Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, August 1, 1922, Page 2

3 ' dgn't you? They made a strike there tod & - Queen. -If it hadn't been for you—" . always ‘get out.” The voice was_high . and welrd now. " sayer's, so I understand, when you M1t donmt make any difference! 1 ain’t “going to stand: for it! Why djin’t you walt until they were both | there?” . “9I—] thought they were, Roady!" The' -woman's voice = was Wwhining, pleading. “Ain’t you going to kiss me?”’ “No, I ain't golng to kiss you. You ‘went_and made a mess of. things.” ‘- 'You kissed me the night our boy was iborn. . Remember that, Roady? Don't;you :remember, lew you kissed my n? g were ‘a different ‘'woman then. - You'd fo ‘what 1'd tell you." “But 1 do now, Ready. Honest, 1 Tl do anything you tell me to— ’ll. just be good to me. Why don’t you hold me in your arms any A scuffiing sound came. from above, Fairchild knew that she had made an offort to clasp>him to her, and that he had thrust her away. The voices came closer. “You know what you got us into, same value as in the Sllver “But they get out someway—they “They’re immortal, That's ‘what they are—they’re immor- tal. ‘They bave the gift—they can get opt—" . g . “Bogh! Course they get out when you walt until after they're gone. Why, one of ’em was downtown at the as- went in.there.” % o f t the other—he’s immortal. He ) w're crazy ““Yeés, crazy!” She suddenly shrieked &t the word. “That's what they all " epll. me—Crazy Laura. ' But T ain't— liepr me—I ain't! T know—they're Im- morta),” just like the “others were im- 1 I can't hold 'em when| they've - 8pirit, that/ riges "aboye—T'Vé .. pin't. T-and' T've only gat onet®. ~“One?” Squint’s voice became: sud- denly ‘excited. ' “One—what one?” “I'm’pot golng to tell. ' But I know— T know!” - . il There ' was stlence -then for ‘a mo- ment, and Fairchild, huddled in the darkness bhelow, felt the creeping, crawling: chill of horror pass over him a8 hedistened. Above were a rogue and. a lunatic, discussing hetweén them' what, at times, seemeql to con- cern him and his partner; more, it seemed to go back to other @ays, when other men had worked the Flue Poppy and met. misfortunes. ! Squint Rodaine was talking again. “So you're pot going to tell me about ‘the one’, eh? What have you got this door shut for?” “No door's shut.” “It is—don’t you think I can see? This door leading into the front room.” The sound of heavy shoes, followed by a lighter tread. Then a scream above which could be heard the jan- gling of a rusty lock and the bumping of a shoulder ngainst wood. High and strident came Crazy Laura's volce: “Stay out of there—I tell you, Roady! Stay out of there! It's some- thing that mortals shouldn't see—it's something—stay out—stay out!” “I won't—unlock this door!"” “I can’t do it—the time hasn’t ¢ome yet—I mustn't—" “You won't—well, there's another way.” A crash, the sudden, stumbling feet of a man, then the scratching of a match and an exdlamation: “So this 1s your immortal, eh?” Otly a moaning answered, moanihg intermingled with some vague form of & weird chant, the words of which Fatrchild in the musty, dark hall be-. low could not distinguish. At last came Squint’s voice again, this time in softened tones: + “Laura—Laura, Honey.” ' y 1/ “Yes, Squint.” f i “Why dldn't you tell your sweet- heart about this?* “I' mustn't—you've spolled it now, Roady.” “No—Honey. I can show you the way. He's nearly gone. What were you golng to do when he ‘went—1?" “He'd have dissolved in air, Roady— X know. The spirits have told me! “Perhaps so."” The voijce of the scar-| faced, mean-visaged Squint Rodaine] was_stlll honeyed, stilL cajoling. “Per-‘ haps so—but not at once. Isn't there & barrel of lime in the basement?": “Yes “Come downstalirs They started ‘doy Falrchild watched them pass, Rodaine in the lead, carrying a smoking lamp with Its half-broken chimney careen- ing on the base, Crazy Laura, mun- bling her toothless gums, her hag:like hands extended before her, shuffling dlong In the rear) He heard them go far to the rear of the house, then de- ‘scend more stalys. And he went flat to his stomach ‘on the floor, with his édr against a tiny chink that he might hear the betten. Squint still was talk- 1 his lovipg toges. _ l§h me.” ““Tyat wasa long tine ago, and you |- ward - then, and | | I | “What Have You Got This Door Shut For?” —T've broken the spell by going In up- stairs. You should have told me. I dign't know—I just thought—well, I thought there was some one In there you liked, and I got jealous.” “Did you, Roady?” she cackled. *Did you?”’ X 3oy “Yes—I dldn't know you had him, there. And you were making him im- mortal ?” SR “ found him, Roady. His eyes were shut, and, hie was bleeding. It was at dusk, and nobody saw him when I car- ried him In here. Then I started giv- ing him' the ‘herbs—" 4 4 - “Thap :yohiwe. gathered ' arodnit’ ‘at night?” “Yes—where the dead sleep, I get the red berries most. That's the blood of the dead, come to life again.” The quaking, crazy volice from be- low caused Fairchild to shiver with a sudden ' cold that ‘no warmth could eradicate, Still, however, he lay there " | vealed why ‘the search ' through the | statis,~a" ri€ scaiapering before i | fhan that ‘he; sheaked along the wall; hands ex- tended, groping for:that broken door, finally tofind it. Cautlously he peered within, striving in:vain:to plerce the darkness. ‘At last, listening intently for the singing from below, he drew . a match from his pocket and scratched it noiselessly on his trousers. Them, holding it, high above his head, he {looked toward.the hed—and stared in ;horror! ac A : # A bloodibgicrusted : face showed on {the sliplggs pillow, iforehead), 4 wound. | 'breathi w71 'qfltn iThe fornt ' wasy| closed. And r.l" gg’ gflln—yl st s i open, v§/[and -labote 1, the eyes as that' of i CHAI Vil So this explail fter ‘a fashion, Harry's _disappearance. This jre- mountains had fafled. This— But Fairchild suddenly realized that now was not a time. for. conjecturing upon the past. The man on. the bed was unconscious, incapable of helping himself. . Far below, ,a white-haired woman, her toothless jaws uttering one -weird- ‘chant after another, was digging for, him a quicklime grave, in the insane bellef that she was aiding in accomplishing some miracle of im- 'mortality. In tlme—and Fairchild did not know how. long—anill-visaged, scar-faced: man: would return to help her ‘carry ‘the Inert frame of the un- conscious fan below and bury it. Ner could Fairchiid fell from the -conver- sation whether he ‘even- Intended to perform the 'merciful qet of killing the poor, broken being before he covered it with aclds and quick-eating lime in a grave that sgon would remove all vestige of - human ‘idéntity forever. Certainly now was not a time 7Zor thought ; it was on€ for action! And for caution. Instinct told Fair. child that for the' present, at least, Rodaine must belleve that Harry hal escaped unaided. There were too many other things-in which Robert felt sure Rodaine had played a part; too many other mysterlous happenitigs which must he met and coped with, before the man -of the blue-white scar could know that finally the underling was beginning to”show fight, that at last the crushed liad ‘begun to rise, Fairchild bent and unlaced his shoes, taking off also the heéavy woolen socks ‘which’ protected his feet from the biting cold. Steeling himselt’ to the ordeal which he must undergo, -he tled the laces together and slung.the footgear ‘over a shoulder. Then he wert ‘to the’ bed. Al e : As carefully as’ possible, he wrapped Harry in the’blankets, seeking to pro- tect " him in’ every. ‘way against the cold." With a great .effort, he lifted him, the 'sick man’s:frame huddled in his arms like some gigantic baby, and started - otit - of--the; .eerie; “darkened hogse. Y4 4 f L n i a4 “Theétiiks-tiie “Tafding—the Nan! Then a query from below : . «“Is that you, Roady?” o The breath pulled sharp into Fair- child's lungs. He answered in the bdst imitation he could give of the vdice of Squint Rodaine: “Yes. - Go on . with your digging, Honey. ' I'll be there soon.” AV [ child went to the hospital, and. to the. THE BEMIDJI DAILY PIONEER e lb'fifi\’fimfi’e T away! Grateful, Hghter in heart thun he had been' for days, Fairchild plodded along the ‘road in the tracks of the ambau- | lance, as it headed back for town. The news already had spread by the tlme he reached there; news travels fast in a small mining camp. Fai side of the cot where Harry had been taken, to find the doctor there before | him, already bandaging'the:wound on Harry’s head and looking ‘with con- cern now_ andl'ghen at _tlie puplls of the unconsclons man's eyes. “Are! you g to stay here’ with him¥’ the peiclan asked. + “Yes,” Faffehild' sald, in spite of aching fat 2'and heavy eyes. The doctor nod “Good. going to | n't know. whether’ ho's through or’ not. ‘01 g “J Don't Know:Whether He's Going to Pull Thyough or Not.” course, I can't’say—but it looks to me from his breathing and bis heart ac- tion that he's' not suffering as much .from this wound as he is from some sort of poisoning. “We've giveni -him apomorphine and it ‘should begih. to take effect soon. We're using the batteries too. You say that you're going to be here? That's a help. -They’re shy a nurse on this_floor tonight, and I'm-having a pretty:busy thne of it. I'm very much afraid that poor old Judge Richmond's going to. lay down his cross before morning.” 2 5 R “He's dying?” Fairchild said it with a clutchjng ' sensation at his’ throat, The_physician nodded. “There's-hardly a chance for him.” ‘ The phyllélg‘n went, and Fairchild took his plac€ besid® the bed of the “ifidonseious™ Puiry, N5 mind divided between concern for his faithful part- ner and ‘the girl who, some time in the night, must:say good-by forever to the father she loved. : _ Judge Richmond was dying.” What would that mean? ‘'What effect would it have upon the engagement of Anita and-the ‘man Fajrchild hoped that she Fargo, lstening, fearful that every move from below might bring a cessation of thelr conversation. But Rodaine talked on. “Of course T know. But I've spolled that now. There's another way, Laura. Get that spade. - See, the dirt's soft here: Dig.a hole about four feet deep |of the spade as It sank into the earth | yse these batteries for me. Put them and six or seven feet long.. Fhen_put half that lime from the barrel in there. Understand?” “What fory” - i w “It's the only way now; we'll have to do that. It's the other way to Im- mortality. You've given him herbs?” “Yes.” “Then this is the end. See? Now do that, won't you, Honey?" “You'll kiss me, Roady?" “There!” The faint sound of a kiss came from below. “And there's an- other one. And another!” “Just like the night our boy was born. Don't you remember how you bent over and kissed me then and held me in your arms?”’ ¥ “I'm holding you that way now, Honey—Jjust the same way that I held you the night our boy was born. And Il help you with this. You dig the hole and put half the lime in there— don't put it all. We'll need the rest to put on top of him. Yow'll have it'done in about two hours. There's some- thing else needed—some acld that I've got to get. It'll make it all the quick- er. T'll bw back, Honey. Kiss me.” Falrchild, seeking to still the hor- ror-laden quiver of his body, heard the sound of a kiss and then the clat- ter of a man's heavy shoes on the stairs, accompanied by & slight clink from below. He knew that sound— the scraping of the steel of a spade agalnst the earth as it was dragged into use. A motent moré and Ro- daine, munibling to himself, passed the door. But the woman did not come upstairs, Fairchild knew why; her .crazed | mind zwas. following. .the in- ructions- of the ‘Who'knew how! to lead the lunatie': the | channels he’dé i ghy gging, digging a grave for 4o} &; grave “be lined with quicklinje 3 0+ had un- ot In ntions kS £ i of “the ugly pols bréwed—some, oinie -who mnow . was doomed- to dle. and-to: lie ‘ina-quick- “And you'll kiss me?” “Yes. Just like I kissed you the night our boy was born.” It was sufficient. ‘The chanting be- gan agaln, accompanied by the swish angd '_the cludding roll of the clods as they were thrown to one side. Falr- child gained the door. A moment more and he staggered with his burden into'the way he acts, there's some sort of the protecting darkness of the night, The snow crept about his ankles, L'wnat it ls—except that it acts like a the | seeming to freeze 'them at every | narcotic. And about the only way we touch, but Fairchild did not desist. His original purpose must be carried out if Rodaine were not to know—the ap- pearance that Harry had aroused him- self sufficiently to wrap the blankets about him and wander off by himself. ' And this could be accomplished only by the pain and cold and torture of a barefoot trip, Some way, by shifting the big frame of his unconscious partner now and then, Fairchild made the trip to the main road and veered toward the pumphouse of the Diamond J. mine, running as it often did without at- tendance while the engineer made a trip with the electric motor into the hill. Cautiously he peered through the windows. No one was there. Be- yond lay warmth and comfort—and a telephone. Falrchild went within and placed Harry on the floor. Then he reached for the phone and called the hospital. “Hello!” he announced in a husky, disguised voice. "“This Is Jeb Gresham of Georgeville, I've just found a man lying by the side of the Diamond J. pumphouse, unconscious, with a big cut in his head. I've, brought him in- side. You'll find him there; I've got to go on. Looks like he's liable to die unless you can send the ambulance for him.” ¢ “We'll’ make it a rush trip,” came the answer, and Fairchild hung up the phone, to rub his half-frozen, aching feet a moment, then to reclothe them in the socks and shoes, watching the | entrance of the Diainond J. tunnel as* he fidl so. A long minute—then he left the pumphouse, made a few tracks in the snow around 'the entrance, and ed swittly down the road. Fifteen ‘minutes;later, from a hiding place at “drugs she | the side of the Clear creek bridge, he saw the lights of the ambulance as it swerved to the pumphouse. Out came lime’ grave! Carefully Fairchild gained | the stretcher. The attendants went in his feet; then, as silently as possible, he made for the rickety" stairs, covery from below. come; the4nsane woman was chanting louder than ever now. Fairchild went | on. _.He felt his way up ng stop- | came forth agaln, ing now and again to lMsten for dis-| °f Harry Harkins, e - But. it did not | Fairchild began to Dbeat once more search of the Injured man, When they they bore the form and the heart of with something resembling regularity. detested? What—then ‘he “turned- at the entrance of the interne with the batteries. N “It you're going to be here all night” said the white-coated indi- vidual, “It'll hélp me out a lot if you'll on at their full force and apply them to his cheeks, his hands, his wrists and the soles of his feet alternately. From morphinic poisoning. ‘We can't - tell ¢an pull him out is with these appli- catlons.” Y The fnterne turned over the bat- teries and went on about -his work, while Fairchild, hoping with his heart thet he had not.placed an impediment in the way of Harry’s recovery by not telling what he knew of Crazy Laura and her concoctlions, began his task. Midhight came and early. morning. With -dawn, the figure on the bed stirred slightly and groaned. Fair- child looked up, to see the doctor just entering. i “I think he's regaining conscious- ness.” G AR “Good.” The physician brought forth his hypodermic, “That means a bit of fest for me. A little shot in the arm, and he ought 'to be out of danger in a few hours.” Fairchild watched him as he boiled the needle over the little gas Jet at the head of the cot, then dissolved a white pellet preparatory to sending & resuscitory fluld into Harry’s arm. “You've been to Judge Richmond’s?” he asked at last. “Yes” Then the doctor’ stepped close to the bed. “I've just closed his eyes—forever.” H Ten minutes later, after another ex- amination of Harry’s pupils, he was gone, a weary, tired figuré, stumbling home to his rest—rest that might be disturbed at any moment—the rewnrd of the physiclan. As for Fairchild, he sat a long time in thought, striving to find some way to send consolation to the girl who was grieving now, strug- gling to figure a means of telling her that ‘he cared, that he was. sorry, and that his heart hurt too. But there was _none, | Agaln a moan from the man on the ‘bed. and at last a slight resistance to Ithe sting of the batteries. An hour passed, two; gradually Harry came to |himself, to stare about him in a won- dering, vacant' manner and then to \fasten his eyes upon Fairchild. He {geemed to be struggling for speech, for co-ordination of ideas. Finally, after 'many minutes— His partner—at léast such was his hope and his prayer—was on the way | to aid and to recovery, while Squint (; 'Rodaine _would_ know. nothing other “That’s you, -Boy?” “Yes, Harry.” “But where are wet . - Py BT Ok VB {knocked out. {you've been?” “I don't. knmow anything since I sitd down the wall.” “Since you what?’ | i “But Harry had lapsed into semi- iconsclousness again. {until late in the night after the rescue, ifollowing a’ few hours of rest forced upon him by the'interne, that Fair- child once more could converse W his stricken partner, ;. f . “It's something T'll ’ave to show you to explain,” ‘sald Harry., “I can’t tell you about it. ¢ little fissure I8 ‘We're rich, ;Hsrry,l than I'ever dreamed we could be. The ore’s a8 good. as that of the Silver anbscribe pen?’ asked Harry, %:l: “Everything in ened. I—but what did the assay show?” Fairchild reachedh fo! hand on the brawny one of his part- tor The Dasrz Ploneer “Were In_a hospltal, and you're Don't you know where And it was not he sald, “richer AMBITIOUS GIRLS " MAKING GOOD ElsaSchumacher was encouraged o enrbll at Dakota Business College, N. D., by her two sisters’ success. ‘Both were D. B. C. pupils. Miss Minnie began as bookkeeper for the Standard Oil Co. She be- .came chief accountant. Miss Bertha began as stemographer at the -Stone Piano Co., and now does secretarial work. Miss Elsa is office woman at Dunn’s Summer Lodge. Mr. Dunn and his sister are D. B. *‘Follow the $ucce$sful,”’ girls. 40 D. B. C. women have bank officers. Write F. L. Watkins, Pres., 806 Front St., Fargo, N, D. rth and lald a ih know from making not to exce CHIPPEWA though predictions to t! TRADING CO. Red Lake Qil Company' (Indiana) to_o, Only a lé.r can provi 5?1 Company in advance, t! Standard Both become fifteen (15) BETTER cigarettes ' for 10¢ Every cigarette full weight and full size CopyriGHT 1922, LicGeTT & Mrers Toracco Co. 7 You WANT TO RENT. BUY. SELL OR TRADE. ADVERTISE v, Only Two Months Gasoline Supply Actually Stored . It is true that there is a fairly large storage on hand but when, this storage Is set . the consumption its relative size'diminishes rapidly. Between January 1 and June 1 the sto gasoline was increased about 270,000,000 ns, while the monthly con t 5 224,000,000 gallons; but ddring June the con- sumption waslargely increased whilet! remained stationary. During the six weeks storage has decreasedi aswa’stpb’:setxpected, andrfalfis decrease will continue until late in the fall. Here are the most recent statistics taken U. S. Bureau-of Mines: . ' Gasoline Stocks, Jan - - . 586,087,132 guohh:(sicnsum{;z%nl.gfin. 1922 - 274,844,808 o Gasoline Stocks, June 1, 1922 - - 507,! Gasoline Consumption, May, 1922 499142,343 - The June consumption figures compiled by the Bureau of Mines are not yet av: ut we our own records that consumption is heavy inroads into stocks. Even at the present rate of consumption there is ) exceed 60 days supply in stomfig, which for this time of the year is abnormally low. Re- ports from refining areas indicate that refineries all over the country:are being run to capacity, and we do_not anticipate a gasoline 'sh It has-always been the practice of thé Standard toasnear capacity as possible during the months of low consumption in order that it might have on hand adequate supplies during periods of great copsumption. - and efficiently organized company facilities which i ess of demand. It is because the Standard Indiana) alwaysi.sworkxf;lzf, months steady, constant, dependable service. 910 So. Mich Know where thot UCH has been said during thie past few:'} nging wall, |i; Side weeks mgecting thevast ‘amoflt-»"ef - gasoline: in . storage; jand manyhave ;, drawn conclissions from these statements which f “are not justified by the facts. . ; this storage is set against e of tion ine but the storage from the reports of the 856,607,102 ¢ ilable but we - t effect are being made. te its refineries insure_service re- t it can promise at times a - '(S)d‘_il) Company igan Ave., Chicago 9841 Read Tho Fionger Want Ads “atter Turkish or Virginia r Burley