The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1915-03-26

Il hat's my pencil. be thought DULY
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 q woman whose calm, cold fea
lures unadOrned by the photographers
art. were appealing to the man of his
sppptites
He looked at this a moment, and
then all the morbid fire in his blood
tanned toward his heart Love. life
and happiness depended upon the pos
session Of gold Therefore, with this
fire In his heart WiIkerSon 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 be rose to his feet. and there
came upon his face swift expression
steathy but determined
He put the photograph away and
pantherlike, stole into the shadow un
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
ting single pebble, until he stood over
Gallon, and in the full moonlight he
saw that Gallon was drawing the plans
and marking the locations of a mine.
"How far" he thought forcefully to
himself. has the old man gone What
gulch is this2 What place is thisH He
has found the gold and I'm going to
have It'll" He still watched the pencil
and saw him trace In rude letters
"This will make you happy"
That moment Gallon saw WilkersOD
smiling at him
Smiles and tears. sorrow and laugh
tel have made this world what II Is.
and the smile on the saturuine visage
OF WilkersUn stirred Gallon to his
depths Did Wilkers0n knowi Had
Wilkerson seem Was Ruth to lose the
gold that ne bad found after all these
yearsf Wilkerson had peercd over his
shoulder Wilkerson Wikerson, WI
kerson! There must he no Wilkers0n
He pulled out his revolver and fired
at the man smiling at him from the
shadow
Wilkerson emptied mis- revolver at
the old man But Gallons trained eve.
backed up by MS overmasterine paa
sion had directed mis- weapon too sure
ly Wilkerson realized that mis- enc
my's bullet mad gone home
Stlll with the blood lust In his heart
Gallon pulled out the picture Of a little
girl and passionately kissed It
You look like your mother. Ruth
he 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 were they There was
no sound on the desert except the
rustlinR OF the dry leaves OF the
yuccas ana the murmnI OF the cactus
as 1t died OF drought He was really OF
two minds One dr-lre was 10 find the
location ot the gold The other was TO
save his Owu life and aSSunge the bit
ter fast whirh he knew meant death
At last be sturIhlrh To his feet and
pecred across tle mISt veiied valley
Far away he sim n light Gathering
all his strength he started toward II,
for II he'd out to- INN tue prospect of
help fOr his phvSnuI injury and as he
fingered his rrtasveI he feverishIy
dreamed Of hhdlu2 Gallon and so
avengine himself
Under the stars NJ Tramped On As
meu see then rea world IN miniature
and their ideal word magnItitd as we
all no the moon 1ondinp its light
down "pnn hI> path dId not aDpear
within his range Oi vision II was
only the n'tlr nlu prlnls Of stars In
the prIrlnt 1IHrk sky that he diSrprnp[
and n III midst u this ornament AS
II h"Tlhun> htu nrrn phliteratpd he
ga" S"r'arl twinHhn. light which
meant 4 nEmHu hahiyuttpn
TN get am vet hr muttered thick
~ The u."re act nt Hrticulate speech
died In ms hrnat He realized that he
had no wafer nud the orerpowertnP
thirst burned III M, ,rr, nnrr,u
i eau lake II Ut thought to dim