The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1915-01-20
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l tdH see Clearly enough, Hdlu VIII
kerson. that there Is a girl mixed
up In this affair. Tom Gallon never
walked like that"
= lie rode slowly down the steep hill
till he reached the pumping engine.
Bill Tubbs. the bulky, sodden faced
engineer, came to the doorway.
lis this The Master KeyT" de
manded Wilkerson.
1T certainly Is" was the response.
"And-old Tom Gallon runs it7'
Wilkerson pulled out a flask. dlvining
Bill Tubbs' ruling vice. and the en-
tineer, after a long drink. wiped his
mouth with the back of his oily hands.
$50 you are looking for Thomas Gal
lon. are you? Well. he owns this mine.
but It's mostly run 10y a young girl
there In that bungalow on the hill.
You see, Tom amt up to what he used
to be. The ore IL getting worse every
day and the old mans sick up there In
his house"
"I'm going up TO see him now" said
Wiikerson. He rode on a few yards
and surveyed the snug houses, stamp
mill and all the apparatus of the grow
ing mine and snarled: $50 this Is what
he wanted for himself"
The man he was seeking lay prop
ped up In bed. To Ruth he gave ev-
erything-silks and down and all the
soft things of this life. Himself he
still slept on a hard cot with IA straw
pillow under his head-that Is, he had
afnn4 nnaVnng a. hs-n 4IaA -.
had forever fed, and he was now look
Ing up into Ruth's face almost plead.
ingly, trying to keep his grim old lips
from asking sympathy. There was
reason In his mind that he should ac-
cept no tender ministration from the
lovely girl who stood beside him. His
sacrifice must be complete: so when
his daughter bent over him and asked
him IL he felt all right he mustered a
smile.
There's nothing the matter with me,
Ruth" he was saying, and his glance
sought that of John Dorr, who stood
at the foot OF the bed. The eyes of
the two men met, and Dorr impercep-
tibly nodded his head in token that he
would not tell. Not that he yet knew
the secret of The Master Key" but
he recognized the fact that sooner OF
later he was to know.
Ruth stopped over and said:
Papa. | don't believe you do feel
well. I'm going to make you some.
thing hot to drink. I'll bring you q
teddy" And she went into the kitch-
en- and shut the door.
When she was gone John nodded a
pleasant "Good night" and also left.
Then old Thomas Gallon rose and
went TO his worn desk and got his well
thumbed diary.
II Inn haunted" he wrote slowly. al.
ways haunted. Am l to die without
knowing whether wilkerson is alive
and that Ruth Ia safer"
At that moment he glanced up and
thought he saw the sinister face of his
former partner at the window. BY the
strongest effort OF will he managed to
control himself and went on writing:
"wilkerson still alive by night
When will he come out into the day.
He shah never have the key that
would unlock the secret to my little
girls happiness. | viii trust John
Fancy to yourself scenes that must
have fed like swift films before the
old mans eyes as he put the diary
away. The desert and its mortal
thirst: Wilkerson, ever drinking greed
fly Of precious water; gold: murder;
his escape with the plans. their loss
In the chest when the vessel went
down In a caldron OF fame: the image
of his dying wife; the picture OF the
Ruth. for whom he had suffered. He
bowed his head on his folded arms.
Such Is the bitterness that the night
brings upon those who are alone.
When Ruth came In with the steam.
Ing glass OF toddy she quietly set the
glass down and went out on the porch
to look at the light across the gulc'
which marked Jan DORIS window
Youth wal calling to youth.
1t was no appariuon that Gallon hat
seen at the window this time. 1t wa:
really Wilkerson, who, after n salts
1ed glance, rode swiftly away.
It was midnight when he raped a
the door Of the Vale Vista railroad
station and called the sleepy agent
II want to get a telegram through
right away" he said b~rusquely. .Ther'
II an extra dollar In your pocket IL 20,
can rush It"
The slender boy who represented the
Rocky Mountain Southern railroad 81
lently led the way In, turned up the
wick Of the lamp and showed blanks
and pencil across the counter.
You look half asleep U me-" Wilker
son growled as he picked up the pen
ell.
The boy scanned the stranger quiet
u and opened the drawer of his tel
egraph desk and faced his visitor
again. Wlkerson caught the CLINT o.
the steel barrel Of a revolver In tina
drawer.
.sYQu NUT hsys some monsy In tb'