ot filled. The immortal thing left
me. I knew it would. Roady had come and told me to dig a grave and
put it in there. I did. We filled it with quicklime. Then we went
upstairs and it was gone. I do not understand it. If Roady wanted me
to kill him, why did n't he say so. I will kill if Roady will be good
to me. I 've killed before for him."

"Still referring to somebody she 's killed," cut in Anita. "I wonder
if it could be possible--"

"I 've just thought of the date!" Harry broke in excitedly. "It was
along about June 7, 1892. I 'm sure it was around there."

The old books were mulled over, one after the other. At last Bardwell
leaned forward and pointed to a certain page.

"Here's an item under May 28. It says: 'Roady has been at me again!
He wants me to fix things so that the three men in the Blue Poppy mine
will get caught in there by a cave-in.'" The sheriff looked up. "This
seems to read a little better than the other stuff. It's not so
jagged. Don't guess she was as much off her nut then as she is now.
Let's see. Where 's the place? Oh, yes: 'If I 'll help him, I can
have half, and we 'll live together again, and he 'll be good to me and
I can have the boy. I know what it's all about. He wants to get the
mine without Sissie Larsen having anything to do with it. Sissie has
cemented up the hole he drilled into the pay ore and has n't told
Fairchild about it, because he thinks Roady will go partnerships with
him and help him buy in. But Roady won't do it. He wants that extra
money for me. He told me so. Roady is good to me sometimes. He
kisses me and makes over me just like he did the night our boy was
born. But that's when he wants me to do something. If he 'll keep his
promise I 'll fix the mine so they won't get out. Then we can buy it
at public sale or from the heirs; and Roady and I will live together
again.'"

"The poor old soul," there was aching sympathy in Anita Richmond's
voice. "I--I can't help it if she was willing to kill people. The
poor old thing was crazy."

"Yes, and she 's 'ad us bloody near crazy too. Maybe there 's another
entry."

"I 'm coming to it. It's along in June. The date 's blurred. Listen:
'I did what Roady wanted me to. I sneaked into the mine and planted
dynamite in the timbers. I wanted to wait until the third man was
there, but I could n't. Fairchild and Larsen were fussing. Fairchild
had learned about the hole and wanted to know