Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1914-12-24

City:
Dear George When a young. slender
brown eyed. golden haired girl walks into
your Office and says. TIN Ruth Gallon"
and hands you the papers that she will
have IN her little hand bag please see
that she gets 10000 Ever yours.
JOHN DORR.
He would have added more. His
fner instinct told him that Ruth should
be the first to put the whole scheme
before the cool headed, rather cold
hearted George Everett. lie addressed
the envelope and sealed Il. Then he
went to the telephone and called up
the station NJ silent Valley.
bill" he said quietly after listening
moment to see II any one was on the
line, ~ want to send n telegram. Take
Il over the wire. please. I'll be down
In little while and pay you"
"Sure." fioated back cheerful voice
81 wish my credit was as good as
yours. ten miles away. but II seems as
II have to be always present when
ask for IT, Go ahead, Johnw
This Is It. Bill" said John:
George Everett. III Broadway. New York
City:
Miss Ruth Gallon leaves tonight to see
you about Master Key" stock Meet her
and wire me on her arrival Take good
care OF her or I'll take care OF you.
JOHN DORR.
The operator repeated the message
and involuntarily adopted a little Of
Johns savage information on the last
four words 1t woke him up to the
fact that he was allowing his feelings
to become public. He begun to- see
why II was that men looked at him
strangely at times, when 1t was ques-
ton of Ruth interests. He must re-
strain himself
The operator did not hang up imme-
diately. but said hesitatingly: Say.
John. there's wire here; just came
in from The Master Key mine. II
does not seem to jibe with yours. VIII
kerson sent It."
"I'll play fair" said John to himself,
and he called back over the wire. Bill
ly, that's yours and Wikerson's bust.
ness. not mine" If he had listened to
| the tenor of the message directed TO
Jean Darnell. In New York, he would
have learned what Wilkerson was plot.
| ting.
For years Wilkerson had built up for
himself a golden image in Jean Oar
nell. No one realized better than him
self that she was q creature of appe-
| tite. lover of silk and velvet. A wo-
man whose eyes widened at sight of a
Persian cat. Feminine In every de-
gree. womanly in none. But he him
| self, dominated absolutely, utterly and
completely by his desires, had fallen
under her spell. and he was going to
win her. no matter how. 1t is a
strange thing that when a dishonest
man finally yields to an honest passion
nothing will satisfy him but the ut
most observance of the ritual OF socie.
ty. Harry Wilkerson's vision was of
walking up the aisle of great church
to meet his bride at the altar.
| Yet he had always thought of her in
terms Of gold; that was a contrast
the pallid, satiny. blue eyed woman
voluptuous. soft-and his image of hel
built of yellow gold. dragged out OF
( the bowels Of "The Master Key" mine
| This image was now before his eyes:
Instead of the warm, sun blessed Cali
/ fornia hills. with their faint scent of
sage and cactus, he saw q richly fur
| nished room and breathed the odor of
| altar Of roses. Let us not follow him
in his dreams. But looking over his
shoulder an hour later we read;
Master Key Mine, June -
lean Darnell Aston House, New York
Find George Everett at III Broadway
and meet Ruth Gallon i'm Chicago on
| Sante Fe express leaving here this even
| ing. Introduce Drake as Everett after
| you have seen Everett and keep the girl
| to yourself until ] can arrange matters.
HARRY.
II can't send this through any Office
near here" he thought. 80 | guess I'll
ride down to Vale Vista and hand it
to the conductor. He can send it from
Los Angeles"
| Three days later Ruth Gallon settled
herself in the seat of a Pullman that
was soon TO leave Chicago for New
York. She was excited. In crossing
| town from one depot to another
through the streets roaring with traf-
dc she had heard sounds that had new
er met her ears before-the sounds OF
the worlds business which, oddly
enough. seemed to be mostly hauled
| over cObblestones. The faint echo of
that noise still rang in her ears. 1t APP
palled her to think that she must dwell
with men who lived in such an atmos-
phere; also she felt very lonely. She
thought Of the mine. of Tom Kane I'm
the door Of his cook shanty, OF the
great ore bucket swinging across the
gulch toward the mill. of John. bend
ing over his blue prints and papers; OF
1.-THE grave ON the hill where her father
lay. still within the precincts Of 'The
Master Key"
II had been so impressed upon her
that her mission was Of vital impor-
lance to the mine. that these tender
emotions flowed into the same channel