Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1922-09-15
THE CROSS-CuT

TO Cornwall"
Red-faced, she pushed him away
and slapped his cheek playfully; II
was like the tap Of a light breeze
against granite. Then Harry turned
"'Ave you looked at the miner
The question brought back TO Fair
child the happenings of the morning
and the memory Of the man who had
tralled him. He told his story. while
Mother Howard listened, her arms
crossed, her head bobbing. and while
Harry. his big grin still on his lips.
took In the details with avidity. Then
the grin faded.
LES go up there" he said quietly.
This time the trip to Kentucky
gulch was made by skirting the town !;
soon they were on the rough narrow
roadway leading into the mountains
A long time they walked, at last to
stop in the shelter OF the rocks where
Fairchild had Swallowed his pursuer,
and TO glance carefully ahead. No
one was in sight. Harry jabbed out
big finger.
""That's it," he announced, straight
a'eadp
They went on, Fairchild with a grip
ping at his throat that would not
down. This had been the hope of his
father-and here his father had met
what? He swerved quickly and
stopped, facing the bigger man.
Harry" came sharply. 81 know
that | may be violating an unspoken
promise TO my father But | simply
can't stand 1t any longer. What hap
pened here? There was some sort of
tragedy"
Harry chuckled - in concealment,
Fairchlld thought, of something he
did not want to tell him.
81 should think sol The timbers
gave way and the mine caved I'M"
mot that! My father ran away
from this town. You and Mother
Howard helped him. You didn't come
back. Neither did my father. Even
tually it killed him."
1907" Harry looked seriously and
studiously at the young man. "'E
didn't write me of'en."
HE didn't need to write you. You
were here with him-when it hap |
pened."
mo" Harry shook his head. 81
was in town. What's Mother Howard |
told your"
"A lot-and nothing"
81 don't know any more than she
does"
But"
Friends didn't ask questions in
those days" came quietly. II might
ave guessed If I'd wanted to-but l
didn't want to-"
but If you had?"
Harry looked at him with quiet, blue
eyes.
'What would you guessT
Slowly Robert Fairchild's gaze went
to the ground. There was only one
possible conjecture: Sissie Larsen had
been impersonated by a woman. Sis
sic Larsen had never been seen again
in Ohadl.
II would hate to put 1t into
words, came finally. Harry slapped
him on the shoulder.
|
years ago. Let sleeping dogs lie. Take
a look around before we go into the
tunnel"
They reconnoitered, first on one
side then on the other. No one was In
sight. Harry bent to the ground. and
finding pitchy pine knot, lighted It,
They started cautiously within, blink
ing against the darkness.
The outlines of rusty hoist" with
It's cable leading down into a slanting
hole in the rock, showed dlmly before
them-a massive, chunky, deserted
hing in the shadows. The timbers
we're rottlng; one after another, they
had cracked and caved beneath the
weight of the earth above, giving the
unnel an eerie aspect, unlnviting,
dangerous. Harry peered ahead.
at amt as bad as 1t looks" came
lfter a moments survey. ITS only
light ere at the beginning that it's
'aved But that doesn't do us much
,ood."
"Why not?" Falrchlld was staring
With him, on toward the darkness of
n farther back we ought to be able
o repair this spot"
But Harry shook his head.
"We didn't go into the vein ere"
e explained 1--WE figured we 'ad TO
ave shaft anyway, sooner or later.
-ou can't do under'and stopping in
down on a vein. you know.
'ou've always got TO go up-you can't
ct the metal out If you don't. That's
7hy we dug this shaft-and now look
I itw
He drew the Pickering torch to the
dge of the shaft and held II there,
taring downward. Fairchlld beside
I'm. Twenty feet below there came
he glistening reflection of the fiarlng
anne. Water Fairchild glanced
Dward his partner.
81 don't know anything about IT," he
aid at last, but should think that (
-Ould mean trouble" n
"Plentyw agreed Harry lugubrlOus-
:. THAT Shafts two 'unnerd feet d
eep and there's drift running off II k
or couple o. 'unnerd feet more be- W
IRE II Its the vein. Four 'unnerd b