The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-07-27
fContinued from Last jssue)

tContinued from Last issue)
After that, Fairckild heard little
that Harry said as he rambled on
about plans for tho future. He sat and
stared, until finally his partner said
goodnight and left the room.
That name could mean only one
thing: that she had consented to be-
come partner with them, that they
had won her over, after all. Now.
even different light came upon the
meeting with Barnham in Denver and
a different view to Fairchild. What
If she had been playing their game all
along? What if she had been merely
tool for them; what If she had sent
Farrell ut their direction, to learn
everything he and Harry knew? Had
not another lawyer played the friend
ship racket, in an effort to buy the
Blue Poppy mine?
And here Fairchild smiled grimly.
From the present prospects, it would
seem that the gain would have been
all on his side, for certainly there was
little to show now toward a possibility
Of the Blue Poppy ever being worth
anything near the figure which he had
been offered for it. And yet, II that
offer had not been made as some sort
Of stiletto Jest, why had it been made
at, ak? Was it because Rodaine knew.
that wealth did lie concealed there?
FairchiM suddenly took hope. He
clenched his hands and he spoke, to
himself, to the darkness and to the
spirits Of encouragement that were all
about him:
If it's there, we'll find lift we
have to work our fingers to the bone,
it we have to starve and die there
we'll find it -
With that determination, he went to
bed, to awake in the morning filled
with" desire to reach the mine, to
claw at It's vitals with the sharp
edged drills, to swing the heavy sledge
until his shoulders and back ached,
to send the roaring charges Of dyna-
mite digging deeper and deeper into
that thinning vein. And Harry was
beside. him every step Of the way. ),
A days work, the booming charges.
and they returned to the stope to find
that the vein had neither lessened nor
grown greater. Another day-and one
after that. The vein remained the
same. :
Squint Rodaine had established his
ONCE in small, vacant store building
on the main street, and Fairchild
could see, as he went to and from his
work, a constant stream Of townspeo-
pie % they made that their goal
there to give their money into the
keeping of the be-scarred man and to
trust to the future for wealth. It
CALLED Fairchild, 1t made his hate
stronger than ever. As for the girl
who was named as vice president
He saw her, day after day, riding
through town In the same automobile
that he had helped retire on the Den
yer road. But now she did not look
at him; now she pretended that she
did not see him. She had gone over
to the Rodaines, she was engaged to
marry the chalky-faced, hook-nosed
son and she was vice president of
their -million-dollar mining cor
poration Tairchild did not even strive
to find meaning for it all: women
are women, and men do we'll some.
times If they diagnose themselves.
The summer began to grow old, and
Fairchild felt that he was aging with
it.. The bank deposits were thinning
and the vein was thinning with It.
Slowly but surely, MS they fought, the
strip Of pay ore in the rocks waa
pinching out. Soon would come the
time when they could work 1t nc
longer. And then-but Fairchild did
not like. to think about that.
September came, and with it the
srand Jury. But here for once was
IA. slight ray OF hope. The body OF
twelve good men and true wore them
selves out with other matters and ad
journed without even taking up the
mystery Of the Blue Poppy mine. But
the Joy Of Fairchild and Harry was
short-lived. In the long, legal phrase
ology Of the jurys report was the
Recommendation that this important
subject bSHe first for inquiry by the
next graiQ inqulsitorlal body to be
convened A and the threat still re
manned. ~ ssssr
: But before the two men were now
realities which were worse even thar
threats, and Harry turned from hi.
staging late one afternoon to voice
tie most important.
'3"We'll start single lacking tomor
row" he anpoqnced with iaAkttle sigh
I'm the 'anglng wall. The veins
pihched down until we amt even get
ting day laborer's wages out of tt
anu It's October now
October! October-and winter OF
1.-THE way. October-and only montl
until the time when Harry must fac,
" "a Jury on four separate charges, an,
one of which might send him to Canon
City for the rest Of his days. Fair
'child's hopes lay inert. He was onl,
working now because great, strong