The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1922-12-23
CHAPTER xvl-continusd.


Ter, only to have her turn away her
head and fall to recognize him, had
been for their purpose after all. And
vet Fairchlld remembered that she
was engaged to Maurice ROdaine, and
that the time of the wedding must he
fast approaching. Perhaps there had
been q quarrel, perhaps Then he
smiled. There was no perhaps about
I'll Anita Richmond was his friend;
she had been forced Into the promise
Of marriage to Maurice Rodalne. but
she had not been forced into a relin-
quishment OF her desire to reward him
somehow. some way. for the attention
that he had shown her and the liking
that she knew existed in his heart.
Hastily FnIrchild folded the paper
and stuffed 1t Into an inside pocket.
Then. seeking out one Of the wOrkmen.
be appointed him foreman Of the gang,
10 take charge In his absence Fol-
lowing which, he made his wny out OF
tile 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
thing untoward TINT might occur.
Fairchild was taking no chances now.
An hour more found him at the Sam
pier, watching the ore rs 1t ran through
the great crusher hoppers. to come
forth finely crlsnbled powder and be
sampled, ton by ton. for the assays by
old Undertaken ChastIne md thre.
other men Of his type. without which
no sampler pays for ore. Bittson ap-
pronched. grinning.
"You guessed just about right" he
announced. "Thnt stuff's running
around two hundred dollars a ton.
Need my money now?"
"All you can let me havei"
"FOur or five hundred7 We've gotten
In eight tons of that stun already;
don't guess I'D be taking any risk on
that" he chuckled. FnIrchild reached
for the currency eagerly. All but q
hundred dollars OF II would go 70
Mother Howard-for that debt must
be paid OF 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. hut In reality to watch for one
person and one alone-SQuint Ro-
dame!
He saw him late In the afternoon.
Ian NJ ht vIo hi
lips moving wordlessly. and he took
up the trail. But 1t led only to the Of
fee of the Silver Queen Development
company, where the scar-fnced mnu
doubled Mt his desk and. stufiing a
cigar into his mouth, chewed on II
angrily. Instinctlvely 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 Rodalne had known of the
value all along. that now he was ours.
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 q disappoint-
ing, unlucky, ill-omened hole I'm the
ground. Fairchild resumed his loiter-
ing, but evening found him near the
Silver Queen office.
Anita's note Ind told him little, yet
had implied much. Something was
fermenting In the seething brain of
squint Rodaine, md II the past count.
ed for anything, Il was something that
concerned him.
An hour more. then FaIrchild sud-
denly skunk into the shadows of
doorway. Squint had snapped out the
Hight and was locking the door. Fifty
feet. then FaIrchIld stepped from the
doorwa' took up the trail.
1t I n hard one to follow.
Squint 10 passed the street lead
ing to h.. e. without even looking
up. Two bl 3 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 Squlnt Rodaine turned up
the lane which led to greut, sham
bling. old, white building that, In the
rosy days Of the mining game, had
been rondhouse, but which now.
barely furnished in only few Of its
rooms, Inhabited by mountain rats and
hutterIng bats and general decay for
the most part, formed the ulcomfort-
able abode Of C'azy Laural
And Falrchlld followed II could
snean only one thing when Rodaine
sought the whlte-haIred, mumbling old
nag whom once he had called his wife.
1t 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
SquInt Rodnine WINS seeking her. Fair
child meant to follow. md to henr-if
such n thing were within the range OF
humnn possi5illty-the evil dripplngs
Of his crooked lips.
He crossed to the side of the road
where run the inevitable gully and,
taking advantage of the shelter. hur-