The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1936-07-06
BY Ida R. Gleason
g 1896 NEA Service. lac.

pola?"
eve think so, Miss Spratt."
Lord love usp gasped the
woman. Then they could creep
up on us and murder us in our
beds, and nobody'd be the wiser"
Don't get panicky, Susie"
Claire soothed her. Nothing can
hurt us in the house here"
81 amt so sure" answered
Susie. There's been queer go
ings on round here even afore
you come up"
what do you mean?" Pat edg-
ed forward eagerly.
ooh, Susie just gets case of
nerves now and them" interrupt
ed Dan.
Pat went on, quizzing Susie.
"You mean you heard or saw
something you didn't under
stand?"
For a minute the housekeepcr
did not reply. Then she lowered
her voice. eyes l did. Three
times Pre heard a soft-like noise
! in the night. Once it was so loud
l routed Eb out to listen, but 1t
stopped as soon as we struck
light"
Likely a pack rat suggested
Dan.
"Pack rats don't chip edges off
stone foundations" answered
Susie.
"You found stones Clipped,
Miss Spratt?" asked Bob.
yep. The corner of the house
out by the root cellar. The wind
blew something off the clothesllne
and when | went over there to
get it, | saw the fresh marks. And
they was tellin' me down at the
village that the white miner had
been seen again."
"The white miner" asked
Claire.
"Sure-the white miner. That's
what we all called him. Prob
ably cause we never knew his
real name, and he had the fresh
est, whitest skin ever you see. He
was from over near Tin Cup way,
Claire" A reminiscent light
cleaned in Susie's eyes. '1t hap
pened durin' the mining boom,
while your Uncle Lyman was
here, and l was keepin' house for
him. A likely youngster - the
white miner. Used to come down
to the town for grub and things.
What happened to him." Pat
asked.
"Oh, he took up with fellow
who come from out California
ways. They went up to the kids
claim and worked it all summer;
Ore ran pretty good, too. | used
! to see quite a lot of them both
when they come down for the
town dances. Then one night
they'd both been drinking a lot
an dhad a fight"
cover you, perhaps, Miss
Spratt?" asked Pat, his eyes twin
king. "I'n bet you were by way
of being a town belle when you
were young"
Susie shot him a coquettish
glance. Go on with you, Mr.
Pat" Then she sobered. Il amt
sayin' what was the cause O. the
row. Anyway they drifted long
| toward morning and we never sec
the white miner again. And the
other one only once more when
he went through town on his way
back to California, so he said. A
year or two after someone found
a mans skeleton under the floor
ing in their cabin. They couldn't
prove it was the kid, though you
can't make no one round here be-
lieve it wasn't his. Only the folks
do say when something's going to
happen, the white miner is seen
, again trudgin' along the mountain
trails" -,
"And someone's met up with
him lately?" asked Bob Steele.
Susie nodded solemnly. George
Banes, the butcher down in the
village, said he seen him plain
over near the big dump on Squaw
Mountain the other night"
Dan abruptly pushed back his
chair.
where's that?" asked Pat.
Opposite the house here"
Claire told him. She added slow
ly, "The mountain that fired the
gun at me-"
"Um." Pat shrugged his shout
ders. "This is getting good
white miner - mysterious shoot,
| ings. Come on, let's go out and
/ look at these clippings where
someone's been getting busy. ia
like to do little digging myself
around the cupola. See if we can
unearth another arrow sign"
The sun was beginning to red
den the sky as they went outside.
"Wonder where Eb isl" asked
Bob. "Pll go down to the tool
house and get some shovels from
him. Dan said he was there,
didn't he?"
/ Pat nodded and walked on
around the cupola. Dan was al
ready there, staring down at the
ground. Someone's already start
ed digging here" He pointed to
a small hole close by the cupola
wall.
Pat dropped to his knees and
examined the place closely.
That's been done recently" he
announced. He made a careful
circuit of the surrounding grass
and bushes. Here comes Bob.
Let's see what he makes of this.
But Bob was looking at the cap
he held in his hand. isn't this
Eb's?" he asked Dan.
The man nodded.
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