Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1917-04-14
DAVIS PREPARATION


The man Is a gambler. grant he Is
gentleman, that he is delightful com
panion. l feel his charm ms well az
you. but to have him something nearer
than friend is not to be thought OF
You must give up that foolish idea-'
'Tdea," scoffed Dams sister. II love
Larry O'Connor, Dan. / am thirty
years old and he is the first man
have ever cared for save yourself
Knowing this, do you think that viii
give him upT
sYou are old enough not to let your
heart get the better Of your judgment
your common sense. l have known
O'Connor for six years. know him
as one man comes to know another up
here in the mines. He is a true friend,
He Will divide his Last penny with an
enemy II that enemy is hungry. but he
can no more keep out of a game of
chance than you can keep from breath
ing. He left here Christmas night and
went directly to McDougan's. He broke
the bank. At daybreak he took his
team and started for Fort Gibbon. 1
heard today he made cleanup there"
II must think 1t out, Dam" Ellen an
swered slowly.
1t had turned bitterly cold, the cold
that freezes cheeks and extremities I'M
awares. Fortunately there was no
wind, but in crossing the flats Larry
O'Connor had to pause several times to
thaw the ice from the feet of his dog
| team. Each time he stopped there
came a whimper from the bundle Oh
| the sled, and at longer pause a voice
said irrritably:
"My heart Is freezing, Larry. Aren't
we almost there? D. your stub
bornness In making me take the tripi"
"There was nothing else to do. Tim.
had to get you away. You have about
finished me in Fairbanks, as you have
In every other place have been. Now 1
am through with you. 1 leave you at
Fort Gibbon. What You do thereafter
is nothing to me, save this: You are
to keep away from me. They will care
for you at the fort until you can
travel. Then hit the post trail for
Holy Cross"
Larry left his team at Gibbon, re-
turning the next morning on 0rr's |!
stage. The first person he met upon |
reaching Fairbanks, as be was the last |
with whom he had spoken before leav- |
ing. was Dan Holiday. O'Connor stiff |
fened as he saw him. He could not |
forget their talk, talk that had turned |
the first gllmmer of happiness that he |
had seen for years into black rage and 1
despair. He would have passed with |
a curt nod but that he saw Ellen stand |
ing near her brother. His heart missed |
a beat as he caught sight of her, her
arms filed with tamarack, her gay cap |
and blanket coat making a spot of bril-
liant color against the grayness of the
coming night. She nodded gayly and
called to him that she was keeping
open house New Years day and he
must come and help decorate the
looms.
Dan wheeled about and looked at
her with a heavy frown. Larry
thanked her., but said he had an en-
,agement.
Break It," she commanded with a
augh. "All the world, including the
butcher. the baker and the candlesticlS
maker, are coming. and there will be
no place else for you to go, so come
you must"
All through New Years day and eve
ming Ellen watched and waited. Then
he came, so late that her heart had
grown chill with fear. As ne made his
way toward her he was stopped by a
newcomer. Ellen could not help but
Overhear their conversation.
"Where is Tim1 heard he was with
you" said the newcomer.
Larry hesitated. HE was, for a
time" His eyes rested upon Dan, who
was standing near. 1.-THE two of us
went to the fort on Christmas night.
He will go on to Holy Cross and from
there to Nome"
"Doing better or worse up here?"
"Worse."
And You are still the scapegoat, 1
suspectT
~t' ~ "oSNt LARRY Stlu iTTftdDly.
The other turned to Dan. "Haye you
ever seen his twin1 Alike as two
peas-alike In everything save char
acter. Larry has all of that. Tim Is
lovabie chap, but weak, and the worst
OF his weakness is that he lets O'Con-
nor take the blame for his misdeeds. 1
think he has committed every sin save
murder and he is confirmed gambler.
A lucky one. too, If all that 1 hear is
true"
Larry left town some days ago after
cleaning up McDougan's bank"
Tim, you mean," the other answered |
with show Of anger. 81 suppose he !
has been up to his usual tricks. 1t
wasn't Larry. That fellow is the |
straightest, whitest white man have
ever known"
No. -