OCR Text |
Show 7 ' ; ' THE BINGHAM NEWS. BINGHAM. UTAH ' ' :: T v' Z'lj: I IL 11 IlJCl jpiD Cooper I Copyrtjl by Little, Brows AO. VW she was not in the company of Mau-rice Rodalne. He hurried to her and she smiled at his approach. "Have they found anything yet?" "Nothing so far. Except that there is plenty of water in the shaft I'm trying not to believe it "I hope it Isn't true." Her voice was low and serious. "Father was talking to me about you. And we hoped you two would succeed this time." Evidently her father had told her more than she cared to relate. Fair-chil- d caught the inflection In her voice but disregarded It. "I owe you an apology," he said bluntly. "For what?" "Last night I couldn't resist it I For, coming toward them jauntily, slowly, was a figure in beaming blue, a Fedora on his head now, but with the rest of his wardrobe Intact, yellow, bump-toe- d shoes and all. Someone shouted. Everybody turned. . And as they did so, the figure hastened Its pace. A moment later, a booming voice sounded, the unmistakable voice of Harry Harklns: "I sye i - What's the matter over there? Did somebody fall in?" The pufflng of gasoline engines ceased. A moment more and the gur-gling cough of the pumps was stilled, while the shouting and laughter of a great crowd sounded through the hills. A leaping form went forward, Sam Herbenfelder, to seize Harry, to pat Rodalne with all the hate and anger and futile malice that a human being can know typified in his scarred, hawk-like features. A thin, taloned hand enme upward, to double, leaving one bony, curved finger extending in em-phasis of the words which streamed from the slit of a mouth: "Funny, weren't you? Played your cheap Jokes and got away with 'em. But everybody ain't like them fools I" he pointed to the crowd Just rounding the rocks, Harry bobbing In the fore-ground. "There's some that remem-ber and I'm one of 'era. You've put over your fake; you've had your laugh; you've framed it so I'll be the butt of every numbskull in Ohadl. But Just listen to this Just listen to this 1" he repeated, the harsh voice taking "Judges Is like anybody else when they're bedridden and only 'arf their faculties working. The girl, so Mother 'Oward tells me, is about twenty now. That made 'er Just a little kid, and motherless, when Rodalne got in 'is work. She ain't got a thing to sye. And she loves 'er father. If 'e don't die pretty soon, you'll see a wedding P "You mean ?" "Shell be Mrs. Maurice Rodalne. She loves 'er father enough to do it-- after 'er will's broken." Again Robert Fatrchlld filled an oil cup, again be tinkered about the pumps. Then he straightened. "How are we going to work thla mine?" he asked shortly. Harry stared at him. "'Ow should I know? You own it l" "I don't mean that war. We wera "FIFTY-FIFTY.- " BTNOPBI.-- At Thornton Falr-ehlld- 's death his son Robert learria there has been a dark period in his father's life which tor almost thirty yean has caused him suffer-In- s. The secret is hinted at in a document left by the elder He.tr-chll- d, which also Informs Robert he Is now owner of a mining' claim In Colorado, and advising htm to e Henry Beamish, a lawyer. Beamish tells Robert his claim, a silver mine. Is at Ohadl, thirty-eig- ht miles from Denver. He alao warns him against a certain man, "Squint" Rodalne, his father's en-emy. Robert decides to go to Ohadt. On the road to Ohadl from Denver I Falrchlld assists a girl, apparently In a frenzy of haste, to change a tire on her auto. When she has left, the sheriff and a posse appear, In pursuit of a bandit Falrchlld, be-wildered, misleads them as to the ., direction the girl had taken. At j Ohadl Falrchlld la warmly greeted by "Mother" Howard, boarding-hous- e keeper, for his father's sake. From Mother Howard Falrchlld learns something of the mystery connected WKh the disappearance of "Slsste" Larsen, his father's co-worker in the mine. He meets the girl he had assisted, but she denies her Identity. She ts Anita Rich- -' mond. Judge Richmond's daughter. Visiting his claim. Falrchlld Is shadowed by a man he recognises from descriptions as "Squint" Ro-dalne. Back In Ohadl, his father's old friend, Harry Harkins, a Cor-nlshm-summoned from England by Beamish to help Falrchlld, halls him with joy. The pair find the mine flooded and have not suffi-cient funds to have it pumped dry. Later In the day "Squint" Rodalne announces that he practically saw Harkins fall into the flooded mine, and evidently Is drowned. Harkins being a general favorite, the entire population turns out to clear the flooded mine. 1 on a tone that was almost a screech. "There's another time coming and that time's going to be mine!" And before Falrchlld could retort, he had turned and was scrambling down the mountain side. CHAPTER IX Falrchlld went back into the tunnel, spun the flywheels of the gasoline en-gines and started them revolving again, that the last of the water might be drained from the shaft before the pumps must be returned to their own-ers. flfty-flft- y from the minute you showed up. There never has been any other thought In my mind" "Fifty-fifty- ? You're making me a bloated capitalist 1" "I hope I will. Or rather, I hope that you'll make such a thing possible for both of us. But I was talking about something else; are we going to work hard and fight It out day and night for awhile until we can get things clear, or are we Just going at It by easy stages?" "Suppose," answered Harry after a communication with his magic mus- - forgot for a moment that you were there. But I I hope that you'll be-lieve me to be a gentleman, In spite of it-S- he smiled up at him quickly. "I already have had proof of that I I am only hoping that you will be-lieve me well, that you'll forget some-thing." "You mean" "Yes," she countered quickly, as though to cut off his explanation. "It seemed like a great deal. Yet it was nothing at all. I would feel much hap-pier if I were sure you had disre-garded It" Falrchlld looked at her for a long time, studying her with his serious blue eyes, wondering about many things, wishing that he knew more of women and their ways. At last he said the thing that he felt, the straight-forward outburst of a straightforward man: "You're not going to be offended if I tell you something?" "Certainly not" "The sheriff came along Just after you had made the turn. ' He was look- - tache, "that we go dye and night 'til we get the 'water out? It won't be long. Then we'll ave to work to-gether. You'll need my vast store of learning and enlightenment I" he grinned. ' "Good. But the pumping will last through tomorrow night Can you take the night trick r . "Sure. But why?" "I want to go to that dance 1" Harry whistled.. Harry's big lips spread into a grin. "And she's got brown eyes!" he chortled to himself. "And she's got brown 'air, and Bhe's a wye about 'er. Oh I She's got a wye about 'erl And I'll bet she's going with Maurice Ro-dalne I Oh I She's got a wye about 'erl" "Oh, shut upl" growled Falrchlld, but he grinned in schoolboy fashion as he said It Harry poured half a can of oil upon the bearings of the chlv wheel with almost loving tenderness. "She's got a wye about erl" he echoed. Falrchlld suddenly frowned. "Just what do you mean? That she's in love with Rodalne and Just" " 'Ow should I know? But rbe'a got a wye about 'erl" "Well," the firm chlnSof the other roan grew firmer, "it won't bt hard to find out 1" And the next night he started npn his investigations. Nor did he stop U consider that social events had been few and far between for him, that his dancing had progressed little farther than the simple ability to move his feet In unison to music. Years of of-fice and home, home and office, had not allowed Robert Falrchlld the natural advantages of the usual young man. But he put that aside now; be was going to that dance, and he was going Several hours passed, then narry returned, minus his gorgeous clothing and his diamond ring, dressed in min-ing costume now, with high leather boots Into which his trousers were tucked, and carrying a carbine lantern, Dolefully he looked at the vacant fin-ger where once a diamond had spar-kled. Then he chuckled. "Sam took it back," he announced. "And I took part of the money and paid It out for rent on these pumps. We can keep 'em as long as we want 'em. It's only costing about a fourth of what It might of. Drownlng's worth something," he laughed again. Falrchlld Joined him, then sobered. "It brought Rodalne out of the bushes," he said. "Squint threatened us after they'd hauled you down town on the rail." Harry winked Jovially. "Ain't It Just what I expected? It's better that wye than to 'ave Mm snoop-I- n' around." They chuckled together then ; it was something to know that they had not only forced Squint Rodalne to show his enmity openly, but It was some-thing more to make him the instru-ment of helping them with their work. Harry looked down the hole, stared Intently at nothing, then turned to the rusty hoist "'Ere's the thing we've got to fix up now. This 'ere chlv wheel's all out of gear." "What makes your face so red?" Falrchlld asked the question as the visage of Harry came nearer to the carbide. Harry looked up. "Mother 'Oward almost slapped It off!" came his rueful answer. "For not telling 'er what I was going to do, and letting 'er think I got drownded. But 'ow was I to know?" Falrchlld absently examined the en-gines and pumps, supplying water to the radiators and filling an oil cup or two. Then he turned swiftly, voic-ing that which was uppermost In his mind. "When you were here before, Harry, did you know a Judge Richmond?" "Yeh." Harry pawed his mustache and made a greasy, black mark on his face. "But I don't think I want to know Mm now." "Why not?" " 'E's mixed up with the Rodalnes." "now much?" "They own Mm that's all." There was silence for a moment. It hntl been something which Falrchlld had not expected. If the Rodalnes owned Judge Richmond, how far did that ownership extend? After a long tlmA. he orced hlmRdf to f RMter.ient, "I know his daughter. She sold me a ticket to a dance," Falrchlld care-fully forgot the earlier meeting. "Then we've happened to meet several times after that. She Bald that her father had told her about me it seems he used to be a friend of my own father." What's the Rumpus?" him ana paw him, as though In assur-ance thnt he really was alive, then to grasp wildly at the ring on his finger. But Harry waved him aside. "Ain't I paid the Installment on it?" be remonstrated. "What's the rum-pus?" Falrchlld, with Mother Howard, both laughing happily, was Just behind Her-benfelder. And behind them was thronging half of Ohadl. "We thought you were drowned I" "Me?" Harry's laughter boomed again, In a way that was Infectious. "Me drowned. Just because I let a oiler and dropped my 'at?" "You did It on purpose?" Sam ner-benfeld- er shook a scrawny fist under Harry's nose. The big Cornlshraan waved It aside as one would brush away an obnoxious fly. Then he grinned at the townpeople about him. "Well," he confessed, "there was an un'oly lot of water In there, and I didn't 'ave any money. What else was I to do?" "You I" A pumpman had picked up a piece of heavy timbering and thrown it at him in mock ferocity. "Work us to death and then come back and give us the laugh! Where you been at?" "Center City," confessed narry cheerily. "And you knew all the time?" Mother noward wagged a finger under bis nose. "Well." and the Cornlshman chuck-led, "I didn't 'ave any money. I 'ad to get that fihaft unwatered, didn't If "Get a rail!" An irate but laugh-ing pumpman had come forward. "Think you can pull that on us? Get a rail I" Someone seized a email, dead pine which lay on the ground near by. Others helped to strip it of the scrag-gl- y limbs which still slung to It. Harry watched them and chuckled for he knew that In none was there malice. He had played his Joke and won. It was their tern now. Shout-In- g In mock anger, calling for all dire things, from lynrhlngs on down to burnings at the stake, they dragged Harry to the pine tree, threw him astraddle of It, then, with willing hands volunteering on every side, hoisted the tree high above them and CHAPTER VIII Continued. 5 Falrchlld turned at the entrance of the mine nnd waited for the first of the miners and the accompanying gleam of his carbide. Then they went within and to the shaft, the light shining downward upon the oily, black water below. Two objects floated there, a broken piece of timber, torn from the side of the shaft, where someone evidently had grasped hastily at It in an effort to stop a fall, and a new, four-dente- d hat gradually be-coming water-soake- d and sinking , slowly beneath the surface. And then, for the first time, fear clutched at i Falrchlld's heart fear which hope could not ignore. "There's his hat" It was a miner staring downward. Falrchlld had seen it but he strove to put aside the thought "True," he answered, "but anyone rould lose a hat, simply by looking over the edge of the shaft, narry's a strong man. Certainly he would know how to swim. And In any event he should have been able to have kept afloat for at least a few minutes. Ro-dalne says that he heard a shout and ran right in here; but all that he could see was ruffled water and a float-ing hat. I" Then he paused sud-denly. It had come to hlra that Ro-dalne might have helped In the demise of Harry ! Shouts sounded from outside, and the roaring of a motor truck as it made Its slow, tortuous way up the boulder-strew- n road with Its gullies end Innumerable ruts. Voices came, rumbling and varied. Lights. Gain-ing the mouth of the tunnel, Falrchlld "ould see a mass of shadows outlined y the carbides, all following the lead- - rshlp of a small, excited man, Sam lerbenfelder, still seeking his dla- - lond. The big pump from the Argonaut tunnel was aboard the truck, which was followed by two other auto ve-hicles, each loaded with gasoline en-gines and smaller pumps. A hundred men were In the crowd, all equipped with ropes and buckets. Sam Herben-JelJer'- E pleas bai bepn hr.M. The search was about to begin for the body of Harry and the diamond that circled one finger. And Falrchlld has-tened to do his part. Until fur Into the night they worked nnd strained to put the big pump Into position; while crews of men, four ond five In a group, balled water ns fast as possible, that the aggregate might be lessened to the greatest possible extent before the pumps, with their lioscs, were attached. Then t he gaso-lin- e engines began to snort, great lengths of tubing were let down into the slin ft, and spurting water started down the mountain side at the task of nnwnterlng the sliuft began. But It was n slow Job. Morning found the distance to the wuter'longth-cihm- I by twenty to thirty feet, ami t he bucket brigades nearly nt tlie end of their ropes. Men trudged down the bills to breakfast, sending others In their places. Falrchlld stayed on to meet Mother Howard nnd assuage her .crvousncss as best lie could, dividing Is tiiiif between her and the task be-r- e him. IVoon found more water han ever tvnbJlng down t ho hll's he smaller pumpfc were working now in unison with the larger one. After-noon -- and most of Mhodl was there. V'aircbiM could distinguish the form of Anita Iti( iiinond In tlie hundreds of women mil men clustered about the op'irg of the tunnel, and for once lng for an auto bandit" "A what?" She stared at him with wide-ope- n, almost laughing eyes. "But you don't believe " "He was looking for a man," said Falrchlld quietly. "I I told hlra that I hadn't seen anything but a boy. I was willing to do that then because I couldn't believe that a girl like you would " Then he Btumbled and halt-ed. A moment he sought speech while she smiled up at him. Then out It came: "I I don't care what It was. I I like you Honest I do., I liked you so much when I was changing that tire that I didn't even notice it when you put the money Jn my hand. I well, you're not the kind of a girl who would do anything really wrong. It might be a prank or something like that but It wouldn't be wrong. So so there's an end to It" Again she laughed softly, in a way tantalizing to Robert Falrchlld, as though she were making game of him. "What do yon know about women?" she asked finally, and Falrchlld told the truth. "Nothing." "Then " the laugh grew heartier, finally, however, to die away. The girl put forth her hand. "But I won't say what I was going to. It wouldn't sound right I hope that I I live up to your estimation of me. At least I'm thankful to you for being the man you are. And I won't forget !" And once more her hand had rested In his a small, warm, caressing thing In spite of the purely casual grasp of an Impersonal action. Again Rob-ert Falrchlld felt a thrill that was new to him, and he stood watching her un-til she had reached the motor car which had brought her to the big curve, and bad faded down the hill. Then he went back to assist the sweat-ing workmen and the anxious-face- d Sam Herbenfelder. The water was down seventy feet. That night Robert Falrchlld sought a few hours' sleep. Two days after the town still divided Its attention be-tween preparations for the Old Times dance and the progress In the dewater-ln- g of the Blue Poppy shaft. Now and then th !ng h"pe wa withdrawn, and dynamite lowered on flouts to the surface of the water, far below, a cop-per wire trailing It. A push of the plunger, a detonation, and a wait of long nonients; It accomplished noth-ing, and the pumping went on. If the earthly remains of Harry Harkins were below, they steadfastly refused to come to the surface. The water had fallen to the level of the drift, two hundred feet down; the pumps now were working on the inuin flood which still lay below. A day more and a day after thnt. Hie water was now only a few feet high In the shaft; It meant that the whole great opening, together with the drift tunnel, soon would be dewatered to an extent sufficient to penult of exploration. Again the motor cars ground up the narrow roadway. Out-side the tunnel the crowds gathered. Falrchlld saw Anita Richmond and gritted Ids teeth nt the fact that young Rodalne accompanied her. Farther In the background, narrow eyes watch-ing closely, was Squint Rodalne. And still farther Falrchlld gasped as he noticed the figure plodding down the mountain side, lie put out a hand, tr-'--r seizing ilie nervous Herbenfelder hy il.; shoulder, whirled him around. "Look !" he exclaimed. "Look there; hldn't I tell you! Didn't I hai a J hunch?" started down the mountain elde, Sain, Herbenfelder trotting In the rear and forgetting his anger In the Joyful knowledge that his ring at last was safe. Behind the throng of men with their mock threats trailed the women nnd children, some throwing pine cones ot the booming Harry, Juggling him-self on the narrow pole; ami In the crowd, Fuirchlld found someone he could watch with more than ordinary InterestAnita Richmond, trudging along with the rest, npparently re-monstrating with the sullen, mean-vlsnge- d young man nt her side. In-stinctively Falrchlld knew that young Uodalne was not pleased with the re-turn of Harkins. As for the father Falrchlld whirled at a voice by his side and looked straight Into the crooked eyes of Thornton Falrchlld's enemy. The blue-whit- e scar had turned almost black now, the eyes were red from swollen, blood-staine- veins, the j ev!';, t'lin, crooked lips were working In sullen ii.ry. They were practically alotie at the moi.ih of the mine, l'.iir-- ; child with a laugh olng on his lis, Harry nodded. "So 'e was. And a good friend. But that was before things 'nppencd like they've 'uppened In the last ten years. Not that 1 know about It of my own knowledge. But Mother 'Oward she knows a lot." "But what's caused the change? Wbnt ?" Harry's Intent gaze stopped him. "'Ow many times 'ave you seen Judge Richmond?" "I haven't ever seen him." "You won't if Mother 'Oward knows anything. 'K ain't able to get out. 'I"s sick apoplexy a stroke. Rodnlno's taken advantage of It." "How?" " 'Ow does anybody take advantage of somebody that's Hick? 'Ow does anybody get a 'old n a person? Through money! Judge IUclici-n- l 'nd a lot of it. Then 'e git sk'c Uo-dalne, 'e got 'old rif that money. Now Judge Richmond 'us to ask '1m for every penny lie gets and 'e does what Rodalne says." 'T.ut u Jtid-- c "I Want to Go to That Oancel to stay there as long as the Music sounded, or rather as long us the brown eyes, brown hair and laughing lips of Anltn Richmond were apparent to him. What's more, he carried out his resolution. Again nnd again Falrchlld's eyes searched the crowds, the multicolored, overdressed costumes of the women, the old fashioned nffaii'a with which many of the men had arrayed them-selves, ranging all the way from high leather hoots to frock suits and stove-pipe beaver hnts. From one face to another his gaze went on ; then he turned abstractedly to he long line of tahies, with their devotees of keno, and bought o paddle. J '''Ant's op, vrryhot ! And quick about it!" (XOUli CO.NIiiMiKU) ' ' ' J News Happenings I & of th Great E ,. 8 Intermounfadn States Park City.Production of copper by the Utah, Chlno, Ray Consolidated and Nevada Consolidated companies, re umed last April after a completed shutdown of a year, ateadlly Increased during the months of April, May and June, acvordln to the reports of th second quarter of 191:2. Porthinu The Duke and Duchess of Tallyrand were on their way to Cali fornla after stopping In icrtlnnd for a breathing spell last week. Th couple is better known to readers of Sunday supplements in the United States as Anna Oould and her second Frenca husband. They are on the last leg ol their Journey around the world. Elko. Advices received by Supt?rln-- , tendent Claron Nelson of the Western division of the United States air mail service from the postofflce department In Washington,' IX C, grants - permis-sion for the erection of a new air mall hnnar at Elko, N'ev. The new hangar will cost $14,000 to construct ' Salt Lake. Tax levies In th county ' f Junb and in the cities and towns in the county are higher this year than hoy have been In any one year of the past seven, beginning with 1916 and end.'n with 1022. v Salt Lake. Citizens of Salt Lake who advanced $19,000 to build an air null hangar ot Woodward fluid and to upply materials for the I'nlted States r 'ilr mall service are to be reimbursed. Ogden. JDave Oram, 38 yers of age, engine foreman tor the Denver & Rio trunde Westorn Railroad company In ;his city, wos instantly killed when ie fell beneath the wheels of an oil nk car. Riverside, Cnl. Lieutenant Reevea .if iSan Diego was instantly killed and Clarence William Green, his median, clnn, wos fatally injured when their , ' inny airplane was caught in an air locket while flying at Elsinore, near lere, and plunged into Lake Elsinore. Colorado Springs, Colo. Superlorlty f thoroughbred horses over the cow ponies of mustang breeding tor use oa he plains and mountains of Colorado. ttll remains unsettled, honors In tha 'ive-da- y test for speed and stamina ver a e course about Colorado Springs recently being equally divided mtween these two breeds. JTflrfoC Unr, a thoroughbred army charger, vns given the Broadmoor remount en-durance cup and first prize money, tabbit, a cow pony, was given third ositlon and fourth honors went to ferry, a ctobs standard bred army harger. Portland The county presented the city with a $200,000 golf course last week. Spokane. Unless rains heavier than those experienced to date begin fall-ing over western Washington the aea. ion of fire hazards will last about five veeks longer. Portland. Certain diseases which are attacking the cranberry In the vi-cinity of Astoria will be investigated by Professor It. Kent Beattie, pathol-ogist of the United States department of agriculture from Washington, D. C. Alameda, CaL Mrs. Nellie Kendrlek announces that she bartered her hus-band to Mrs, Edith Spreckles Waks field for $100 a month and ot how ihe later regretted her bargain. She s now considering suing Mrs. Wake-field for $25,000 alleged alienation of affectb ns damages. Sp sane. He hadn't seen her since she was a school girl back In Austria, but twelve years of cor-respondence had convinced Sam Vlro employe ot an electrical company hoie, that Alice Cavisth was the girl for him. They have been married al-though the bride can speak no English. San Francisco. Five hundred and twelve persons were convicted of vl olatlon of the narcotic laws in Cali-fornia in the past year, it was shown. In the annual report of the state board of pharmacy Just made public' Portland. Paintings by famous masters are to be exhibited at Ore-gon slate fair. Minneapolis. Joseph Ithenstrom i.aid to bo wanted by Spokane, Wash., authorities for Jumping a .$10,000 hail there following his conviction of a federal charge, was arrested hero. Ithenstrom, according to information here, was out on bond pending an up peal from a conviction of usln tho mails to defraud In connection with his real enlate business. Denver. "Dixie" Parker catcher cf the. Denver Western lague to. no. caught a baseball dropped fnun th' Dan'e-- ! and Fisher tower, .'!:;," font h'gh. The tower la In the lie irt of tho ; lit!R!nes district. Parker caught the third hall dropped from the tower, the more ntiim ;.!'n throwing Irm ' off hi: feet.. '( m h's T'.vt try l'nrker te.'s. '.id-'e-d the-sa- d' of the hull and it 'irik it ifi.'ounit jj's kIic. o, l illinium Kl'iy j tit in the n'.r,-k- , The Sci otvl hall drop. e l wns whle'tind Parker wa t.njhla to reach It. .' |