The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1922-12-02

c0llu euplOs anu SluiC up"" "a 90 S'>
heavy vein Of riches above him.
wouldn't it knock your eyes OUT
he exclaimed, beaming. THAT veins
certainly five feet wide"
land two hundred dollars to the
ton" added Fairchild, laughing. mo
wonder Rodaine wanted it,"
"Tll sye so!,' A long time of con-
gratulatory celebration, then Harry
led the way to the far end of the great
| cavern. ERE it Isl" he announced,
| as he pointed to what seemed to both
of them never to be anything more
| than a fissure in the rocks. Its the
thing that saved my life"
Fairchild stared into the darkness of
| the hole in the earth, a narrow crack
| in the rocks barely large enough to IL
low a human form to squeeze within.
| He laughed.
you must have made yourself
| pretty small. Harry"
"What? When | went through there?
Sye, could ave gone through the eye
of needle. There were six charges
of dynamite just about to go off beind
me-"
Again the men chuckled as they
| looked at the fiSsure, natural, usual
thing in a mine. and often leading as
this one did, by subterranean breaks
and slips to the underground bed of
some tumblng spring. Suddenly, how
ever, Fairchild whirled with thought.
| Harry! I wonder-couldn't it have
been possible for my father to have
escaped from this mine in the same
way?"
"'E must ave"
"And that there might not have
been any killing connected with Lar
sen at all? Why couldn't Larsen have
been knocked out by a flying stone
just like you were? And why"
"'E might Of Boy" But Harry's
voice was negative. "The only thing
about it was the fact that your father
'ad bullet ole in is cad" Harry
leaned forward and pointed to his own
scar. at it right about ere, and
glanced"
"But the gun? We didn't find any,"
|
Larsen's. No, BOY, there must ave
been q fight-but don't think that
mean your father murdered anybody.
If Sissie Larsen attacked i'm with
gun, then e 'ad right to kill. But
as I've told you before-there wouldn't
ave been chance for IN to prove is
story with Squint working against
i'm" He ceased and perked his head
toward the bottom of the shaft, listen
ing intently. Didn't you ear some
thing?"
Il thought so. Like a woman's
voice"
"Listen-there 1t Is again!"
"Mr Fairchild!"
They ran to the foot of the shaft.
and Fairchild cupped his hands and
called:
"Who wants meT'
Its me-" The voice was palmer
nova voice that Fairchild recOg-
nized Immediately.
"Tm-Pm under arrest or some
thing up here" was added with a
laugh. 1.-THE guard won't let me come
down."
"Wait. and I'll raise the bucket for
you. All right, guard" Then, blink
ing with surprise, he turned to the
staring Harry. Its Anita Richmond"
he whispered.
The bucket was at the top now. A
signal from above. and Fairchild low
cred it, to extend a hand and to aid
the girl to the ground. looking at her
with wondering, eager eyes. In the
light of the carbide torch, she was the
same boyish-appearing little person he
had met on the Denver road except
that snow had taken the place of dust
now upon the whipcord riding habit,
and the brown hair which caressed
the corners of her eyes was moist
with the breath Of the blizzard. Some
way Fairchild found his voice, lost for
moment.
"Are-are you in trouble?"
mo" She smiled at him.
"But out on a night like this-in q
blizzard. How did you get up here?"
She shrugged her shoulders.
II walked. Oh" she added, with a
smile, ut didn't hurt me any. The
wind was pretty stiff-but then I'm
fairly strong / rather enjoyed It,"
"But what's happened-what's gone
wrong? Can help you with anything
l-Or@"
Then It was that Harry, with rol
of his blue eyes and funny wagglt
of his big shoulders. moved down the
! drift toward the stope leaving then
p alone together. Anita Richmond
|. watched after him with smile, wait
ing until he was out of hearing dis
: lance. Then she turned seriously.
e Mother Howard told me where yol
e were," came quietly. ut was thu
' only chance had to see you. Il
I maybe I was a little lonely or-O
o something. But. anyway. wanted t.
+ see you and thank you and"
n "Thank me? For what?"
n "For everything. For that day OF
Q the Denver road, and for the nigh
: after the Old Times dance when vol
d came to help me. II haven't had al
easy time. Most of the people know
.fro;d opd-Somo of them arpn'