The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1915-02-26

lar 1est Of scurrying over dry Califor-
MIA on half broken horsefesh.
"Au right, We'll ride" be, said.
while you are getting ready I'll write
| letter to George Everett" >. -
Ruth laid one slender hand on Johns
shoulder.
You're always doing things for me,
john" she said simply. Some day I'll
do something for you" She slipped
away without back ward glance.
Dorr watched her trip down the hill
toward her own little bungalow. and
it seemed to him as If be held one end
of a golden thread that she was spin
ming through sunshine. 1t was an
chored in bis heart That thread would
bo 5000 miles long before she saw
good old Everett. He picked up his
pen and wrote rapidly:
Master Key" Mine, June
George Everett. Iii Broadway. New York
City:
Dear George When a young. slender.
brown eyed. golden haired girl walks into
your Office and says. I'm Ruth Gallon,
and hands you the papers that she will
have in her little hand bag. please see
that she gets $4,000 Ever yours.
JOHN DoRR
He would have added more. His
| 6ner instinct told him that Ruth should
be the first to put the whole scheme
before the cool beaded. rather cold
hearted George Everett He addressed
the envelope and sealed it. Then he
went to the telephone and called up
the station at Silent Valley.
BILL" he said quietly after listening
a moment to see If any one was on the
line, Il want to send telegram Take
it over the wire. please. I'll be down
In little while and pay you"
Sure foated back a cheerful voice
Il wish my credit was as good "a
yours. ten miles away. but it seems as
If have to be always present when !
| ask for it. 60 ahead, John!'
| This Is 1t, Bill" said John:
! George Everett. Ill 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 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 it was that men looked at him
strangely at times. when it was ques
ton Of Ruth's interests. He must re
strain himself.
The operator did not hang up 1mme
diately, but said hesitatingly: Say.
John. there's a wire here: just came
in from The Master Key mine. 1t
does not seem to jfbe with yours. VII
kerson sent it"
IN play fair said John to himself.
and he called back over the wire. "Bil.
! ~. that's yours and Wilkerson's bust:
ness, not NINE" II 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 golden image in Jean Oar
nell. No one realized better than him
self that she was a creature of appe
tite, lover Of silk and velvet 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. It 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 a 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 her
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.
forn1a bills, with their faint scent of
sage and cactus, he saw a richly fur
ntshed 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:
| .,s Master Key Mine, June -
lean Darnell. Astor House. New York
Find George Everett at III Broadway
| and meet Ruth Gallon in 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.
< 49, %-.--. HARRY.
Il can't send this through any office
near here" he thought, so 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. Z 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 ap.
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 in
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
the grave on the hill where her father
off1l vuf<4,iy, thu v,ypooiy,oke -