The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1923-02-23
Copyright by Little, Brown a Co.

AOk IN ~ eAAAD9 t1Ll
me. l knew it would. Ready had come
and told me to dig a grave and put
it in there. / did. We filed 1t with
qulcklime. Then we went upstairs
and it was gone. / do not understand
Ii. IL Ready wanted me to kill him,
why didn't he say so? I will kill If
Ready will be good 10 me. I've killed
before for him."
"Still referring TO somebody she's
killed." cut in Anita. Il wonder If
it could be possible"
1--WE just thought Of the date"
Harry broke in excltedly. ut was along
about June Z, 1892. I'm sure it was
around there"
The old books were mulled over,
one after the other. Al last Bardwell
leaned forward and pointed to a Ger
tain page.
Here's an item under May %. 1t
says: Ready has been at me again
He wants me to fix things so that the
three men in the Blue Poppy mine
will get caught in there by a cave-in.'"
The sheriff looked up. This seems
to read a little better than the other
stuff. It's not so jagged. Don't guess
she was as much off her. nut then as
she Is now. Let's see. Where's the
place? Oh, yes: IF I'll help him, /
can have half, and Wen live togethe&
again, and he'll be good 10 me and ]
can have the boy. / know what it's
all about. He wants TO get the mine
without Sissie Larsen having anything
to do with 1t. SisSie has cemented up
the hole he drilled into the pay ore
and hasn't told Fairchild about 1t, be-
cause he thinks Ready win go partner
ships with him and help him buy IN.
But Ready won't do 1t. He wants
that extra money for me. He told me
so. Ready 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 1t if she was
willing to kill people. The poor old
thing "a crazy"
"Yes, and she's 'ad us bloody near
crazy too. Maybe there's another
entry"
"Tm coming to 1t. It's along in
June. The dates blurred. Listen:
4 did what Ready wanted me to. l
sncaked into the mine and planted
dynamite in the timbers. | wanted to
wait until the third man was these,
but l couldn't. F"airchild and Larsen
were fussing. Fairchild had learned
about the hole and wanted to know
what Larsen had found. Finally Lar
sen pulled a gun and shot Fairchild.
He fell, and l knew he was dead.
Then Larsen bent over him, and when
he did I hit him-on the head with n
single-jack hammer. Then l set off
the charge. Nobody ever will know
how it happened unless they find the
bullet or the gun. l don't care If they
do. Ready wanted me to do it,"
Fairchild started to speak, but the
sheriff stopped him.
wait, here's another item:
81 failed. / didn't kill either Of
them. They got out someway and
drove out of town tonight. Ready Is
mad at me. He won't come near me.
And I'm so lonesome for him ="
"The explanation" Fairchild al
most shouted 1t as he seized the book
and read it again. SHERIFF, I've got
to make a confession. My father al
ways thought that he had killed Ii
man. Not that he told me-tut l could
guess IL easily enough, from other
things that happened. When he came
to, he found a single-jack hammer
lying beside him, and Larsen's body
across him. Couldn't he naturally be-
lieve that he had killed him while In
q daze? He was afraid of Rodaine-
that Rodaine would get up a lynch
ing party and string him up. Harry
here and Mrs. Howard helped him out
Of town. And this is the explana-
ton !"
Bardwell smiled quizzIcally.
1T looks like there's going to be q
lot of explanations. What time was
1t when you were trapped in that
mine, Harkins?"
f"Along about the first of Novem-
ber."
The sheriff turned to the page. 1t
was there-the story Of Crazy Laura
and her descent into the Blue Poppy
mine, and again the charge Of dyna-
mite which wrecked the tunnel. With