Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-12-15

Ao 10y pc4Sl1s aC iouSaA o0iAS.
There is not another pencil in this
desert How can l write to Dolores II
Old Man Gallon walks off"
He took out Of his pocket a worn
leather wallet and drew out the pic
ture Of a woman, whose calm, cold fea-
lures, unadorned by the photographers
art, were appealing to the man Of his
appetites.
He looked at this a moment and
then all the morbid fire in his blood
famed toward his heart Love, life
and happiness depended upon the pos
session Of gold. Therefore. with this
fire in his heart, Wilkerson suddenly
got that absolute thirst for gold which
traverses deserts, which has killed
more people than the armies of Eu.
rope
And in his sudden access Of physical
desire for gold in order to attain this
he rose to his feet, and there
came upon his face a swift expression,
stealthy but determined.
He put the photograph away and,
pantherlike, stole into the shadow un-
der the hill and toward the man who
had been his partner, but whom he
a resolved to kill he crept along.
taking all precautions against disturb.
ing a single pebble, until he stood over
Gallon, and in the full moonlight be
saw that Gallon was drawing the plans
and marking the locations Of a mine.
"How far" he thought forcefully to
himself, has the old mar gone What
gulch is this?, What place is this? He
has found the gold. and I'm going to
have It'll" He still watched the pencil
and saw him trace in rude letters:
'This will make you happy"
That moment Gallon saw Wilkerson
smiling at him.
Smiles and tears, sorrow and laugh.
ter have made this world what it is,
and the smile on the saturnine visage
of Wilkerson stirred Gallon to his
depths. Did Wilkerson know? Had
Wilkerson seen? Was Ruth to lose the
gold that he had found after all these
years? Wilkerson had peered owe his
shoulder. Wilkerson! Wilkerson! vii.
kerson! There must be no Wilkerson!
He pulled out his revolver and fired
at the man smiling at him from the
shadow.
Wilkerson emptied his revolver at
the old man. But Gallons trained eye.
backed up by his overmastering pas.
sion, had directed his weapon too sure
ly. Wilkerson realized that his cue
my's bullet had gone home.
Still with the blood lust in his heart,
Gallon pulled out the picture Of q little
girl and p%assionately kissed it.
"You look like your mother, Ruth,
he whispered.
But while he was yielding to this
queer tenderness his former partner
was Struggling to his f~eet-dizzy with
pain. absolutely cowed by the shock of
finding himself physically helpless, yet
driven by instinct to find other human
beings. Where were they? There was
no sound on the desert except the
rustling of the dry leaves of the
yuccas and the murmur of the cactus
as it died Of drought. He was really Of
two minds. One desire was to find the
location Of the gold. The other was to
save his own life and assuage the bit.
ter fast which he knew meant death.
At last he stumbled to his feet and
peered across the mist yelled valley.
Far away he saw a light. Gathering
all his strength, he started toward it,
for it held out to him the prospect of
help for his physical injury. and al he
fingered his revolver he feverishly
dreamed Of finding Gallon and so
avenging himself.
Under the stars he tramped on. As
men see their real world in miniature
and their ideal world magnifed, as we
all do, the moon, flooding its light
down upon his pHth. did not appear
within bis range Of vision. 1t was
only the little pin points Of stars In
the purple black sky that he discerned
and in the midst Of this armament, al
II horizons had been obliterated, he
saw a solitary twinkling light, which
meant a human habitation-
I'll get him yet" he muttered thick
ly. The mere act Of a%rticulate speech
died in his throat. He realized that ht
had no water, and the overpowerins
thirst burned in his very marrow,
II can't make It," he thought to him
(To he continued.)