The St. Charles herald., 1922-10-07
THE CROSS-CUT


hasn't any horse. If he's rented one,
you ought to be able to find that out
pretty shortly"
AS if in answer, the sheriff turned
and shouted question down the
mountain side. And back came the
answer:
Its Doc Mason's. Must have been
stolen. Doc was at the dance"
II guess that settles it," The Off
Ger reached for his hip pocket. stick
out your hands, Harry, while l put
the cuffs on them"
"But 'ow in bloody ell ave been
doing anything when I've been up ere
working ON the chiv wheel? 'Ow-T
'They say you held up the dance
tonight and robbed us" Fairchild cut
in. Harry's face lost its surprised
look, to give way to glance OF keen
questioning.
"And do you say it!'
II most certainly do not. The iden-
tificatiOn was given by that honorable
person known as Mr.. Maurice Ro-
| daine."
"Oh! One thief identifying an
| other"
Sheriff" Again the voice from be-
low.
"Yeh!"
"Weve found a cache down here.
Must have been made in a hurry-two
new revolvers, bullets, mask. a cou-
pie of new handkerchiefs and the
money"
Harry eyes grew wide. Then he
| stuck out his hands.
| "The evidence certainly is piling
up!" he grunted. Il might as well
save my talking for later"
That's a good idea" The sheriff
snapped the handouts into place.
Then Fairchild shut off the pumps
and they started toward the machine.
Back in Ohadi more news awaited
them. Harry, if Harry had been the
highwayman, had gone to no expense
for his outfit. The combined general
store and hardware emporium OF
Gregg Brothers had been robbed OF
the articles necessary for Disguise
also the revolvers and their bullets.
Robert Fairchild watched Harry
placed in the solitary cell of the county
Jail with spirit that could not re-
spond to the COrnishman's grin and
his assurances that morning would
bring a righting of affairs. Four
charges hung heavy above him: that
of horse-stealing, Of burglary, of high
way robbery, and worse, the final as
sault with attempt to kill. Fairchild
turned wearily away; he could not
find the optimism to join Harry
cheerful announcement that it would
be "all right" The appearances were
otherwise. Besides, up in the little
hospital on the hill, Fairchild had seen
lights cleaning as he entered the jail
and he knew that doctors were work
ing there over the wounded body OF
the fiddler. Tired, heavy at heart
his earlier conquest of the night sou
den and overshadowed now, he turned
away from the cell and its optimistic
cccupant-out into the night.
1t was only short walk to the hos
pital and Fafrchild went there. tt
leave with at least ray of hope. Tht
probing operation had been completed
the fiddler would live. and at least thu
charge against Harry would not b'
one of murder. That was thing fol
which to be thankful; but there wal
plenty to cause CONSERVATION. as Fair
child walked slowly down the dark
winding street toward the main thor
oughfare. Without Harry, Fairchilt
now felt himself lost. Before the big
genial. eccentric. Cornishman had COM
into his life. he had believed, witt
some sort of divine ignorance, tina
he could carry out his ambitions b.
: himself, with no knowledge of the tech
nical details necessary to mining. witt
no previous history of the Blue Pop
py to guide him, and with no he'll
against the enemies who seemed every
where. Now he saw that it was i'm
possible. More, the incidents of tn
night showed how swiftly those enc
mics we're working. how sharp an
stiletto-like their weapons.
That Harry was innocent was Gel
tain-to Robert Fairchild.
Looking back over it now, he coul
see how easily Fate had played int
the hands of the Rodaines, If the Rt
DANES had not possessed deeper COZ
Germ than merely to seize upon hal
pening and turn it to their own az
count. The highwayman was big. Th
highwayman talked with "Cousii
lack" accent-for all Cornishnen al
~Cousin Jacks" in the mining countr,
Those two features in themselve
Fairchild thought. as he stumble
along in the darkness, were sufticier
TO start the scheming plot in the bral
of Maurice ROdaine. already ugly an
evil through the trick played by Harr
on his father and the rebuke that ma
come from Anita Richmond. 1t ws
an easy matter for him to get the Ii
spiration. leap out of the window, an
then wait until the robber had gon
that he might flare forth with n
accusation. And after that.
Either Chance. or something stron