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Show ' . ..''..''.. . . . .; .'.... i ,:' - ' ' THE BINGHAM NEWS. BINGHAM. UTAI1 : WE GROSS-GU- T hit arm. Ones, m they floundered through a knee-hig- h mass, Falrchlld's arm went quickly about her waist nnd ho lifted her against him as he literally carried her through. When they reached the other aide, the arm still held Its place and she did not resist. Some way, after that, the stretch of road faded swiftly. Almost before he realized it. they were at the utsklrts of the city. Grudgingly he gave up his hold up-on her, as they hurried for the side-walks and for the sheriffs office. Thre Falrchlld did not attempt to talk he left It nil to Anita, and Barnwell, the sheriff, listened. Taylor Bill had con-fesse- d to the robbery at the Old Times dunce and to his attempt to so ar-range the evidence that the .blame would fall on Harry, Taylor Bill and Blindeye Bozeman had been caught at work In a cross-cu- t tunnel which led to the property of the, Blue Poppy mine, and one of them, at lenst hnd admitted that the sole output of the Silver Queen had come from th's thiev-ing encroachment. Then Anita com-pleted the recital of the pinna of the Rodalnes to leave and of thefr depart-ure for Center City. At Inst, Falrchlld spoke, and told the happenings fhlch he had encountered In the rnmsluickle house occupied by Crnzy Laura. It was sufficient. The sheriff reached for the telephone. "No need for hurry," he announced. "Young Rodulne cau't possibly make that trip In less than two hours. We've got plenty of time hello Central? Long dlstunce, please. What's thnt? Yeh Long Distance. Want to put In CHAPTER XVIII Continued. 15 They reached the mouth of the Sil-ver Queen. Harry reconnoitered a moment before he gave the signal to proceed. Within the tunnel they went, to follow along Its regular, rising course to the stope where, on that garish day when Taylor Bill and Blindeye Bozeman had led the enthu-- ! slastlc parade through the streets, the vein had shown. It was dark there no one was at work. Harry unhooked his carbide from his belt, lit It and looked around. "It ain't coming from 'ereP he an-nounced. "It's" then his voice dropped to a whisper "what's that?" Again a rumbling had come from a distance, as of an ore car traveling over the tram tracks. Harry extin-guished his light, and drawing Anita and Falrchlld far to the end of the stope, flattened them and himself on the ground. A long wait, while the rumbling came closer, still closer; then. In the distance, a light appeared, shining from a side of the tunnel A clanging noise, followed by clatter-ing sounds, as though of steel rails hitting against each other. Finally the tramming once more and the light approached. ' By Courtney Ryley Cooper Cvprif ht by UtUa, Brewa C. and Taylor Bill. And 'ere's where they start getting their trouble." He pulled at the door and it yielded grudgingly. The three slipped past, following along the line of the tram track la the darkness, narry's pick handle swinging beside htm as they sneaked along. Rods that seemed miles; at last lights appeared In the distance. Harry stopped to peer ahead. Then he tossed aside his weapon. "There's only two of 'em Blindeye and Taylor Bill. I could whip 'em both myself, but I'll take the big un. You" he turned to Falrchlld "you get Blindeye." "I'll get him." Anita stopped and groped about for a stone. "I'll be ready with something In case of accident," came with determination. 'Tve got a quarter of a million in this, myself I" They went on, fifty yards, a hun-dred. Creeping now, they already were within the zone of light, but be-fore them the two men, double-Jackin- g at a "swimmer," had their backs turned. : Onward until Harry and Falrchlld were within ten feet of the "high-Jackers- while Anita waited, darkness which Falrchlld longed to turn to his advantage, darkness which seemed to call to him to throw his arms about the girl at his side, to, crush her to him, to seek out with an Instinct that needed no guiding light the laughing,, pretty lips which bad caused him many a day of happiness, many a day of worried wonderment. .He strove to talk away the' desire-- but the grinding of the wheels In the narrow shaft denied that His fingers twitched, his arms trembled as he sought to hold back the muscles, then, yielding to the Impulse, he started it!" "What's the matter?" "Nothing." But Falrchlld wasn't telling the truth. They had reached the light Just at the wrong, wrong moment. Out of the skip he lifted her, then Inquired the way to the sheriffs office of this, a new county. The direction was giv-en, and they went there. They told their story. "You say Bardwell and your partner went out on the Ohadl road to hend the young 'un off?" "Yes Do you think V But a noise from without cut off the conversation. Stamping feet sounded on the steps, the knob turned, and Sheriff Bardwell, snaw-whit- e, entered. Blinking himself like a great dog. as he sought to rid himself of the effects of the blizzard. "Hello. Bardwell. what'd you find?" "No mntter how much a' person dis-likes another one it's, lt'st-alw-aya a shock." Anita came closer . "You mean that he's dead?" The sheriff nodded. "He must have rushed his hone too hard. When we got to him he was Just about gene tried to stagger to his feet when we came up, but couldn't moke It. Kind of acted Jlke he'd lost his senses through fear or exposure or something. - - ' Just write It out Let him np, narry." The big Pornlshman obeyed grudg-ingly. "Make hit fulsome, Bill tell Just 'ow you did it I" And Taylor Bill, bloody, eyes black, lips bruised, obeyed. Falrchlld took the bescrawled paper and wrote his name as a witness, then handed It to Harry and Anita for their signatures. At last he placed it In his pocket and faced the dolorous hlgb-Jacke- r. "What else do you know, Bill?" "About what?, Rodalne? Nothing except that we were in cahoots on this cross-cu- t. There isn't any use denying It" there had come to the surface the Inherent honor that is In every metal miner, a stalwartness that may lie dormant, but that, sooner or lajer, must rise. There Is some-thing, about taking wealth from the earth that Is clean. There Is some-thing about it which seems honest In Its very nature, something that builds big men In stature and In ruggedness, and It builds an honor which fights against any attempt to thwart It. Taylor Bill was finding thnt honor now. He seemed to straighten. His teeth bit at his swollen, bruised lips. He turned and faced the three per-sons before htm. "Take me down to the sheriffs office," he commanded. "I'll tell every-thing. I don't know so awful much a call for Center City." A long wait, while a metallic voice streamed over the wire Into the sheriffs ear. He hung up the receiver. "Blocked," he said shortly. 'The wire's down." "But there's the telegraph 1" Into view came an ore car, and be-hind It loomed the great form of Tay-lor Bill as he pushed it along. Straight to the pile ef ore he came, unhooked the front of the tram, tripped It and piled the contents of the car on top of the dump which already rested there. With that, carbide pointing the way, he turned back, pushing the tram before him. Harry crept to his feet "We've got to follow I" he whispered. "It's a blind entrance to the tunnel som'eres." They rose and trailed the light along , the tracks, flattening themselves against the timbers of the tunnel ns the form of Taylor Bill, faintly out-lined In the distance, turned from the regular track, opened a great door In the side of the tunnel, which, to all ' appearances, was nothing more than the ordinary heavy timbering of a weak spot In the rocks, pulled It far back, then swerved the tram within. Then, he stopped and raised a, port- -' able switch, throwing It Into the open-ing. A second later the door closed behind him, and the sound of the tram began to fade In the distance. Harry went forward, creeping along the side of the tunnel, feeling his way. stop-ping to listen now and then for the sound of the fading ore car. Behind him were Falrchlld and Anita, follow-ing the same procedure. And all three topped at once. The hollow sound was coming di-rectly to them now. Harry once more brought out his carbide to light it for a moment and to examine the tim-bering. '"It's a good Job!" he commented. "You couldn't tell it five feet off!" "They've made a cross-cu- t 1" This time it was Anita's voice, plainly an-gry In spite of its whispering tones. "No wonder they had such a wonder-ful strike," came scathingly. "That other stope down there " "Ain't nothing but a salted propo-sition," Bald Harry. "They've cement-ed up the top of It with the real stuff and every once In a while they blow a lot of It out and cement It up again to make It look like that's the real vein."- - "And they're working our mine I" Red spots of anger were flashing be-fore Falrchlld's eyes. "You've said It I That's why they were so anxious to buy us out. And stone ia hand, in the background. Came a yell, high-pitche- fiendish, racking, as Harry leaped forward. And before the two "high jackers" could concentrate enough to use their sledge and drill as weapons, they weio whirled about battered against the hanging wall, and swirling In a daze "of blows which seemed to come from everywhere at once. Wildly Harry yelled as he shot blow after blow into the face of his ancient enemy. High went Falrchlld's voice as he knock.nl Blindeye Bozeman staggering for ..tie third time against the hanging wall, only to see him rise and to knock him down once more. Dizzily the sandy-holre- d mnn swung about In his tracks, sagged, then fel , unconscious, Falrchlld leaped upon him, calling at the same time to the girl: "Find me a rope I Til truss his hands while he's knocked out!" Anita leaped Into action, to kneel at Falrchlld's side a moment later with a hempen strand, as he tied the man's hands behind his back. There was no need to worry about Harry. Glancing out of a corner of his eye, Fulrchlld saw now that the big Cornlshman had Taylor Bill flat on his back and was putting on the finish-ing touches. And then suddenly the exultant yells changed to ones of com-nan- "Talk English 1 Talk English, you bli.ody blighter! Talk English I 'Ear me I'll knock tbe Moody 'ell out of you if you don't Talk English like this: Throw up your 'amis I' 'Ear me?" Anita swerved swiftly and went to her feet. Harry looked up at her wildly, his mustache bristling like the spines of a porcupine, "Did you 'ear 'Ira sye it?" he asked. "No? Sye It again l" "Throw up your Wis!" came the answer of the beaten man on the ground. Anita ran forward. "It's a good deal like It" she answered. "But the tone was higher." "Kalse your tone I" commanded Hnrry, while Falrchlld, finishing his Job of tying his defeated opponent, rose, staring in wonderment Then the answer came: "That's It that's It It sounded Just like It!" And Falrchlld remembered too the Engll.sh accent of the highwayman on he night of the Old Times duni-e- . Harry seemed to bounce on the pru trate form of his ancient enemy. "Bill," be shouted, "I've got you on your back. And I've got a right to kill you. 'Onext 1 'ave. And I'll do t too unless you atnrt talking. I might ns well kill you as not. It's t penitentiary offense to 'It a man un-derground unless there's a good reu-so- So I'm ready to go the 'ole route. So tell It tell It and be quick about It. Toll It wasn't you him?" "Him who?" the voice was weak, frightened. "You know 'oo the n'ght of tbe Old Tun en dunce! 1'idu'l you pull thnt 'old-up?- " There was a long silence. Finally: "Where's Bodulne?" "In Center City." It was Anita who spoke. "He's getting ready to run away and leuve ycu two to stand the brunt of all this trouble," Agalu a silence. And again Harry's voice: "Tell It. Wasn't you the man?" Once more a long wait. Finally: "What do I get for It?" Falrchlld moved to the man's side. "My promise and my partner's Asked me who I was, and I said Bard-well. Seemed to be tickled to hear my name but he called It Barnham. Then he got up on his hands and knees and clutched at me and asked me if I'd drawn out all the money and had It safe. Just to humor him, I said I hnd. lie tried to say something after thnt, but It wasn't much use. The first thing we knew he'd passed out. That's where Hnrry Is now took him over to the mortuary. There, Isn't anybody named Barnham, Is there?" "Barnham?" The name hnd awak-ened recollections for Falrchlld; "why he's the fellow that " But Anita cut In. "He's a lawyer In Denver. They've been sending all the Income from stock sales to him for deposit. If Mnurlce asked If he'd gotten the money out It must mean that they meant to run with all the proceeds. We'll have to telephone Denver." The message went through. Then the two sheriffs rose and looked at their revolvers. "Now for the tough one." Bardwell made the remark, and Mason smiled grimly. Falrchlld rose and went to them. t "May I go along?" "Yes, but not the girl Not this time." Anita did not demur. Falrchlld walked to her side. "You won't run away," he begged. "I'll be right here," she answered, and with thnt assurance, he followed the other two men out Into the night Far down the street, where the rather bleak outlines of the hotel showed bleaker than ever In the frigid night, a light was gleaming In a secon-d- story window. Mason turned to his fellow sheriff. "He usually stays there. That must be him waiting for tbe kid." The three entered. Tiptoeing, they went to the door and knocked. A high-pitche- d voice came from within. "That you. Muurlce?" Falrchlld answered In the best Imi-tation he could give. "Yes. I've got Anita with me." Steps, then the door opened. For Just a second Squint Rodalne stared at them In ghnstly, sickly fashion. Then he moved back into the room, still facing them. "What's the Idea of this?" came his forced query. Falrchlld stepped for-ward. "Simply to tell you that every-thing's blown up as far as you're concerned. Mr. Rodalne." "You needn't be so dramatic about It, You act like I'd committed a mur-der! What 've I done that you should " "Just a minute, I wouldn't try to net Innocent. For one thing, I hap-pened to he In the same bouse with you one night when you showed Crazy Laura, your wife, bow to make people Immortal. And we'll probably learn a few more things about your character when we've gotten buck there and Interviewed " He stopped his accusations to leap forward, clutching wildly. But In vain. With a lunge, Squint Rodalne hnd turned, then, springing high from the floor, hnd seemed to double In the air as be crushed through the big pane of the window and out to the twenty-foo- t plunge which awaited him. Hur-riedly Ihey gained the window, but al-ready the form of Rodalne hnd un-rolled Itself from the snow bnnk Into wldch It bad fullen, dived beneath the protection of the low coping which ran ubove the first-floo- r windows of the hotel, skirted the building In safety nnd whirled Into the alley that lay be-yond. Squint Rodalne was gone, 1'rnntlcnlly, Fnlrcfdld turned for the door, but a big hand stopped him. "Ixt him go let him think he's got-ten away," said grizzled Sheriff Mason. "He ain't got a chance. There's snow everywhere nnd we can tmil him like u hound lnwg trnlllng a rabbit. AnJ I think I know where he's bound for. Whatever thnt was you said about Crazy Laura hit awful close to borne. It nln't going to be bard to find thai rattler 1" 1 (TO liE CONTINUED.) "It'd take half an hour to get the operator out of bed ofllce Is closed. Nope. We'll take the short cut And we'll beat him there by a half-hou- r 1" Anita started. "You mean the Argonaut tunnel?" "Yes. Call up there and tell them to get a motor ready for us to shoot straight through. We can make It at thirty miles on hour, and the skip In the Reunion mine villi get us to the surface In five minutes. The tunnel ends sixteen hundred feet under-ground, about a thousand feet, from Center City," he explained, as he noted Falrchlld's wondering gnze. "You stay here. Til be getting my car warmed up to take us to the tunnel." A thumping sound came from with-out Harry entered with his two charges, followed shortly by Bardwell, the sheriff, while Just bensath the of-fice window a motor roared in the process of "warming up." A moment more and a steel door clanged upon the two men, while the officer led the way to his motor car. ,Thre he looked quizzically at Anita Richmond, piling without hesitation Into the front scat "You going too?" "I certnlnly am," and she covered her Intensity with a laugh, "there are a number of things that I want to say to Mr. Mnurlce Uodalne and I haven't the pntlence U wait I" ' Bardwell chuckled. The doors of the car slammed and the engine roared louder than ever. Soon they were churning along through the driving snow toward tbe great buildings of the Argonaut Tunnel company, fur at the other end of town. There men awaited them, and a trnm motor, to-gether with Its operator. The four pursuers took their places on the lencbes of the enr behind the motoc The trolley was attached. Then clat-tering over the frogs, green lights Mashing from the trolley wire, the speeding Journey was begun. Three miles, four, five, while Anita Iflchmond held close to Fulrchlld as the speed became greater and the sparks from the wire above threw their gretn, vicious ll'ht over the yawning stretch before tl em. A last spurt, slightly down-grad- with the motor pushing the wheels at their greatest velocity; then the crackling of elec-tricity suddenly censed, the motor stowed in Its progress, finally to stop. A greasy being faced them and Bnrd-well- . the Kherlff, shouted his mission. "Oot to catch some people thnt ore making a getaway through Center i City. Can you send us up In the skip" "Yes, two at a time." "All right!" Tbe sheriff turned to Harry. "You and I'll go on the first rip nnd husry fo; ths Ohadl ronil. Falrchlld and Miss Richmond will wait or the second and go to Sheriff Ma-son's ofllce nnd tell him what's up. Meet us there," be said to Fulrchlld, as be went forward. A long wait followed while Falrchlld strove to talk of many things nnd lulled In all of them. Things were happening too swiftly for them to be put Into crisp sentences by a man whose thoughts were muddled by tbe fact thnt beside him waited a girl In a whipcord riding suit the same girl who bad leaped from an automobile, on the Denver highway and It erysiallzed things for him momen-tarily. "I'm going to ask you something after a while something tbut I've wondered and wondered about 1 know It wasn't anything but " She laughed at him. "You really didn't think I was the Smelter bandit, did you?" "Darned if I know what I thought. And 1 don't know what I think yet." "It's very, very nwful I" came In a low, mock-awe- voice. "ltut " then the laugh came uguln "maybe If you're good and well, maybe I'll tell you ufter a while." 'Honest?" "Of course I'm honest 1 Isn't t'nnt i lie nklp?" Falrchlld walked to the skip, stepped nnd lifted Anita to his side. The Journey was uiude la darkness ! Jilt "That's Maurlcel I Got a Glimpse-- of .. . His Facel" ... ... .,.1 because I ain't tried to learn any-thing more than I could help. But I'll give up everything I've got" "And how about him?" Falrchlld pointed to Blindeye, Just regaining consciousness. Taylor BUI nodded. "He'll tell he'll have to." They trussed the big miner then, and drngg ng Bozeman to his feet started out of the cross-cu- t with them, Har-ry's carbide pointing tbe way through the blind door and Into the main tun-nel. Then they hnlted to bundle themselves tighter against the cold blast that was coming from without. On to the mouth of the mine. Then they stopped short. A figure showed In the dnrknewH on horseback. An electr'c flushlighi suddenly flared agnlnst tbe gleam of the carbide. An exclamation, an ex-cited commnnd to the lu.rse. and the rider wheeled, rushing down the mmm tnln side, urging his mount to dan-gerous leaps, sending him plunelna through drifts where n misstep might menn denth, fleeing for the main road again. Anita Richmond screamed: "Thnt's Mnurlce t I got a. glltnp-- e of his face I He's gotten away go after him somebody go af'er h'tnl" But It wns useless. The hoiseman hnd made the road and was spce lliu down It. Rushing ahead of the nth ers. Fa'rchlld gained a point of vant-age where be could watch the fading blnck smudge of the horse and rider as It went on nnd on along the mck rood, finally to reach the main e and turn swiftly. Then he went buck to Jo'n the others. "Tle'p tn'ten tli ('enter City r"' !" enme bis announcement. "Ia there a turn-of- f on It anywhere?" "No." Anita gave the uuswer. "It goes straight through but bell hove u hard time making it there in this blizzard. If we only hud horses!" "They wouldn't do us much good now! Climb mi my back. You can handle these two men alone?" This tn his partner. The Cornlshmuu grunt ed. "Yes. They wen't start anything. Why?" "I'm going to take Miss Richmond and hurry ahead to the sheriff's office. He m'ght not believe me. ?lut he'll tuke her word and that'll m sufficient until you get there with the prisoners. I've got to persuade him to telephone to Center City and heud off theKo-dalnesl- " CHAPTER XIX He stooped and Anita, lnnghlng at ber posture, clambered upon bis back, her arms about his neck. Falrchlld found himself wishing that be could carry ner forever, and that the rond to tbe sheriffs office were twenty mile-- ' away Instead of two. But her voice cut In on bis wishes. "I etui walk now. We enn get nlong o much faster!" came her plea. "I'll hold on to you and you can help me long." released her and she seized "We've Got to Follow." that's why they Btnrted this two--t million-dolla- r stock proposition when they found they couldn't do It. They knew If we ever 'It that velu It wouldn't be any time until they'd be caught on the Job. Thnt's why they're ready to pull out with somebody else's million. They're getting at the end of their rope. Another thing; that explains them working at night." Anltn gritted her teeth. "I see It now I enn get the reason. They've been telephoning Denver and holding conferences and all that sort of thing. And they planned to leave these two men behind here to tuke nil tbe. blame." They'll get enough of It!" added Harry grimly. "They're miners. They ciisjtd see ttiat they were making a ( might crosscut tunnel on to our vuin. They ain't no children, UUidcye i: f promise that If you tell the whole truth, we'll do what we can to get you leniency. So tell the truth; weren't you the man who held up the Old Times dance?" Taylor Bill's breath traveled slow-ly past his bruised lips. "Rodalne gave me a hundred dol-lars to pull It" came finally. "And you stole the horse and everyt-hing-" "And cached the stuff by the Blue I'oppy, so's I'd get the blame?" llurrv wiggled his mustache fiercely. "Tell It or I'll pound your 'cad Into a Jelly !" "That's about the size of It." 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