The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1923-02-02

9tead and fail to recognize him, had
aee0 for their purpose after all. And
get Falrchild remembered That she
~as engaged to Maurice Rodaine, and
GsAat the time Of the wedding must he
fast approaching. Perhaps there had
seen a quarrel, perhaps Then he
suslied. There was no perhaps about
SIT Anita Richmond was his friend;
she had been forced into the promise
OF marriage to Maurice Rodaine, but
she had not been forced into a relin-
punishment 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,
the appointed him foreman of the gang,
90 take charge In his absence. Fol-
Sewing which, he made his way out Of
the mine and into town, there to hire
raen of Mother Towards suggestion
end send them 10 the Blue Poppy, TO
Gake their stations every few feet
AsIhA III luillSig W dpDNhA hiNAC oPNN|
tat0rs, but In reality to be guards who
were constantly on the watch for any
Chiag un.oward that might occur.
EGirchild was taking no chances now.
An hour more found him at the Sam
pfer, watching the ore as 1t 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 q ton.
Need any money nova?
~All " Nan let me have
-Four or five hundred2 We've gotten
tn eight tons of that stuff already;
'6on't guess I'd be taking any risk on
That" he chuckled. Fairchild reached
for the currency eagerly. All but q
hundred dollars of II would 60 20
Mother Howard-for that debt must
he paid off first. And, that, accom-
piislled. denying himself the invitation
ut rest that his bed held forth for him,
. started out into town, apparently
TO loiter about the streets and receive
the congratulations OF the towuSpeo-
ole, but In reality to watch for one
person and one alone-Squlnt Ro-
dame!
Hc saw him late In the afternoon,
stumbling along, his eyes glaring, his
lips moving wordlessly, and he took
eup the trail. But It led only to the Of
rice of the Silver Queen Development
&company, where the s~car-faced man
doubled at his desk and. stufing a
cigar into his mouth, chewed on II
angrily. ~Instinctively 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 Rodaine had known of the
value all along, that now he was ours.
ting himself for the failure of his
schemes to obtain possession of what
siad appeared until only a day before
IN be nothing more than q disappoint-
ing, unlucky, ill-omened hole In the
ground. Fairchild resumed his loIter-
Chg. but evening found him near the
Silver Queen office.
Anita's note had told him little. vet
ziad implied much. Something was
r~rermenting In the seething brain OF
SQuim dsodaine, and IL the past count
ed for anything, II was something that
concerned him.
y An hour more, then Fairchild sud
denly skunk into the shadows Of a
doorway. Squint had snapped out the
siskst and vas locking the door. Fifty
feet. then Fairchild stepped from the
doorway and took up the trail.
{ Ut was not a hard one to follow.
'Sqilnt Rodali2e passed the street lead.
ing TO his house without ever looking
up. Two blocks more, and they
.rcnIhed the city limits.
: n mile. and they were In the open
country, crossing and recrossing the
HccNtotted Clear creek. A furlong
moro. then Squint Rodaine turned up
the lane which led to q great, sham
hing, old. white building that, in the
srvyy days Of the mining game, had
been q roadhouse, but which now,
vbaresy furnished In only a few of its
vusms, inhabited by mountain rats and
Auftering bats and general decay for
the most part, formed the uncomfort-
SahIe abode Of Crazy Laural
n And Falrchild followed. 1t could
mean only n thing when Rodaine
ssught the whlte-halred, mumbling old
hag whom once he had called his wife.
idt could mean but one outcome, and
sfsat Of disaster for some one. Mother
Howard had said that Crazy Laura
would kill for SQuint. And now that
Squint Rodaine was seeking her, Fair
child meant to follow. and to hear--if
euch a thing were within the range Of
human possibility-the evil dripplngs
est his crooked lips.
He crossed to the side Of the road
S~sl,cre ran the inevitable gully and.
/. taking advantage Of the shelter. hur-
. rted forward. smiling grlmly In the
: darkness at the memory Of the fact