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

VOuiNA ' A. hhONn gOhA OyNo Nubt
he exclaimed, beaming. THAT veins
certainly Ave feet wide"
"And two hundred dollars to the
ton," added Fairchild, laughing. "No
wonder Rodaine wanted It."
"Tl sya sol" A long time of con-
g%ratulat6ry celebration, then Harry
led the way TO the far end Of the great
cavern. "Ere II Al" he announced,
as he pointed to what seemed to both
of them never to be anything more
than q assure In the rocks. "It's tho
thing that saved my life."
Fairchild stared into me darkness Of
the hole In the earth, q narrow crack
In the rocks barely large enough to al-
low q human form to squeeze within.
He laughed.
you must have made yourself
pretty small, Harry"
"What? When / went through there?
Sye, I could ave gone through the eye
Of q needle. There were six charges
of dynamite just about to go off behind
mel"
Again the men chuckled as they
looked at the assure, a natural, usual
thing In a mine, and often leading, as
this one did. by subterranean breaks
and slips to the underground bed Of
some tumbllng spring. Suddenly, how
ever, Fairchild whlrled with q thought.
Harry I wonder-couldn't 1t have
been possible for my father to have
escaped from this mine In the same
, wayT"
"E must ave-"
"And that there might not have
been any killing connected with Lar
sen at all? Why couldn't Larsen have
been knocked out by a flying stone
just like you were? And why"
"E might of, Boy" But Harry's
voice was negative. "The only thing
about It was the fact that your father
'ad a bullet ole in is cad" Harry
leaned forward and pointed to his own
scar. at 1t right about ere, and
glanced"
"But the gun? We didn't find any,
"E 'ad 1t with I'm. 1t was Sissle
Larsen's. No, Boy, there must ave
been a ight-but don't think that I
mean your father murdered anybody.
II Sissle Larsen attacked i'm with a
gum, then e 'ad a right to kill. But
as I've told you before-there wouldn't
ave been a chance for IN to prove is
story with Squint working against
'im." He ceased and perked his head
fnNuarH fhn hntfnyn nf Tho shaft 1tctnn-
ing ~intently. Didn't you ear some
thingY"
II thought so. Like a woman's
voice."
"Listen-there 1t Is again."
"Mr. Fairchild!
They ran to the foot of the shaft,
and Fairchild cupped his hands and
called:
who wants meT'
Its me-" The voice was palmer
nova voice that Falrchild recog-
nized Immediately.
thing up here" was added with a
laugh. 1.-THE guard won't let me come
down"
wait. and I'll raise the bucket for
you. All right. guardw Then, blink
ing with surprise, he turned to the
staring Harry. IT'S Anita Richmond"
he whispered.
The bucket was at the top now. A
signal from above, and Fairchild low
cred II, to extend a hand and to aid
the girl 10 the ground, looking at her
with wondering, eager eyes. In the
light Of the carbide torch. she WAS the
same boyish-appearing little person he
had met on the Denver road except
that snow had taken the place of dust
now upon the whipcord riding habit.
and the brown hair which caressed
the corners of her eyes was moist
with the breath Of the blizzard. Some
way Fairchild found his voice, lost for
O moment.
"Are-are you In tronble7"
"No." She smiled at him.
"But out on a night like this-in a
blizzard. How did you get up here?"
She shrugged her shoulders
at walked. Oh" she added, with a
smile, ut didn't hurt me any. The
wind was pretty stif-but then I'm
fairly strong. I rather enjoyed It."
"But what's happened-what's gone
wrong? Can I help you with anything
Or"
Then It was that Harry. with a roll
of his blue eyes and a funny waggle
Of his big shoulders, moved down the
drift toward the stope, leaving them
alone together. Anita Richmond
| watched after him with a smile, wait
| Ing until he vas out OF hearing dis
| lance. Then she turned seriously.
Mother Howard told me where you
| were," came quietly. 1T was the
| only chance I had e see sou. IL
maybe I a a little lonely or-or
something. But. anyway. ! wanted to
nee you and thank you and"
THANK me? For whulr
"For everything. For that day on
the Denver road, and for the night
after the Old Times dance when you
came TO help me. III haven't had an
easy time. Most Of the people ! know