OCR Text |
Show r ' . , "It's his partner." She moved forward then and Fair child went to meet her. - . "I'm sorry," she Bald, and extended her hand. Falrcbild gripped It ea gerly. "Thank you. But It may not be ai bad as the rumors. "I hope not" Then quickly aha withdrew her hand, and somewhat flustered, turned as ber companion edged closer. "Maurice, this Is Mr. E'alrchlldV she announced, and Fair-child Fair-child could do nothing but stare. She knew his name! A second more and It was explained : "My father knew bis father very well." "I think my own father was acquainted ac-quainted -too," was the rejoinder, and the eyes of the two men met for an Instant In conflict The girl did not seem to notice. "I sold him a ticket this morning to the dance, not knowing who he was. Tarn father iiappssed to see hiss pass I)? Coutfoeu, Rulmi Cooper '' O U ky Uttlo, 8iow Co. j I lM-EM-c, ' . ., , ' ,xE.w,. . -. - f.sVu 'AftRYi I BTN0P8IS.-At Thornton Falr-j Falr-j child's death bis aon Robert learns there has been a dark period In hla father's life which for almost thirty years has caused him sulter-nc sulter-nc The secret Is hinted at in a document left by the elder Falr-i Falr-i child, which also Informs Robert he Is now owner of a mining claim ! In Colorado, and advising him to see Henry Beamish, a lawyer. Beamish tells Robert his claim, a liver mine, Is at Ohadl, thfrty-elg-ht miles from Denver. BaulleU warns him against rffrtlv, i "Squint" Roaain - i amy. Robert de(ingVJ ffVrlain St. On the road t Jhafli trok., r r" - - Falrchild oonlsts a girl, ai5.nOn.ey In a frensy of haste, to change a tire on her auto. WTien she has left, the sheriff and a posse appear. In pursuit of a bandit. Falrchlld, bewildered, be-wildered, misleads them as to the direction the girl had taken. At Ohadl Falrchlld is warmly greeted by "Mother" Howard, boarding-house boarding-house keeper, for his father's sake. Prom Mother Howard Falrchlld learns something of the mystery I connected with the disappearance K. ' ol "Blssle" Larsen, his father's co worker in the mine. He meets the girl he had assisted, but she denies her Identity. She Is Anita Richmond, Rich-mond, Judge Richmond's daughter. Visiting his claim, Falrchlld Is shadowed by a man he recognizes J from descriptions as "Squint" Ro-I Ro-I dalne. of They turned for the mouth ef the tunnel, sliding alolg In the greasy muck, the torch ezti ogulshed now. ' A moment of watchfulness from the cover of the darkness, then Harry pointed. On the opposite hill, the figure fig-ure of a man had been outlined for Just a second. Then be had faded. watcher, Harry nudged his partner In the ribs and went forth into the brighter light An hour more and they were back In town. Harry reached for his mustache again. "Go on down to Mother 'Oward's," he commanded. "I've got to wander around and say 'owdy to what's left of the fellows that was 'ere when I was.. It's been twenty years since I've been away, you know," he added, "and the shaft can wait." Fajrchlld obeyed the instructions, looking back over his shoulder as he walked along toward the boarding house, to see the big figure of his companion com-panion loitering up the street, on the beginning of his home-coming tour. The blocks passed. Falrchlld turned through the gate of Mother Howard's boarding house and went to his room to await the call for dinner. The world did not look exceptionally good to him; his brilliant dreams had not counted upon the decay of more than a quarter of a century, the slow, but sure dripping of water which had seeped through the hills and made the mine one vast well, instead of the free open gateway to riches which he had planned upon. An hour of thought and Falrchlld ceased trying to look Into the future, obeying, Instead, the Insistent clanging of the dinner bell from downstairs. Slowly he opened the door of his room, trudged down the staircase then stopped In bewilderment bewil-derment Harry stood before him, in all the splendor that a miner can know. He had bought a new suit brilliant blue, almost electric In its fleshiness, nor had he been careful as to style. The cut of the trousers was somewhat along the lines of fifteen years before, be-fore, with their peg tops and heavy cuffs. Beneath the vest a glowing, watermelon-pink shirt glared forth from the protection of a purple tie. A wonderful creation was on his head, dented In four places, each separated with almost mathematical precision. Below the cuffs of the trousers were bright ton, bump-toed shoes. Harry was a complete picture of sartorial elegance, according to his own dreams. What was more, to complete It all, upon the third finger of his right hand was a diamond, bulbous and yellow and throwing off a dull radiance like the glow of a burnt-out arc light; full of flaws, it Is true, off color to a great degree, but a diamond nevertheless. And Harry evidently realized It "Ain't I the cuckoo 1" he boomed, as Falrchlld stared at him. "Ain't It I -'ad to 'ave a outfit and "It might as well be nowl" he paraphrased, par-aphrased, to the tune of the age-whitened age-whitened sextette from "Floradora." "And look at the sparkler I Look at It!" "But but how did you do It?" came gaspingly. "I thought " "Installments!" the Cornlshman burst out. "Ten per cent down and the rest when they catch me. Installments!" Install-ments!" He Jabbed forth a heavy finger and punched Falrchlld In the ribs. "Where's Mother 'Oward? Won't I knock 'cr eyes out?" Falrchlld laughed he couldn't help It In spite of the fact that five hundred hun-dred dollars might have gone a long way toward unwaterlng that shaft. Harry was Harry he had done enough In crossing the seas to help him. And already, in the eyes of Falrchlld, Harry was swiftly approaching that place where he could do no wrong. "You're wonderful, Harry," came at last. The Cornlshman puffed with pride. "I'm a cuckoo!" he admitted. "Where's Mother 'Oward? Where's CHAPTER VI Continued. Quickly he made the return trip, crossing the little bridge over the turbulent tur-bulent Clear creek and heading toward the boarding house. Half a block away he halted, as a woman on the veranda of the big, squarely built "hotel" pointed him out, and the great figure of a man shot through the gate, shouting, and hurried toward him. A tremendous creature he was, with red fare and black hair which seemed to scramble In all directions at once, and with a mustache which appeared to scamper In. even more directions than his hair. Falrchlld was a large man; suddenly he felt himself puny jk I rim . .. V559 Falrchlld finished his meal and waited. But Harry talked on. Boze-raan Boze-raan ' and Bill left the dining room again to make a report to the narrow-faced narrow-faced Squint Rodaine. Harry did not even notice them. And as long as a man stayed to answer his queries, Just so long did Harry remain, at last to rise, bnish few emmbs from his llghtnlng-like suit, press nis new hat gently upon his head with both bands and start forth once more on bis rounds of saying hello. And there was nothing for Falrchlld to do but to watt as patiently as possible for his return. The afternoon grew old. Harry did not come back. The sun set and dinner din-ner was served. But Harry was not there to eat It. Dusk came, and then, nervous over the continued absence of his eccentric partner, Falrchlld started start-ed uptown. The usual groups were in front of the stores, and before the largest oi them Falrchlld stopped. "Do any of you happen to know a fellow named Harry Harklns?" he asked somewhat anxiously. The answer an-swer was In the affirmative, . A miner stretched out a foot and surveyed It studiously. . a "Ain't seen him since about five o'clock," he said at last. "He was Just starting up to the mine then." "To the mine? That late? Are you sure?" "Well I dunno. May have been going go-ing to Center City. Can't say. All I know Is be said somethln' about goln to th mine earlier in th afternoon, en' long about five I seen him starting up Kentucky gulch." "Who's that?" The interruption had come in a sharp, yet gruff voice. Falrchlld turned to see before him a man be recognized, a tall, thin, wiry figure, with narrowed, slanting eyes, and a scar that went straight up his forehead. He evidently had Just rounded the corner In time to bear the conversation "I was merely asking about my partner part-ner In the Blue Poppy mine." "The Blue Poppy?" the squint eyes narrowed more than " ever. "You're Falrchlld, ain't you? Well, I guess you're going to have to get along without a partner from now on." "Get along without?" A crooked smile came to the other's lips. "That Is, unless you want to work with a dead man. Harry Harklns got drowned, about an hour ago, In the Blue Poppy shaft I" CHAPTER VIII The news caused Falrchlld to recoil and staid gasping. And before he could speak, a new voice had cut In, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious. . "Drowned? Where's his body?" i "How do I know?" Squint Rodaine turned upon his questioner. "Guess it's at the foot of the shaft. All I saw was his hat What're you so Interested In-terested for?" The questioner, small, goggle-eyed and given to rubbing his hands, stared a moment speechlessly. ' "He he bought a diamond from me this morning on the Installment plan!" Rodulne smiled again In his crooked fashion. "That's your own fault, Sam," he announced curtly. "If he's at the bottom bot-tom of the shaft, your diamond's there too. All I know about It Is that I was coming down from the Silver Queen when I saw this fellow go Into the tunnel of the Blue Poppy. He was all dressed up, else I don't guess I would have paid much attention to him. But as It was, I kind of stopped to look, and seen It was Harry Harklns, Har-klns, who used to work the mine with this" he pointed to Falrchlld "this fellow's father. About a minute later, I heard a yell, like somebody was In trouble, then a big splash. Naturally I ran in the tunnel and struck e match. About twenty feet down, I could see the water was all riled up, and a new hat was floating around on top of It. That's all I know. You can do as you please about your diamond. I'm Just giving you the Information." He turned sharply and went on then, while Sara the Jeweler, the rest of the loiterers clustered around him, looked appeallngly toward Falrchlld. "What'U we do?" he walled. Falrchlld turned. "I don't know about you but I'm going to the mine." "It won't do any good bodies don't float. It may never float If It gets caught down In the timbers some-wheres." some-wheres." "Have to organize a bucket brigade." bri-gade." It was a suggestion from one of the crowd. "Why not horry the Argonaut pmnp? They ain't using It." "Go get it I Go get It !" This time It was the wall of the little Jeweler. "Tell 'em Sum Herbenfeldcr ai'nt you. They'll let you have It." Another suggestion, still another. Soon men begnn to radiate, each on a i mission. The word passed down the street. More loiterers a silver miner spends n great part of his leisure time In siniiily watching the crowd go by hurried to Join (be excited throng. Groups, en route to the picture show, decided otherwise and stopped to learn of the excitement. The crowd thickened. Suddenly Faircliild oot, i sharply r.t the sound of a feminine tolee. "What's the matter?" "Harry Ilarkins got drowned." .Ml tuO willingly the news was dispersrd. 1'nin hiM's eves were seareh'ng now In the '.alf-light from the faint street hlillis. Then they centered. It was j Anita Uiclmmnd, standing at the edge j (f the croud, questioning a miner, while beside her vwm a thin, y nut ;'u! nterpai't r.f n t-.l f;!ced fat !'er. Maut'lee l.'odaine. .lust a monieid of '(Merles, then the miner's laltid (minted to Fnirt -bib! as he turned toward her. "And I still love you!" he boomed, as be caug'it the gray-haired, laughing laugh-ing woman in his arms. "Even If you to Cornwall I" Red-faced, she pushed him away and slapped his cheek playfully; It was like the tap of a light breeze against granite. Then Harry turned. "'Ave you looked at the mine?" . The question brought back to Falrchlld Falr-chlld the happenings of the morning and the memory of the man who had trolled him. He told his story, while Mother Howard listened, her arms crossed, her head bobbing, and while Harry, his big grin still on his Hps, took In the details with avidity. Then .the grin faded. - - t ;"Le' go up there," he Bald quietly. This time the trip to Kentucky gulch was made by skirting the town; soon they were on the rough, narrow roadway leading Into the mountains. A long time they walked, at last to stop In the Shelter of the rocks where Falrchlld had shadowed his pursuer, and to glance carefully ahead. No one was In sight Harry Jabb'ed out a big finger. ""That's it," he announced, "straight a'ead!" They went on, Falrchlld with a gripping grip-ping at his throat that would not down. Tills had been the hope of his father and here his father had met what? He swerved quickly and stopped, facing the bigger man. "Harry," came sharply, "I know that I may be violating an unspoken promise to my father. But I simply can't stand It any longer. What happened hap-pened here? There was some sort of tragedy." Harry chuckled in concealment, Falrchlld thought of something he did not want to tell him. "I should think sot The timbers gave way and the mine caved Inl" "Not that I My father ran away from this town. You and Mother Howard helped him. You didn't come back. Neither did my father. Eventually Even-tually It killed him." "So?" Harry looked seriously and studiously at the young man. M'E didn't write me ofen." "He didn't need to write you. You were here with him when It happened." hap-pened." "No" Harry shook his head. "I was In town. What's Mother Howard told you?" "A lot and nothing." "I don't know any more than she does." "But" "Friends didn't ask questions In those days," came quietly. "I might 'ave guessed if I'd wanted to but I didn't want to." "But if you had?" Harry looked at him with quiet, blue eyes. "What would you guess?" Slowly Robert Falrchlld's gaze went to the ground. There was only one possible conjecture : SIssle Larsen had been Impersonated by a woman. SIssle SIs-sle Larsen had never been seen again In Ohadl. "I I would hate to put It Into words," came finally. Harry slapped him on the shoulder. "Then don't. It was nearly thirty years ago. Let sleeping dogs He. Take a look around before we go Into the tunnel." They reconnoltered, first on one side then on the other. No one was in sight Harry bent to the ground, and finding a pitchy pine knot lighted It They started cautiously within, blinking blink-ing against the darkness. The outlines of a rusty "hoist," with Its cable leading down into a slanting hole in the rock, showed dimly before them a massive, chunky, deserted thing in the shadows. The timbers were rotting; one after another, they had cracked and caved beneath the weight of the earth above, giving the tunnel an eerie aspect, uninviting, dungerous. Harry peered ahead. "It ain't as bad as It looks," came after a moment's survey. "It's only right 'ere at the beginning that It's caved. But that doesn't do us much good." "Why not?" Falrchlld was staring rr'th him, on toward the darkness of the farther recesses. "If It Isn't caved In farther back, we ought to be able to repair this spot." But Harry shook bis head. "We didn't go Into the vein 'ere," he explained. "We figured we 'ad to 'ave a shaft anyway, sooner or later. You can't do under'and sloping In a mine go down on a vein, ou know. You've always got to go up you can't get the metal out If you don't. That's why we dug this shaft and now look nt It!" He drew the flickering torch to the edge of the shaft and held It there, staring downward, Falrchlld beside hint. Twenty feet below there came the glistening reflection of the flaring flame. Water! Falrchlld glanced toward bis partner. "I don't know anything about It," Jie said at last. "But I should think that would mean trouble." "Plenty !" agreed Harry lugubriously. lugubrious-ly. "That shaft's two 'unnerd feet deep and there's a drift running off It for a couple o' 'unnerd feet more before be-fore It 'Its the vein. Four 'unnerd feet of water. 'Ow much money 'ate you t;nt?" "About twenty-live hundred dol-hns." dol-hns." Harry reached for his waving mustache, mus-tache, bis haven In time of storm. Thoughtfully he pulled nt It, staring mea'iwblle downward. Then bu gn;Med. "Ami 1 ain't got more'n the 'iu':,ri.t. It ain't enough. I.e's go back to town. I don't liKe to stand around (bis i.bre and Jus! hol at wafer In a U." "You're Trying te Insult My Fatherl" the house and pointed him out to me as the son of a former friend of his. Funny how those things happen, Isn't it?" "Decidedly funny I" was the caustic rejoinder of the younger Rodaine. Falrchlld laughed, to cover the air of Intensity. He knew Instinctively that Anita Richmond was not talking to him simply because she had sold him a ticket to a dance and because her father might have pointed him out He felt sure that there was something else behind It the feeling of a debt which she owed him, a feeling of companionship com-panionship engendered upon a sunlit road, during the moments of stress, and the continuance of that meeting In those few moments In the drug store, when he had banded her back her ten-dollar bllL She had called herself a cad then, and the feeling that she perhaps had been abrupt toward a man who bad helped her out of a disagreeable predicament was prompting ber fiction now; Falrchlld felt sure of that And he was glad of the fact, very glad. Again he laughed, while Rodalno eyed hlni narrowly. Fulrchl'.J shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not going to believe this story until It's pro7en to me," came calmly. "Who brought the news?" Falrchlld deliberately chose his words : "A tall, thin, ugly old man, with mean squint eyes and a scar straight up his forehead." A flush appeared on the other man's face. Falrchlld saw his hands contract, con-tract, then loosen. "Tou're trying to Insult my fatherl" "Your father?" Falrchlld looked at him blankly. "Wouldn't that be a rather difficult Job especially when I don't know him?" "You described him." "And you recognized the description." descrip-tion." "Maurice! Stop It!" The girl was tugging at Rodalne's sleeve. "Don't say anything more." I'm sorry " and she looked at Falrchlld with glance he could not Interpret "that anything like this could have come up." "I am equally so if It has caused you embarrassment." "You'll get a little embarrassment out of it yourstiif before you get through 1" Rodulne was scowling at him. Again Anita Richmond caught his arm. "Maurice! Stop It! How could the thing have been premeditated when he didn't even know your father? Come let's go on. The crowd's getting thicker." The narrow-fneed man obeyed her command, and together they turned out Into the street to avoid the constantly con-stantly growing throng, and to veer toward the picture showv Curblde lights had begun to appear olong the street, as miners, summoned by hurrying gossip mongers, came forward for-ward to assist in the search for the missing man. High above the general gen-eral conglomeration of voice could be heard the cries of the Instigator of activities, Sam Ilcrhenfehler, bemoaning bemoan-ing the loss of his diamond, ninety per cent of the cost of which remained to be paid. Hastily he shot through the crowd, organizing the bucket brigade bri-gade and searching for news of the Argonaut pump, which had not yet arrived. IV if d! trusted. Falrchlld turned and staned tip the hill, a few miners, their carbide lamps swinging beside them, following him. "At least I'm thankful to you ' for being the man you are!" - j "I'm 'Arry From Cornwall I" and Inconsequential as the mastodonlc thing before him swooped forward, spread wide the big arms and then caught him tight In them, causing the breath te puff over his lips like the exhaust of a bellows. A release, then Falrchlld felt him-self him-self lifted and set down again. He pulled hard at his breath. "What'a the matter with you?" he exclaimed testily. "You've made a mistake I" "I'm bllmed If I 'ave!" bellowed a rnado-like voice. "Mime I You look Kt like Mm!" "Rut you're mistaken, aid man!" "JUlimed if I am I" came again, f ou're your dad's own boy I You look Just like 'lm! Pon't you know me?" He stepped back then and stood grinning, bis long, heavily muscled arms hanging low at his sides, his mustache trying vainly to stick out In . more directions than ever. Falrchlld rubbed a hand across his eyes. "You've got me I" came at last "You don't know me? 'Onest now, don't you? I'm 'Arry I Don't you kuow now? 'Arrv from Cornwall 1" CHAPTER VII . , It came to Falrchlld then the sentence sen-tence in his father's letter regarding someone who would hurry to his aid when he needed him, the references of Rcttrnlsh, and the allusion of Moth- - Jr jowur(j t0 a faithful friend. Again the heavy voice boomed: ."You know me now, eh?" "You bet! You're Harry Harklns!" "'Arklns It Is! I came Just as soon s t got the cablegram !" "The cablegram?" "Yeh.' Harry pawed ot bis wonderful won-derful mustache. "From Mr. Beamish, you Kti'hv. 'K sent It. Said you'd started out 'ere all alone. And I ouldu't M'niid by and let you do that. (i 'ere I am !" ' "I tit the expense, the bin;; trip (risi the wean, the-" "'l,i? I am!" said Harry again. Ain't tb;:t enough?"' They I ad reached the veranda now, to H;d tiiliiing f.ir a' n.i.n i i,t, then lo in ttilhi'i. where Mother Howard mval'od, eye giowMitr, in tiie p:,rlor. 'J!-;; ; j r.'iCi out both arins. "Ain't I the Cuckoo?" 'Ownrd. Won't I knock 'cr eyes out, now?" And be boonrd forward toward the dining room, to tind there men he had known in other days, to shake hands with them and to bang them on tlx? back, to si;ht I'dlndeje liozemnn and Taylor I'.Ill sitting hunched over their meal In the corner nud to go effusively toward them. '"Arry" was playing no favorites in bis '"ome-comlng." Jovially he leaned over the table of Ito'.eniHn and Kill, after be had displayed dis-played himself before Mother Howard and received her sanction of his selee-tloiw selee-tloiw in dress. Happily he boomed forth the information that Fairehih! and be Were baek to work the K!';e I'oppy mi no and that they already hud made a trip of ii):;peellon, j |