known OF tEli
strike long before he ever went e
that Office In Denver. They had walt
ed long enough 10 have their ASSAY,
made and had completed their frst
shipment 20 the smeIter. There wa,
no necessity that they buy the Blue
Poppy mine Therefore. was ID slrnrIy
another trick % break him. 10 lend
him up 70 a point of high e1pecta.
tons. then. with a laugh az his dis
appointment throw him down arsinf
His shoulders straightened as they
reached the outside air. and be moved
close to Harry as be told him his con.
lectures Tie Conishman bobbed
his head
4 never thought of n that we -
he agreed. "Bui Il could explain a lot
of things. They want 10 beat US and
they don't care 'ow. II urls a person
20 be disappointed That's Il. al.
wyes said you 'ad a good 'ead on
you'll That's IL. Let's go back to the
Blue Poppy
Back they went. once more n de-
scend the shaft, once more 10 follow
the trail along the drift toward the
opening of the st0pe. Ard there.
where loose earth covered the place
where a skeleton once had rested
Fairchlld took OF his coat and rolled
up his sleeves.
Harry he said. with new deter
minntion. this vein doesn't look like
much. and the mine looks worse. But
II you're game. I'm game. and wen
work the thing until Il breaks US"
You've said II. II we IL anything.
fine and well-lf we can turn out five
thousand dollars worth OF stun be.
fore the trial comes up. then we can
sell hit under the direction Of the
court, turn over that money for a cash
bond. and get the deeds back. II we
can't. and II the mine peters out. then
we aln't lost anything but a lot OF
'opes and time. But ere goes. Wen
double-jack. I've got a big 'ammer
ERE. You old the drill for awhile and
turn II, while sling tn sledge Then
you take tn 'ammer and Lor' ave
mercy on my 'ands II you miss"
Falrchild obeyed. Hour after hour
they worked. Then. as the afternoon
grew late. Harry disappeared far |
down the drift to return with hand !
ful OF greasy. candlellke things, |
wrapped in waxed paper.
II knew that dynamite OF yours
couldn't be shipped in time. so I
bought a little up ere" he explained.
ms he cut one Of the sticks In two
with pocketknife and laid the pieces
TO one side. Then out came a coil of
fuse, to be cut 20 it's regular lengths
and Inserted in the copper-coycred
caps Of illuminate OF mercury, Harry
showing his contempt for the danger
Gus things by crlmping them about
the fCse with his teeth while Fair.
child, sitting on small pile OF muck
nearby, begged for caution But Harry
only grinned behind his big mustnche
and went on.
Out came his pocketknlfe again as
he slit the waXed paper OF the gelat.
nous sticks, then inserted the cap in
the dynamite. One after another the
charges were showed into the holes
Harry thmping them into place with a
steel rod, Instead Of with the usual
wooden affair his mustache brushing |
his shoulder as he turned TO explain
he virtues OF dynamite when handled
~ an expert.
ITS all In the wye you do IT," he
"If you don't strike fire
With steel rod, It's fine"
"But II you doi"
"Oh, then" !" Harry laughed. "Then
rs flowers and funeral-after
hey've finished picking you up"
one after another he pressed the !
'ynamite charges tight into the drill 5
oles and tamped them with muck
Wrapped in newspaper that he
ragged from his hip pocket. Then !
~ llt the fuses from his lamp and 5
'o"d a second in assurance that they a
II were splutterng.
Nov we rum he announced, and
hey hurried. side by side. down the
rift tunnel until they reached the
hart. Far enough" said Harry.
long moment Of waiting Then
le earth qulyered and muff1ed,
Doming roar came from the distance.
AIRY stared at his carbide lamp.
"One," he announced. Then, Two"
Three, four and five followed, all
united seriously, carefully by Harry.
Inally they turned back along the II
lift toward the stope, the acrid odor HI
dynamite smoke cutting at their III
'strils as they approached the spot II
here the explosions had occurred.
here Harry stood In silent contempla.
'n for long time, holding his car.
de over the pile Of ore that had been \
rn from the vein above.
1T amt much" came at last. mot
ore'n art ton. We won't get rich
that rate. And besides" he looked
'ward-"we amt even going TO be
ttlng that pretty soon. It's plnchlng
l."
Fairchild followed MS gaze, to see
the torn rock above him only a mar
" streak now, fully an inch and a
n narrower than the vein had been
fore the powder holes had been
Illed. II could mean only one thing ~.
it the bet had been played and lost. "'