Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1914-12-24
o 90 a coupIe-or hundred feet.


Wilkerson looked at him shrewdly.
"That will cost money" he remarked.
But I'll take this up with Ruth"
John looked at him with faint trace
of the old enmity In his eyes. He did
not like to hear the first name of the
mistress of The Master Key" on those
lips
"If the mine is not paying it's Up to
us to make it pay" he remarked.
When Wilkerson entered the bunga-
low Ruth perceived a great change In
his attitude. He was no longer sulen.
and he was evidently worried. 1t was
q clean worry. and she smiled at him.
Had not her father come In with that
expression on his face many times?
She put her chin in the cup of her
hands and asked cheerfully, "What is
1t, Mr. WilkersonT
May I sit DOWN." he said awk
wardly.
She motioned to chair. and he pull
ed out Of his pocket paper covered
with figures.
IL think you ought to know how
things are going along. Miss Gallon"
he said. with unusual formality.
when your father made me superin-
tendent of this mine ! did not realize
that the responsibility was so heavy as
II is. We are not making any money.
We are losing money. You can see by
the reports which | have here that our
cleanup lately has been far less than
our expenses. and our last one showed
practically nothing. We must find the
vein again. To do so we must have
Master Key mine.s
That's what father used to say
sometimes" said Ruth quietly. But
he always got it."
Wilkerson flushed. miss Gallon.
hope that you don't think that I'm not
doing my best. l am. John Dorr and
| have gone over this matter together.
He agrees with me that we have abso-
lutely lost the vein and that If The
Master Key is to pay anything more
we must find it again"
Ruth's expression softened at the
mention of John DORIS name. what
does he think?" she demanded. What
is the chance OF finding it again?''
IF we run west. Dorr thinks" said
Wilkerson slowly. well recover the
vein, but that will cost money. which
we haven't got. Do you realize. Miss
Gallon, that the pay roll here is over
$1,000 a day? Within week | have
to pay out over $4,000 for the month.
AMI tell you frankly that when !
have paid that there will be no more
money to the account Of The Master
Key in the hank in Silent Valley"
Ruth realized that he was speaking
the truth. even lessening the imme-
diateness of the catastrophe, but her
distaste OF the man was too great to
allow her to discuss the matter with
him in the intimate way which she felt
was necessary. She must see John
Dorr.
She quickly dismissed Wilkerson and
then went to DORIS office herself. meet
ing him at the door. She bore as
gift small basket Of fruit. Without
preliminaries she said. John, are we
broker"
He laughed; then his face grew
grave. The mine Is not paying" he
said briefly.
"But can't we make 1t payi What
is the matterT"
Money" said John.
But why money!"
at will cost $4,000 to drive that
new tunnel" John added as they en-
/ tered the Office.
But Mr.. Wilkerson just said he was
going to pay over $4,000 to the men,"
Ruth said soberly. IF we have that
much money. why can't WEI
A tenderness flooded DORIS eyes. He
comprehended her helplessness. under
stood why old Thomas Gallon had been
so insistent that he. John Dorr. should
look after her. She was mere child
He tried to explain the exact situation
with the result that Ruth finally push
ed him Off his high stool. got up on II
herself and wrote In a large, childish
hand right across the face Of one OF
his new drawings. IL must raise So.
O0Or'
She swung around TO John and asked.
How can ! get $i00o0f"
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