The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1932-12-02

You're crazy. That chute is good
two miles from the place where we
locked that fellow up; and, allowing
that he had light-which he didn't
he'd get lost a million times before he
could find the way over here"
Il don't care. He's the only"
There were two empty dynamite
boxes lying beside the railroad track,
and Lands, looking on and listening in
his covert, saw one of the men suddenly
push the speaker to seat on one of
them, planting himself quickly on the
other, and saying as he did so, "Cut
out the chin music! Here comes the
captain with his goldfshes! We want
to let him find us keeping watch on
that boxl"
Lands craned his neck to enable
him to see farther down the tunnel.
A group Of four men was approaching
the one in the lead carrying a fiasIf
light. AS the four passed he saw that
the light carrier was Candy; but the
three men who were picking their way
in Canby's wake were strangers.
As the four came up, Candy stopped
and spoke to one of the workmen.
"Air quit on you, did it, jim? It's
all right, was just about to send in
to tell you to knock off bit until
could bring these gentlemen in and
show them what we've got"
Lands reasoned instantly that this
was said for the benefit of the three
strangers. Candy must have learned
from the panic-stricken miners the
true cause for the. stoppage.
"Of course, you can't tell much
about a gold mine by merely looking
at it." lands heard the speaker say to
the three as they stood in the heading.
"The assays tell the true story of the
values, and, as you know, we have
given your examiners free rein"
"You have done everything you
agreed to-" said one of the three.
There is only one thing that puzzles
us bit; and that is, why you are
willing to let go of so good thing as
this mine seems to be-"
CANDY lauSneQ easily.
II can give you the reason in four
words, Mr.. Fleming; I'm no mining
man. A year ago thought was, and
l let bunch of scamps stick me for
the old Quavapai. I found out pretty
soon that I'd been done, but the ex-
tent of the old workings was sufficient
proof that the mine had once been
producer So sent some good money
after the bad, developing one of the
old veins. Here is the result; but,
good as it is, it hasn't made mining
man out of me, my interests now are
all in the East. and I can't ride two
horses at once"
There was more talk. After a time
one of the three said, "Well, l guess
we have seen all we need to, and 1
think we are pretty well satisfied. I
guess we may as well adjourn to
Brewster and have our lawyers draw
up the papers. What do you say,
Fleming, and you, Cantrell?'
There was no dissenting voice, and
a moment later the group Of four was
passing the mouth of the shallow drift
on its way out.
For perhaps five minutes after the
sound of the footsteps of the retreat
ing quartette had died away in the dis
tant reaches of the tunnel, the two
men who were barring the way for
Lands made no move. and his impa-
thence to get back to lefty became
maddening obsession. Then one got
upon his feet and began where he had
left off when the interruption had
come.
I'm telling you that the fellow we
locked up-the fellow that made that
back-action loud-speaker over there
is the one that turned hi loose on us
little while ago, and I'll make ten
to-one bet he's hiding in that old
chute right now. Let's go back and
get him."
Then to Lands came the thought
of what they would find in the inclined
chute-Betty, waiting bewildered and
dismayed. His cropping hand reached
UA~hW0Au 0Aiu ACll upOA lAiAcl .
shovel, and with only this for weapon
he leaped up and darted out Berserk-
mad, to fall upon the retreating pair.
Fortunately for him the two men
had their backs turned when he made
his silent charge upon them, and be-
fore they heard him he had hit one
smashing blow over the head with his
shovel, knocking him across the rails
of the mine track. But before he could
swing the shovel a second time, the
other man had whirled, drawn his Colt
and fired. It was merely a lucky
chance that the heavy bullet struck
the shovel blade and glanced aside to
flatten harmlessly against the tunnel
wall, but the chance sufficed. Before
he could squeeze the trigger again,
Lands was upon him. failing at him
with the shovel, mad with the madness
that makes the fighting maniac in
vincible
Driven back by the furious attack,
the man tried to cover his face, A
chopping blow of the shovel made Kim
drop his pistol At this ne sought to