The Holbrook news., 1922-12-15
CHAPTER xvI-Contlnued.

ell the cutting hopelessness of seeing ter. only to have her turn away her head and fall to recognize him, had been for their purpose after all. And yet Fairchild remembered that she was engaged to Maurice Rodaine. and chat the time of the wedding must he fast approaching. Perhaps there had been a quarrel, perhaps Then he smiled. There was no perhaps about iti 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- punishment of her desire to reward him somehow. some way. for the attention that he had shown her and the liking chat she knew existed in his heart.
 Hastily Fairchild folded the paper and stuffed 1t into an inside pocket. Then, seeking out one of the wOrkmen, he appointed him foreman of the gang, to take charge in his absence. Fol lowing which, he made his way out of the mine and into town, there to hire men of Mother Towards suggestion and send them to the Blue Poppy. to take their stations every few feet along the tunnel. to appear mere spec tators, but In reality to be guards who were constantly on the watch for any Ching untoward that might occur. Eairchild was taking no chances now. An hour more found him at the Sam pler. watching the ore as 1t ran through the great crusher hoppers. to come forth finely crumbled powder and be sampled. ton by ton. for the assays by old Undertaken Chastine and three other men of his type. without which no sampler pays for ore. Bittson ap- preached. grinning.
 You guessed just about right" he announced. "That stuff's running around two hundred dollars a ton. Need any money n0w?"
 sAll you can let me haveT
 -Four or five hundred? We've gotten in eight tons of that stuff already don't guess I'd be taking any risk on that!" he chuckled. Fairchild reached for the currency eagerly. All but a hundred dollars of 1t would go 10 Mother Howard-for that debt must be paid off first. And. that accom- plished. denying himself the invitation of rest that his bed held forth for him, he started out into town, apparently to loiter about the streets and receive the congratulations of the townspeo- pie, but In reality to watch for enc person and one alone-Squint Ro- daine!
 He saw him late In the afternoon. shambling along. his eyes glaring. his lips moving wordlessly. and he took up the trail. But 1t led only to the of- flee of the Silver Queen Development company, where the scar-faced mun doubled at his desk and, stuffing a cigar into his mouth, chewed on 1t angrily. Instinctively Fairchild knew that the greatest part of his mean temper was due to the strike in the Blue Poppy; instinctively also he felt that Squint Rodaine had known of the value ail along. that now he was CUTS ing himself for the failure of his schemes to obtain possession of what had appeared until only a day before to be nothing more than a disappoint- ing. unlucky. ill-omened hole in the ground. Fairchild resumed his loiter- ing. but evening found him near the Silver Queen office.
 Anita's note had told him little, yet had implied much. Something was fermenting in the seething brain of Equint Rodaine, and if the past count cd for anything, it was something that concerned him.
 An hour more, then Fairchild sud denly slunk into the shadows of a doorway. Squint had snapped out the light and was locking the door. Fifty feet, then Fairchild stepped from the doorway and took up the trail.
 It was not a hard one to follc~. 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 furlong more. then. Squint Rodaine turned up the lane which led to a great, sham bling. old. white building that. in the rosy days of the mining game, had been a roadhouse, but which now, barely furnished in only few of it's rooms, inhabited by mountain rats and futtering bats and general decay for the most part. formed the uncomfort- able abode of Crazy Laura!
 And Fairchild followed. It could mean only one thing when Rodaine sought the white-haired, mumbling old hag whom once he had called his wife. It could mean but one outcome, and that of disaster for some one. Mother Howard had said that Crazy Laura would Kill for Squint. And now that 6quint Rodaine was seeking her, Fair child meant to follow, and to hear-if such thing were within the range of human possibility-the evil drippingl of his crooked lips.
 He crossed to the side of the road where ran the inevitable gully and taking advantage of the shelter, hur. ried forward. smiling grimly in the darkness at the memory of the fact that things were now reversed; that he was following Squint Rodalne as Rodaine once had followed him. Swift. fy he moved. closer-closer; the scar. faced man went through the tumble. down gate and approached the house not knowing that his pursuer was less than fifty yards awayl
 A minute of cautious waiting then