The Holbrook news., 1922-10-13
THE CROSS-CuT

Les go up there," he said quietly.
 This time the trip to Kentucky gulch was made by skirting the town i; soon they were on the rough. narrow roadway leading nto the mountains A long time they walked. at last to stop In the shelter of the rocks where Fairchlld had shadowed his pursuer, and to glance carefully ahead No one was in sight. Harry jabbed out a big finger.
 '"That's It." he announced, straight a'eadm
 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. q know that I may be violating an unspoken promise to my father. But I simply can't stand It any longer. What hap pened here? There was some sort of tragedy"
 Harry chuckied in concealment, Fairchild thought, of something he did not want to tell him.
 q should think sol The timbers gave way and the mine caved inl"
 Not thati My father ran away Howard helped him. You didn't come back. Neither did ny father. Even- tually it killed him."
 "SO?" 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 1t hap pened"
 "No-', 4Harry shook his head. 'T was in town. What's Mother Howard told you?"
 "A lot-and nothing"
 q don't know any more than she does"
 But"
 Friends didn't ask questions in those days" came quietly. 'I might ave guessed if I'd wanted to-but I didn't want to-
 But if you hadT
 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 beep impersonated by a woman. Sis sic Larsen had never been seen again in Chadi.
 "I~I would hate to put it into words" came finally. Harry slapped him on the shoulder.
 Then don't. It was nearly thirty 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 1t. They started cautiously within. blink ing against the darkness The outlines of a rusty "hoist," with. its cable leading down irto slanting hole in the rock. showed dimly before them-a massive, chunky, deserted thing in the shadows. The timbers were rotting; one after another, they had cracked and caved beneath the weight of the earth above giving the tunnel an eerie aspect, uninviting. dangerous. Harry peered ahead.
 Tt ain't as bad as 1t looks," came after moments survey. "It's only right ere at the beginning that it's caved. But that doesn't do us much good"
 "Why not?" Fairchild was staring with him, on toward the darkness of the farther recesses. "If it isn't caved in farther back. we ought to be able to repair this spot"
 But Harry shook his head.
 We didn't go Into the vein ere" he explained. "We figured we 'ad to ave shaft anyway, sooner or later. You can't do under'and stoping in a mine-go down on a vein, you know. You've always got to go up-you can't get the metal out it you don't. That's why we dug this shaft-and now look at It.
 He drew the fllckering torch to the edge of the shaft and held It there. staring downward. Fairchild beside him. Twenty feet below there came the glistening reflection of the flaring flame. Water! Fairchild glanced toward his partner.
 "I don't know anything about It." he said at last. But should think that would mean trouble"
 "Plentyl" agreed Harry lugubrious- ly. "That shafts two 'unnerd feet deep and there's a drift running off 1t for a couple O 'uknerd feet more be- fore 1t Its the vein. Four 'unnerd feet of water. 'O'y much money ave you got?"
 About twenty-five hundred dol lars"
 Harry reached for his waving mus tache. his haven in time of storm. Thoughtfully he pulled at it. staring meanwhile downward. Then he grunted.
 And ain't got more'n five 'unnerd. It ain't enough. Les go back to town. I don't like to stand around this place and just look at water in ole" They turned for the mouth of the tunnel. sliding along in the greasy muck, the torch eStinguished now. A moment of watchfulness from the cover of the darkness, then Harry pointed. On the opposite hill. the fig ure of a man had been outlined for iuSt a cacond ThoD he had fadad And with the disappearance of the