Phoenix tribune., 1923-07-14

critical is brewing, but I don't know
what. Suggest you keep watch on
him. Please destroy this"
That was all. There was no sigma
ture. But Robert Fairchild had seen
the writing of Anita Richmond once
before!
So she was his friend So all these
days Of waiting had not been in vain; {;
all the cutting hopelessness of seeing
her, only to have her turn away her
head and fail to recognize him, had
been for their purpose after all. And
yet Fairchild remembered that she
was engaged to Maurice Rodaine, and
that the time Of the wedding must be
fast approaching. Perhaps there had
been a quarrel, perhaps Then he
smiled. There was no perhaps about
it! Anita Richmond was his friend;
she had been forced into the promise
of marriage to Maurice Rodaine, but
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 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 Howard's 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 that might occur.
Fairchild was taking no chances now
An hour more found him at the Sam.
pier, watching the ore as it 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 now?"
"All you can let me havep
"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 q
hundred dollars of it would go &c
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 one
person and one alone-S 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
fee Of the Silver Queen Development
company, where the scar-faced mar
doubled at his desk and, stuffing a
cigar into his mouth, chewed on II
angrily. Instinctively Fairchild knew
that the greatest part of his near
temper was due to the strike in the
Blue Poppy; instinctively also he fell
that Squint Rodaine 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 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 tht
Silver Queen Office.
Anita's note had told him little, yei
had implied much Something wal
fermenting in the seething brain Of
Squint Rodaine, and If the past count.
ed for anything, it was something that
concerned him.
An hour more, then Fairchild sud.
denly skunk into the shadows of o
doorway. Squint had snapped out the
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