The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1915-02-12
CHAPTER III.
The Runaway Car.

~ 7ANY man writes down on pa
MI per the things he cannot ar.
ticulate. Thomas Ga n,
dreaming Of two women, tact.
turn and silent as he was, wrote down
the thoughts which he could not ex-
press in speech. Hisidiary. well thumb
ed. held the history of many lonely
night, but of all theselnights there was
one that stood out In his mind.
1t was the darkness Enclosing wom-
an on a bed. He still heard her whis-
pered cry, "You speak Of God, Tom.
but l have no religion but mother
hood" Before his closed eyes came the,
vision of lamp lit, then almost an ap-
parition-the face of his daughter. One
life had fed, possibly appalled, by the
horrors of a world that recks not of our
poor humanity. Yet there was in the
dead wOman's arms "A child, gro
tesquely asleep, as If unawakened to
the sorrows this mother had known
RUTH be cried. There was no an
swer from the still woman In the dark
ness. but thus he had christened his
only child ..a~~@> ',,' =.
1t seemed to him as if that echo still
reverberated from the moon washed
hills which. marked the site of ''The
Master Key"
Il am getting DID," thought as he
turned the pages of the diary as if un-
consciously counting the years since a
woman had leaned over his shoulder.
RUTH" he murmureds again.. *
The problem before him was no
longer dim and vague. as it had been
In the days Of his prime, but absolutely
distinct and clear-what was to become
Of Ruth when he died? With his train
ed business intelligence he set himself
to solve this question: .......s. =,
He reviewed in his mind all the men
and women he had known 1t was a
strange procession. They marched be.
fore his sharpened: vision. old partners.
fresh young girls. mature women, men
with check books in their hands, men
dying Of thirst OH the desert-and WILL
kerson. He sternly put out of his mind
the thought OF his former partner-the
that night In the gulch, if he were still
alive. knowing the secret.of 1.-The Mas
ter Key" who would save Ruth from
his vengeance?: + 4
Then there rose before This mind the
straight. strong. almost austere figure
of bis mining engineer, John Dorr-
youthful. OF course, but he had proved
himself wholly competent in almost
every task that had been given him.
The old man thought more deeply
He recalled his own former years. He
himself bad broken down the iron bar
rfers Of cold world for the sake of q
woman. whose image Ruth was.- he
had seen tniJohn DORIS eyes the grow.
ing hame of love. Long experience
had taught the old man that there is
no passion so dependable in this world
as,love.
John Dorrtloved. Ruth. 1t needed no
monetary bondjto assure his fidelity to
her interests, and with the sudden,
swift. alert step Of man who had
made his final; decision he went out on
the porch andrcalled, John, Johnv' s.
Within the interior of the little house
down the hill the engineer of Thomas
Gallons mine had abandoned his blue
prints to study the letters on a little
pennant which represented his first
victory, touchdown, on the football
feld within the last ten seconds of
play. He knew better than any one
that bis mission to Vale Vista was
futile. Using every resource at his
command. be could find no paying ore,
and yet-tl1ere was the pennant, the
emblem of victory hard fought and
hard won. Should he give up now?
He heard clear, stern call from up
the hill-"John, Johnv' -. a
I'll win out yet for Ruth's sake"
he said as he answered that imperious
cry. -. r-'+.s..-~...e~ zs
Other ears heard that call. and as
John fastened down the hill he saw
Rnth's figure by the side Of the bunga.
low. and as if: by the opening of q
shutter he once more saw the lights of
Broadway and table spread with
linen, two people sitting there-hf
evil geniuses.
In this complex and highly organized
civilization of,Ours no man can be as.
suret1 that at amy moment some other
man possibly thousands Of miles dis
tant Is not planning an act whose por-
tent would never occur to him
At a table ina New. York restaurant
man and woman were sitting with
the words '.Gallon.' "Dorr'' and evil
kerson" on their hips.
Harry Wflkerson has found Tom
Gallon" she said quietly. 81 wonder
what will happen?"
Her companion laughed. "Gallon7 I
had a college mate named .Dorr, who
is working for man named Gallon
somewhere out in the mines"
+ The w0man's dark eyes lit up, and
she seemed more strikingly handsome
rs she allowed her sudden passion to
feod her somber face with celor.
There Is money in, that mlne. George
Crane!" she said but this man Dorr
E.