Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1915-07-01
CHAPTER ~.
The Rescue.

~ John Dorr had missed Gallon
IE69SSd and saw him at the anchor
S9S&1 age Of the ore cable car UP
the hill, across the gulch from the
trestle.
'John," said Gallon, II am getting
old. Years ago there were two part
ners of III p%rospected this country,
and we found free milling gold. 1 say
we John, but there was a little girl
l kept the location Of that mine to my
self. There was trouble, John. He
suspected me- He turned his dim
ming eyes on the stalwart young man
in entreaty. 81 guess you know why
I tried to keep those plans to myself"
who is the man?" demanded the en-.
gineer, patting the great iron ore car
rier with his hand as a man pacifes
a restless animal.
At that moment there came a faint
cry from a miner on the trestle.
what does he want?" demanded
Gallon peevishly.
John DORIS Eyes saw the miners In
the camp, wives and all, streaming out
and staring upward. They had got
the meaning Of that cry. He thought
to himself, "Where is Ruth?" 1t came
over him that she was bringing lunch
con to her father and himself in the
mine. He stared up at that dark hole
in the hillside and saw an eddy of
smoke. Instantly he knew that she
must be somewhere within that dark
depth.
With all the force of his lungs he
bawled down to the engineer, who was
staring stupidity upward; swung him
self into the bucket, pulled his signal
whistle out Of his pocket and blew it
furiously.
The engineer seemed to listen for q
moment, then kicked off his brake and
blew his answering whistle. A second
later the bucket was swinging down
the lofty cable across the gulch.
1t was not clear in Johns mind how
he could rescue Ruth. The quickest
way to get to the trestle was by the
bucket; then he would have those long,
long stretches Of ties to traverse, and
when be reached that smoke filed tun
mel could he get through? He must
He steadied himself and thought, his
eyes fixed on the hole in the hillside.
The bucket was still surging a hun
dred feet away from his goal when he
saw the ore car emerge and In it the
slender form Of Ruth. No one realized
better than he that her strength was
not equal to setting those brakes and
that she had escaped one death only to
meet another.
His trained eye caught sight Of n
chance. He yelled down to the en-
gineer, "Quick, quick, Tubbs!"
The engineers blank face upturned
toward him seemed that Of a man
dazed by imminent disaster, but John
DORIS imperious will reached across
eand down that space. The engineer
pulled his throttle wide open. and as he
did so John Dorr swung himself over
the edge of the bucket and. hanging
down by his knees right over the tres
tie, waited for the oncoming car.
"Ruth!' he cried. Ruth. come to
me!'
He say her turn toward him, bal
ance herself in the swaying ore car
and lift up her arms. He stretched his
W down, and as the mass of steel
and ore dashed under him, caught her
up. He did not hear the crash that
followed. All he saw was the upturned
face Of the girl he loved, swinging a
hundred feet above death in his strong
arms, safe.
About 5000 miles away a dark and
splendid woman was looking critically
at her maid. "Eloise," she was saying,
II don't like to be walked this early in
the morning. 1 have told you often
enough about this. What do you mean
by disturbing me for a mere letter."
"You told me, madame, always to
call you when there was a letter in this
handwriting"
\ The woman under the roseate cover
"Eets held out her jeweled hand. The
maid gave one swift glance at her
mysterious avaricious eyes and van
ished. AS she closed the door after her
the envelope, torn into shreds. fell to
the floor.
Mrs. Darnell sat up alertly and
quickly perused the slow, even script
written on the old fashioned blue lined
paper of a country hotel:
Dear Cousin ~Jean-Since you last heard
from me I nave found Gallon. I am leav-
ing today for Silent Valley. His Master
Key mine is only ten miles from there.
Won't he be surprised to see me? I will
let you know later how our scheme comes
out.
Goodby for now. Keep mum! AS ever.
HARRY.
When Gallon thought he had killed
Wilkerson he became infected with the
~ineradicable disease Of dread. In his
conversation with John Dorr he had
given first expression to his feelings.
The young mining engineer on account
Of his youth did not fully understand
that men do not speak of such things
until a~ge-loosener Of tongues as we'll
as Of the chords of life-suddenly OPP
presses them-makes them feel help:
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