Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1914-12-11

ttulVeIa nNtutuiit I'D Hcloit Icit the Cnti
Of this lack OF interest and would GER
tainly have fallen down on bis part
had he not been prompted by Mrs.
DarneIL Ho was glad TO hasten away
: 70 find the elusive taxi
The real George Everett got out Of
his limousine on the corner OF Wander
bilt avenue and hurried through the
revolving doors; brisk, debonaIr. alert.
decided; with that happy style which
denies foppery and avoids surveillance.
Il seemed strange that be should have
a photograph Ia his hand at which be
looked intently nntil he rot In the con-
course. There he stopped and. with the
picture stili In his hand. commenced
watching the faces Of the people
thronging through the gates under the
vnst dome As he waited be frowned
slightly. why had Joan Dorr sent
him during business hours on Wild
goose chaser He thought OF this az.
ticulately and then smiled to himself.
"A Wild gooser' be muttered II
brought up darkling sunset vistaa.
lakes smooth as quicksilver under the
evening sky. and slim. gray. beautiful
birds hOming downward. The frown
left his forehead.
'AfteF all II VIII be good TO see some
body from out of DOORS" he said 70
himself
Half an hour later be discovered that
be had irretrievabiy missed the ar
rival Of the Chicago express ana with
Il Ruth Gallon. He went bnck into
his ear and drove to his Office. Once
there be called bis hend clerk. an an
Client and fragile man. as crisp and
bl0odless as the money that passes on
Wall street. and told him to see at
what hotel Miss Ruth Gallon was stop
ping Then be wired John DOrr:
III Broadway, New York.
John Dorr. Master Key" Nina Silent
Valley. Cal,
Could not hnd Miss Gallon at train. Am
seeking for hor. as u 10 important that
the business be settled immediately. Wire
any possible address
GEORGE EvERETr.
Far out on Broadway. above the
eighties. an operator was ticking OF
another message addressed to Harry
wilkerson. II read:
% ~ w est IAEUkL~loufNn 0la hUW
Harry Wilkerson. MASTER Key Mine. via
Vale Vista. CAL;
Everything all right George met Ruth
She is now with mo and waiting further
particulars Have seen Everett under
guise OF prospective purchaser Of stock
The giri Is charming.
Some houses. Ike some people. should
never be Illumined with sunshine. and
Mrs. Darnell's residence, overlooking
the Hudson. was Of this type Its dull.
red stone front. marked by windows
that seemed blind to ali that went by.
was not distinctive In that neighbor.
hood. A thousand doors within a ynile
would have suggested to the passerby
nothing more nor less than the great
oak portals within which she lived. To
Ruth Gallon. OF course. the house
seemed tremendously formal and state
Iy. Within she found an atmosphere
so absolutely strange and alien to all
she had ever known that she shrank
within herself and had nothing to say
until she bad been conducted to her
own room on the third door and a dis
Greet maid was busy unpacking her
things. Ruth felt that society had al
ready laid its restrictions on her. She
recognized the maid as the gown and
hat" policeman
This silent. but exceedingly obtrusive
parsonage having retired at last Ruth
studied her surroundings. When she
had completed her survey she thought
m horuolf that fho~n xr,<.sa fxun fhfrs no
wanting One was a silk haired Per
sian cat and the other flaming color
ed scarf across the bed that completed
the altogether OF an apartment severe
ly luxurious. Then she tried to ana
lyze the odor. delicate yet, insistent.
which she was ever afterward to asso-
ciate with Jean Darnell and her expe-
rience In New York.
At last she traced 1t to some pallid
flowers In the great green and dark red
vase. whose unwholesome beauty was
| that OF plants whose roots have never
been In good. sound soil They looked
to her much like lilies. whose pads had
foated on some dark and opalescent
pool. viscid with odors of the night
She was still staring at these and
smiling their scent through widened
nostrils when Mira Darnell knocked on
the door and entered slowly. She had
changed her street gown for negligee.
which instantly caught the girls ap-
preciative eye
"You look beautiful" she said quick
". Jean DarneIl turned her tawny
eyes on her and smiled faintly.
IL am not usually up until noon," she
responded. "and-I am getting old. my
dear" She threw out her 1eweled
hands with sparkling gesture Of half
comic resignation Ruth laughed
"John Dorr says everybody gets old
In New York Don't you Ike him7"
Mrs. Darnell looked into the clear
eyes of the girl and almost failed to
follow her baser instinct Hut at that
loose throat she saw the heavy gold of
"The Master Key" AS II II had su-
pernatural powers. the sight of that
key locked the door OF her heart "Of