Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1914-12-17

up ln tniA uudI. Tom 9aiI0n never
walked like that"
He rode slowly down the steep bill
till he reached the pumping engine
Bill Tubbs. the bulky. sodden faced
engineer. came TO the doorway.
IFS this The Master KeyY" de
manded Wilkerson.
at certainly Is" was the response
= "And-old Tom Gallon runs tip
Wilkerson pulled out a flask. dIvinlng
Bin Tubbs ruling vice. and the en-
gineer. after long drink. wiped his
mouth With the back of his oily hands
$50 you are looking for Thomas Gal.
lon. are you? Well he owns this mine.
but It's mostly run by young girl
there In that bungalow on the hill
nYou see. Tom amt up to what he used
to be. The ore Is getting worse every
day and the. old mans sick up there In
hts house"
I'm going up to see him now" said
Wilkerson. He rode on few yards
and surveyed the snug houses, stamp
mill and all the apparatus of the grow
Ing mine and snarled: 80 this Is what
he wanted for himsefr
The man be was seeking lay prop
ped up In bed. To Ruth he gave ev.
erything-silks and down and all the
soft things of this life. Himself he
stili slept on hard cot with a straw
pillow under his head-that Is. be had
slept II seemed to him that sleep
had forever fed. and he was now look.
ing up into Ruths face almost plead.
ingly. trying to keep his grim old lips
from asking sympathy. There was
reason in his mind that he should ac-
cept no tender ministratlon from the
lovely girl who stood beside him. His
sacrifice must be complete; so when
his daughter bent over him and asked
him II he felt all right. he mustered a
smile.
There's nothing the matter with me.
Ruth" he was saying, and his glance
sought that OF John Dorr. who stood
at the foot of the bed. The eyes of
the two men met, and Dorr impercep
tibly nodded bis head in token that he
would not tell. Not that he yet knew
the secret of THE Master Key" but
he recognized the fact that sooner or
later be was to know.
Ruth stopped over and said:
Papa, ! don't believe you do feel
well I'm going to make you some
thing hot to drink. I'll bring you a
toddy." And she went into the kitch-
en- and shut the door.
When she was gone John nodded a
pleasant Good night" and also left.
Then old Thomas Gallon rose and
went to his worn desk and got his well
thumbed diary.
II am haunted" he wrote slowly, 'al.
ways haunted Am to die without
knowing whether wilkerson is alive
and that Ruth is safer"
At that moment he glanced up and
thought he saw the sinister face of his
former partner at the window. BY the
strongest effort OF will he managed to
control himself and went on writing:
"Wilkerson still alive by night
When will he come out into the dayf
He shall never have the key that
would unlock the secret 10 my little
girls happiness. I will trust John"
Fancy to yourself scenes that must
have fed like swift films before the
old mans eyes as he put the diary
away. The desert and its mortal
thirst; Wilkerson. ever drinking greed
fly OF precious water; gold; murder;
his escape with the plans, their loss
In the chest when the vessel went
down in caIdron of fame: the image
of his dying wife; the picture OF the
babe he had lifted from her chill breast
Ruth. for whom he had suffered. He
bowed his head on his folded arms
Such is the bitterness that the night
brings upon those who are alone.
When Ruth came In with the steam
ing glass OF toddy she quietly set the
glass down and went out on the porch
to look at the light across the guich
which marked John DORIS window
Youth was calling to youth.
1t was no apparltion shat Gallon had
seen at the window this time. II was
really Wilkerson, who. after one salts
fed glance. rode swiftly away.
II was midnight when he raped at
the door OF the Vale Vista railroad
station and called the sleepy agent
II want TO get telegram through
right away" he said brusquely. There
is an extra dollar in your pocket II you
can rush it,
The slender boy who represented the
Rocky Mountain Southern railroad ST.
lently led the way In. turned up the
wick Of the lamp and showed blanks
and pencil across the counter.
you look half asleep TO me-" Wilker.
son growled as he picked up the pen
ell.
The boy scanned the stranger quiet
iy and opened the drawer OF bis tel
egraph desk and faced bis visitor
again. Wilkerson caught the CLINT OF
the steel barrel OF revolver In that
drawer.
"You must have some money In the
SAFE" he snarled.
The boy looked at him with steely
blue eyes and stated 10 a perfectly |