The Ordway new era., 1922-12-08

he exclaimed, beaming. THAT vein
certainly five feet wide"
"And two hundred dollars to tn
ton," added Fairchild. laughing. IN
wonder Rodaine wanted it."
'rll sye sol" A long time of con
gratulatory celebration, then Harr.
led the way TO the far end of the grea
cavern. ERE 1t is !" he announced
as he pointed to what seemed to boti
of them never to be anything more
| thnn fissure In the rocks. ITS thu
thing that saved my life"
Fairchild stared into the darkness oi
the hole in the earth, narrow cracs
In the rocks barely large enough to III
low 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 be'ind
mel'
Again the men chuckled as they
looked at the fissure. a natural, usual
thing in a mine. and often leading as
this one did, by subterraneau breaks
and slips to the underground bed Of
some tumbllng spring Suddenly. how
ever, Fairchild whirled with a thought
Harry 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 n flying stone
just like you were7 And why-?"
"'E might of, Boy" But Harry's
voice was negative. "The only thing
about 1t was the fact that your father
'ad a bullet ole In Is cad" Harry
leaned forward and pointed to his own
scar. at 1t right about ere, and
glanced"
But the gun? We didn't find any,"
"'E 'ad 1t with i'm. 1t was Sissle
Larsen's. No, Boy. there must ave,
been a fght-but don't think that l
mean your father murdered anybody.
If Sissie Larsen attacked i'm with a
gun, then e 'ad a right to kill But
as I've told you before-there wouldn't
ave been q 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"
81 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 me2'
ITS me-" The voice was palmer
nova voice that Fairchild recog-
nized Immediately.
"Pm-I'm under arrest or some
thing up here" was added with
laugh. '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 Falrchild low
cred 1t, to extend 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 boylsh-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 Falrchild found his voice, lost for
a moment
"Are-are you in troubleT
mo" She smiled at him.
But out on night like this-in a
blizzard. How did you get up here7"
She shrugged her shoulders.
II walked. Oh" she added, with a
smile, at didn't hurt me any. The
wind was pretty stiff-but then I'm
fairly strong. I rather enjoyed It."
'But what's happened-what's gone
wrong7 Can help you with anything
Or"
Then 1t was that Harry, with a roll
Of his blue eyes and funny waggle
of his big shoulders, moved down the
drift toward the stope, leaving them
alone together. Anita Richmond
watched after him with a smile, wait.
Ing until he was out of hearing dis.
tance. Then she turned seriously.
Mother Howard told me where you
were," came quietly. "It was the
only chance 1 had to see you. IL
maybe 1 was a little lonely or-o,
something. But. anyway. I wanted tc
see you and thank you and"
"Thank me? For what?"
For everything. For that day OF
kIo M, L.. -.