The Dolores star., 1923-01-05
copyright by Little. Brown On

eu' Inc immortal thing left
me. knew 1t would. Roady had coma
ana told me to dig grave and mn,
IL IN there. l did. We filled II win
quicklime. Then we went uns,o,r.
ana II was gone. l do not understand
II. lf Roady wanted me TO kin him
why didn't he say so7 will kin I,
hoady Will be good TO me. I've killed
before for him"
still referring to somebodv she,s
killed cut In Anita. 81 wonder II
II could be possible"
I've Just thought of the da,em
harry broke in excltedly. ut was along
hbout June I, 1892. I'm sure IT was
around there"
Inc old books were mulled over
one after the other. At last Bardwell
leaned forward and pointed to n GER
tain page.
Here's an Item under Nav os II
says; Roady hns been at me again
lie wants me to fix things so that the
three men In the Blue popnv mine
VIII get caught in there by caye-In' -"
The sheriff looked up. This seems
TO read little better than the other
stun. It's not so jagged. Don't guess
she was as much off her nut then MS
she Is now. Let's see. Where's the
placer Oh, yes: If I'll helm him, |
can have half, and Wen live together
again, and he'll be good to me and I
can have the boy. | know what It's
all about. He wants to get the mine
without Sissle Larsen having anything
TO do with It, Sissie has cemented up
the hole he drilled into the pay ore
and hasn't told Fairchild about It, be-
cause he thinks Roady will 90 partner
ships with him and help him buy in.
But Roady won't do It. He wants
that extra money for me. He told me
so. Roady is good to me sometimes.
But that's when he wants me to do
something. If he'll keep his promise
I'll fix the mine SO they won't gee
out"
.'The poor old soul" there was ach-
Ing sympathy In Anita Richmond's
voice. Il can't help It If she was
willing to kill people. The poor old
thing was crazy"
"Yes, and she's 'ad us bloody near
crazy too. Maybe there's another
entry"
'I'm coming to It. It's along In
June. The dates blurred. Listen:
L did what Roady wanted me to. l
sneaked Into the mine and planted
dynamite In the timbers. l wanted to
wait until the third man was there,
but l couldn't. Falrchild and Larsen
were fussing. Fairchild had learned
about the hole and wanted to know
what Larsen had found. Finally Lar
sen pulled gun and shot Fairchld.
He fell and l knew he was dead.
Then Larsen bent over him, and when
he did ! hit him-On the head with n
the charge. Nobody ever will know
how 1t happened unless they find the
bullet or the gun. l don't care If they
do. Roady wanted me TO do it"
Fairchild started to speak, but the
sheriff stopped him.
wait. here's another item:
"I failed. l didn't kill either of
them. They got out someway and
drove out of town tonight. Roady Is
mad at me. He won't come near me.
And I'm so lonesome for him ~
"The explanation - Fairchlld al
most shouted it as he seized the book
and read 1t again. "Sheriff, I've got
to make confession. My father al
ways thought that he had killed II
man. Not that he told me-but coulo
guess it easily enough, from other
things that happened. When he came
to, ne found single-jack hammer
living beside him, and Larsen's body
across him. Couldn't he naturally be
lieye that he had killed him while In
n daze? He was afraid of R0daine-
that Rodaine would get up lynch
ing party and string him up. Harry
here and Mrs. Howard helped him out
of town. And this Is the explaha-
tion!"
Bardwell smiled quizzically
at looks like there's going to De u
lot of explanations. What time was
IT when you were trapped In tha'
mine. Harklns?"
"Along about the first Of Novem-
ber." ~ 7.
The sheriff turned to the page. IL
vos there-the story of Crazy Laura
and her descent into the Blue Poppy
mine and again the charge OF uyna'
mite which wrecked the tunnel. "iti'