The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1923-02-09

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dering, vacant manner and then TO
fasten his eyes upon Fairchild. He
seemed to be struggling for speech, for
coordination of ideas. Finally, after
many minutes
THAT'S you, Boy"
"Yes, Harry"
"But where are wei"
Were in a hospital. and you're
Knocked out. Don't you know where
you've beenT
81 don't know anything since I slid
down the wall"
"Since you what?"
But Harry had lapsed into semi
consciousness again. And 1t was not
until late I'm the night after the rescue,
following a few hours OF rest forced
upon him by the inferno, that Fair
child once more could converse with
his stricken partner.
cts something I'll ave to show you
to explain" said Harry. IL can't tell
you about 1t. You know where that
little fissure is In the 'anging wall,
away back In the stope?"
eyes"
"Well, that's 1t. That's where I got
QUIZ
"But what happened before that?"
"What didn't 'appenT asked Harry,
with a painful grin. Everything In
the world 'appened. but what did
the assay shown"
Fairchild reached forth and laid a
hand on the brawny n of his part
ner.
"We're rich, Harry" he said, "richer
than / ever dreamed we could be. The
ores as good as that Of the Silver
Queen !"
"The bloody ell II Is" Then Harry
dropped back on his pillow for a long
time and simply grinned ut the cell
Ing. Somewhat anxious, Fairchild
leaned forward, but his partners eyes
were open and smiling. "I'm just let
ting 1t sink In |" he announced, and
Fairchild was silent, saving his ques-
lions Until st" had sunk. Then:
you were saying something about
that 1ssure?"
but there is other things first.
After you wentN ~ tile assayers, /
fooled around there In the chamber.
and thought I'd just take n flyer and
blow up them 'oles that I'd drilled In
the 'anging wall at the same time that
I shot the other. SO 1 put in the
powder and fuses, tamped 'em down
and then / thinks, thinks /, that there's
somebody moving around In the drift.
But I didn't pay any attention to it
you know. / IA busy and all that,
and you often ear noises that sound
funny. So I set 'em off-that Is, ] lit
the fuses and ! started to run. Well,
'adn't any m0re'n started when
b~loeyy-y-y, right in front Of me, the
whole world turned upside down, and
Z felt myself knocked back into the
chamber. And there was them fuses.
All Of 'em burning. Well. ! managed
20 pull out the one from the foot wall
and stamp It out, but l didn't ave time
TO get at the others. And the only
place where there was a chance for
me was clear at the end Of the cham
Eber. Already / was bleeding like a
wstuck hog where a whole 'arf noun
aain nd 1T me on the 'ead, and l
didn't know much what was doing. !
just wanted to get beind something
that's all l could think of. So / SHE'D
for that fissure In the rocks and
crawled back In there, trying to
squeeze as far along as I could. And
'ere's the funny part Of it kept on
golng!"
"YQu whati"
"Kept on going. I'd always thought
II was just q place where the 'anging
wall 'ad slipped. and that it stopped
a few feet back. But ii don't--it goes
on. ! crawled along 1t as fast as
could-I was about Woody, anyway
and by and by I card the shots go Off
be'lnd me. But there wasn't any use
In going back--the tunnel was caved
In. So ! kept on.
after a while, I ran into a stream Of
water that came out of the inside Of
the Ill somewhere, and I took q drink.
II gave me q bit Of strength. And
then I kept on some m~ore-until all Of
. sudden. I slipped and fell, inst when
was beginning to see dyellght. And
that's all ] know. 'Ow long ave l
been gomez
"Long enough to make me gray
headed" Fairchild answered with a
little laugh. Then his brow furrowed.
"You say you slipped and fell just as
you were beginning to see daylight"
"Yes. II looked like II was reflected
froin below. somcwyes."
Fairchild nodded.
"Isu't there quite a spring right by
rraxy Laura's house?"
Yes: II keeps going all year;
there's q current and Il don't freeze
m. II comes out like IL was a water
fall and there's = roaring noise be-
tnd IT,
'.T'hen that's the explanation, You
Followed the assure until II Joined the
Natural tunnel that the spring has
made through the hills. And when you
reached the waterfall-well, you fell