The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-07-29


Falrchild's chin set, and his arms
moved slowly. Then he laughed. mo
5-I'M give you my word I haven't
{ been high-grading," he said. my
partner, and I drilled hole in the
foot wall Of the stope where we were
working, hoping to find the rest OF a
vein that was pinching out on us.
And we got this stuff. Is 1t any good?"
lis It good ~ Again Old Under
taker Chastlne looked over his glasses.
THAT'S just the trouble. It's too
good-it's so good that it seems there's
something funny about it. Son. that
stuff assays within a gram, almost,
Of the ore they're taking out Of the
Silver ;Queen!"' o.ss, a.y...a ~. !
...., "What's that?' .Fairehild had leaped
forward and grasped the other man
blythe shoulders, his eyes agleam, his
/, whole being trembling with excite
ment. You're not kidding me about
tt? You're sure-you're sure?"
& "Boy, you've got bonanza, If this
holds out. It's almost identical. never
saw, two samples Of ore that were
more alike. Let's see, the Blue
Poppy's right up Kentucky gulch. not
80 very far away from the Silver
Queen, isn't it? Then there must be
q ,. tremendous big vein concealed
around there somewhere that splits,
one half of it running through the
mountain in one direction and the
other cutting through on the opposite
side. It looks like peaches and cream
for you, Son.. How thick IS it?"
II don't know. We just happened to
put a drill in there and this Is some
Of the. scrapings."
t."Y0u haven't cut into. 1t at all,
them :, .. >-.... Is,
( "Not unless Harry, my partner, has
put in. a shot since I've been gone"
.!"Well, Son, now you can hurry back
and begin cutting into. a fortune. II
that veins only four inches wide,
you've got plenty to keep you for the
rest of your life. Run along" -
II And Fairchild IRAN" Whistling and
happy. he turned ont of the Office of
9 thes Sampler and into the street, his
coat open, his big cap high on his
head, regardless Of the sweep Of the
cold wind and the fine snow that 1t
carried on it's icy breath. The wait
Ing of.months was over, and Falrchild
mt last was beginning to see his
dreams come true. 50 F.:
SO this was I the, reason that RO-
daine had acknowledged the value Of
the mine that day in court! This
was the reason for the mysterious
offer of fifty thousand dollars and for
the later one of nearly a quarter of a
million! Rodaine had known; Ro-
dame had Information, and Rodaine
had been, willing to pay to gain pos.
session of what now appeared to be a
bonanza. But Rodaine had failed.
And Fairchild had wont!
s%F Won! But suddenly he realized that
there was Darkness about it all.
He had won money, 1t Is true. But
all the money In the world could not
free him from the faint that had
been left upon him by coroner's
investigation, from the hint that still
remained In the recommendation OF
the grand jury that the murder of
Sissie Larsen be looked into further.
Nor could 1t remove the stigma Of the
four charges against Harry, which
soon were to come to trial, and With
out a bit of evidence to combat them.
Riches could do much-but they could
not aid in that particular, and some;
what sobered by the knowledge, Fair
= child turned from the main road and
Z on up through the hlgh-piled snow
to the mouth Of the Blue Poppy mine.
: A faint acrid odor struck his nos
trils as he started to descend the
shaft, the perfume" of exploded
dynamite, and it sent anew into Fair.
-, child's heart the excitement and in
tensity of the strike. Evidently Harry
had shot the deep hole, and now. there
in the chamber, was examining the
result, which must, by this time, give
some idea Of the extent of the ore and
the width of the vein. A moment mora
and he had reached the bottom, to
leap from the carrier, light his car
q bide lamp which hung where he had
!. left it on the timbers, and start for
I ward. i. t..i..-t4
The odorr grew heavier. Falrch'ld
held his light before him and looked
far ahead. wondering why he coult
not ser tho CLEAN from Harry's lamp
I He sslRdeed. There wag mo answer
and he went on. III.
Fifty feet! Seventy-five feet! Their
he stopped short with a gasp. Twisted
and torn before him were the timbers
Of the tunnel, while muck and refuse
lay. everywhere, "A cave-in--another
cave-in-at almost the exact spot
where the one had occurred years be-
fore, shutting Off the chamber from
communication with the shaft, tearing
and rending the new timbers which
had been placed there and imprison.
ing Harry behind them!
2 Fairchild shouted again and again.
only gaining for his answer the ghost.
like echoes Of his own voice as they
travelled to the shaft and were thrown
back again. He tore OF his coat and