The Argosy, Vol. 76, No. 3 — page 61: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

GOLD GRABBERS. “Come in here.’ called the girl from a granite overhang. He stepped under the rock. In the half gloom a hand reached his and led him on and on into blank darkness. As he stumbled forward he reached out with his free hand and ran it gropingly over a ragged wall. Won- der gripped him. They were in a tunnel. Hard on the heels of wonder came a flash of hope and exultation. CHAPTER XVII, A WOMAN'S SACRIFICE. “Wuo- ran this tunnel into the gully wall, Miss Mallory?” Bremerton, in his excitement over this new discovery, forgot the dangers that had driven them into that sub- terranean refuge. His voice rang joyfully between the narrow walls, and the girl must have realized the trend of his thoughts. “My father and I,” she answered quietly, “dug and blasted our way into the heart of the hill.” “Tt’s Deane’s ground! This is the lost vein, the bonanza ledge, I’ve been hunting for! I had an idea all the time that you and your father knew where it was—that you must know where it was. “What did you do with the waste you took out of the bore? No one could look into the gully and even suspect that mining operations had been going on. Why did you mask the work? Why have you made a secret of it?” She had dropped his hand. Almost fiercely her voice leaped at him— “T had to bring you here in order to save your life. Are you going to take advantage of the sacrifice and wreck the Mallorys completely? Car- ruthers knew nothing about this vein. I found it. Our only weapon against Deane, all we could use in defending our rights, has been this secret of the hills, Are you going to turn that weapon against us? ” 581 Under the torrent of those hot words something like shame rose in his breast. She had saved his life at the expense of a golden secret, care- fully guarded. Was he more indebted to her, who had rescued him, than to Deane, his employer? Mariquita interpreted his silence as favoring her interests and her father’s. Her voice lost some of its sharpness as she went on. | “We are safe here. The wretches in the gully will not show themselves— they never do. They plot and kill from cover. Once seen they could be run to earth, identified, and made to suffer from what they have done and are doing. ‘“‘ Eager as they are to destroy you, Mr. Bremerton, they are more eager to keep themselves out of any entan- glement with the law. They know how -hard the law would deal with them— on Griggsby’s account. Just a moment! There are candles and matches here, and I want you to see everything and to know everything. I think you will listen to me now.” He could hear her moving around near the opposite wall. Presently she came back to him. “A light might be seen from the overhang,” said she, “so we will not make one until we round the angle of the wall, a little way ahead. Come!” She took his hand as before and led him forward and around a sharp turn. Half a dozen steps farther, and they halted again. “First,” Mariquita observed, “let me tell you how I happened to be in the swale. I don’t have to tell you what happened to Latey in answering a similar note of mine. You thought evil of me in that matter. It was in my mind this morning. : “T knew you. were threatened, and that a blow might fall while you were on the way to the canon. But I had to ask you to come to me, for you had .made it impossible for me to come to the mine. I was anxious to learn whether you had faith enough in me— COMicdoo S CO@