Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1914-12-08

nat my pencl, ne luOuBut uuiiy
-There is not another pencil In this
desert How can 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 bis
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, Wukerson 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
woman 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 IN
der the hill and toward the man who
had been his partner. but whom be
was 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 mine.
"How far" be thought forcefully to
himself, "has the old man gone What
gulch is this2 What place is thisi He
has found the gold, and I'm going to
have itl'' 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 II is.
and the smile on the saturnine visage
OF Wllkerson stirred Gallon to his
depths. Did Wilkerson known Had
Wilkerson seen? Was Ruth to lose the
gold that he had found after all these
years? Wilkerson had peered over his
shoulder Wilkersonl Wilkersonl VII.
kersonl There must be no Wilkersonl
He pulled out his revolver and fred
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 bis weapon too sure
" 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 little
girl and passionately kissed 1t
"You look like your mother. Ruth"
be whispered.
But while he was yielding to this
queer tenderness his former partner
was struggling to his feet-dizzy with
pain. absolutely cowed by the shock Of
finding himself physically helpless. yet
driven by instinct to find other human
beings Where we're theyf There was
! no sound on the desert except the
rustling OF the dry leaves Of the
yuccas and the murmur OF the cactus
/ as II 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
nll his strength, he started toward 1t.
for It held out to him the prospect OF
help for bis physical injury. and as he
fingered bis revolver he feverishly
dreamed Of finding Gallon and so
avenging himself
Under the stars be tramped on. As
J men see their real world In miniature
I and their ideal world magni6ed. as we
all do. the moon, flooding its light
down upon his path. did not appear
within his range OF vision. II was
only the little pin points OF stars In
the purple black sky that he discerned
and In the midst OF this Ornament, as
n horizons had been obliterated. be
saw a solitary twinkling light. which
meant a human habitation
"I'll get him vet" he muttered thick
ly. Tue mere act OF articulate speech
died In his throat He realized that be
had no water. and the overpowerine
thirst burned In bis very marrow
j Il can't make H." be thought % aim