Phoenix tribune., 1923-04-28
THE CRoss-CUT


his steps 20 the Blue Poppy, to buck
the wind and the fine snow and the
high, piled drifts, and to go below. But
the surroundings were the same: still
the cave-in, with its small hole where
he had torn through it, still the rag.
ged hanging wall where Harry had
fired the last shots of dynamite in his
Investigations, still the trampled bit
of fuse with its cap attached. Moth
ing more.
Back into the black night, with the
winds whistling through the pines.
Back to wandering about through the
hills, hurrying forward at the sight
Of every faint, dark object against
the snow, in the hope that Harry,
crippled by the cave-in, might have
some way gotten out of the shaft
But they were only boulders or logs
or stumps Of trees At midnight,
Fairchild turned once more toward
town and to the boarding house But
Harry had not appeared There was
only one thing left to do.
This time, when Fairchild left
Mother Howard's, his steps did not
lead him toward Kentucky gulch. In
stead he kept straight on up the
street, past the little line of store
buildings and to the courthouse, where
he sought out the sole remaining light
in the bleak, black building-Sherlff
Bardwell's Office. That parsonage was
nodding in, his chair, but removed his
feet from the desk and turned drow-
SLY as Fairchild entered.
"Well?" he questioned, whats up2"
my partner has disappeared. 1
want to report to you-and see If 1
can get some help"
Disappeared? WhoT
Harry Harkins. He's a big Cor
nishman, with large mustache, very
red face, about sixty years old,
should Judge"
wait a minute" BardwelPs eyes
narrowed. "Ain't he the fellow 1 ar
rested in the Blue Poppy mine the
night of the Old Times dancer"
"Yes."
"And you say he's disappearedf
When does his trial come up?"
"a week from tomorrow"
And he's disappeared" A slow
smile came over the other mans lips.
II don't think 1t will help much to
start any relief expedition for him.
The thing to do is to get a picture
and general description and send 1t
around to the police in the various
parts Of the countryI Thatll be the
best way to find him!"
Fairchild's teeth gritted, but he
could not escape the force Of the ar
gument from the sheriff's standpoint.
For moment there was silence, then
the miner came closer to the desk.
Sheriff." said he as calmly as pos
sible, you have a perfect right to
give that sort of view. That's your
business-to suspect people. However,
some sort Of an accident happened at
the mine this afternoon-a cave-in or
an explosion that tore out the roof
of the tunnel-and am sure that my
partner Is wandering among the hills.
VIII you help me to find him?"
The sheriff wheeled about in his
chair and studied a moment Then he
rose.
Guess l WILL" he announced. 1T
can't do any harm to look for him,
anyway"
Half an hour later, aided by two
deputies who had been summoned
from their homes, Fairchild and the
sheriff left for the hills to begin the
search for the missing Harry. Late
the next afternoon, they returned to
town, tired, their horses almost crawl
ing in their dragging pace after six
teen hours Of travel through the
drifts Of the hills and gullies. Harry
had not been found, and so Fairchild
reported when, with dropping sh0ul-
ders, he returned to the boarding
house and to the waiting Mother How
ard. And both knew that this time
Harry's disappearance was no joke, as
1t had been before. They realized
that back Of it all was some sinister
reason, some mystery which they
could not solve-for the present, at
least. That night, Fairchild faced the
future and made his resolve.
There was only a week now until
Harry's case should come to trial.
Only week until the failure of the
defendant to appear should throw the
deeds of the Blue Poppy mine into the
hands Of the court, to be sold for the
amount of the bail. And in spite of
the fact that Fairchild now felt his
mine to be a bonanza, unless some
sort of miracle could happen before
that time, the mine was the same as
lost. True, it would go to the highest
bidder at public sale and any money
brought in above the amount of bail
would be returned to him. But who
would be that bidder2 Who would
get the mine-perhaps for twenty or
twenty-five thousand dollars, when 1t
now was worth millions? Certainly
not he. Unless something should hap
pen to intervene, unless Harry should
return, or in some way Fairchild
could raise the necessary five thou
sand dollars to f11rnich nocI, how'd