The Raymer enterprise. (New Raymer, Weld County, Colo.) 1910-19??, 1922-12-14
CHAPTER xvl-ContInued.
-

Der, only to have her turn away her
bead and fail TO recognize him. hal
Been for their purpose after all. And
get FairchIld remembered that she
was engaged to Maurice Rodaine, and
that the time Of the wedding must he
fast approaching. Perhaps there had
been a quarrel, perhaps Then he
smiled. There was no perhaps about
II! Anita Richmond was his friend;
she had been forced Into the promise
Of marriage to Maurice RodaIne, but
she had not been forced into a relIn-
qulshment OF her desire TO reward him
somehow, some way, for the attention
that he had shown her and the liking
thnt she knew existed In his heart
Hastily Fairchlld folded the paper
and stuffed It Into an inside pocket.
Then, seeking out one Of the wOrkmen.
be appointed him foreman Of the gang,
10 take charge IN his absence. Fol-
towing which. he made his way out OF
tie mine and into town. there to hire
men Of Mother Towards suggestion
and send them 10 the Blue Poppy, to
take their stations every few feet
along the tunnel, 10 appear mere spec
tators, but In reality TO be guards who
were constantly on the watch for any
thing untoward that might occur
Fairchtld was taking no chances now.
An hour more found him nj the Sam
pier, watching the ore ms It ran through
the great crushcr hoppers. to come
forth finely cfn.I,hled powder and be
sampled. ton 10y ton. for the assays by
old Undertaken Chastine and three
other men u his type. without which
40 sampler pays for ore. Bittson ap-
preached. grlnnIng.
you guessed Just about right" he
announced. "TlHt stuff's running
around two hundred dollars a ton.
Need any money nowf'
AN you can let me hnvei"
-Four or five hundredI We've gotten
In eight tons Of that stuff already;
don't guess I'd be taking any risk on
that" he chuckled. FaIrchid reached
for the currency eagerly. All but n
hundred dollars OF 1t would 20 70
Mother Howard--for that debt must
be paid or first. And. that sccoIn-
pilshed. denying himself the Invitation
OF rest that his bed held forth for him,
he started out into town, apparently
In lnftAr utnnt tn OF nd
the congratulations Of the townspeO-
pie, but In reality To watch for one
person and one alone-SquInt Ro-
dainel
lie saw him late In the afternoon.
shamhling along, his eyes gIaring, his
lips moving wordlessly, and he took
up the trail. But 1t led only to the Of
f1ce Of the Silver Queen Development
company. where the scar-faced mil
doubled at his desk and. stufflng a
cigar Into his mouth. chewed on II
sngrily. InstInctIvely FaIrchild knew
that the greatest part Of his mean
temper WAS due TO the strike In the
Elue Poppy: ins;!nctively also be felt
that SQUIRT Rodaine had known Of the
value all along. that now he was curs-
ing himself for the failure Of his
schemes to- obtain possession Of what
had appeared until only a day before
20 be nothing more than a dlsappoint-
ing. unlucky, lll-omened hole In the
ground. FaIrChild resumed his loItrr-
Ing. but evening found him near the
Silver Queen Office.
Anltas note had told him little, yet
had implied much. Something was
fermenting in the seethlng brain OF
Squint RodaIne. and II the past count
ed for anything, II was something that
concerned him.
An hour more, then FaIrchild sud
denly SUNK into the shadows Of a
doorway. SquInt had snapped out the
light and WIS locking the door. Fifty
feet. then Fairchlld stepped from the
doorway and took up the trail.
II was not hard one to follow.
squint Rodaine passed the street lead.
ing to his house without even looking
up. Two blocks more, and they
reached the city limits.
A mile and they were In the open
country, crossing and recrossing the
ice-dotted Clear creek. A furIong
more. then Squlnt RedaIne turned up
the lane which led to great. sham
bling. old, white building that. In the
rosy lays OF the mining game, had
been roadhouse. but which now.
barely furnished In only few Of Its
rooms, Inhabited by mountain rnts and
huttering bats and general decay for
the most part, formed the urcomfort-
able abode OF Crazy Laural
And Falrchlld followed II could
mean only one thing when Rodaine
sought the white-haired. mumbling old
nag whom once he had called his wife.
II could mean but one outcome, and
that Of disaster for some one. Mother
Howard had said that Crazy Laura
would kill for Squlnt. And now that
SQuint Rodaine was seeking her. Fair
child meant to follow. and to ,hear-if
such thing were within the range OF
human posslbllty-the evil drippings
'ef his crooked lips.
He crossed TO the side Of the road
where run the inevitable gully and.
taking advantage Of the shelter, hur-
ried forward. smiling grimly in the
turknpss at the mpmory NJ fhp fact