1
V
TM K 'mkkvi i V S MONDAY, JUNE 7, 1913
f AGE TW O
Thursday
At
CHAPTER VltT
Wilkerson the Plotter.
m rluL.N lie r.r.U tr.oraugnsy u
W I '! i-i less W'iUvvs in .
Ml-
.ol
111
,v. in spite of tin- It tte
Ii:m1 received from .loan Dav-
lii'tl in Now VmU. teiiing liim "i h.T
willingness to finance her scheme, de
termined lio mu-t lo friends with Jo, mi
Dorr. :it : ; t -1 outwardly. So he
smoothed out the viv.Mo wrinkles in
his face, trying to "t-il tlio inn 1 mi -gleam
in his tes. and spout two da.s
quietly trying to show liis amiability,
not only to the minors. lut to Dorr
himself.
Wilkerson was absolutely oortain
lhat liis old partner. Thomas Gallon,
had really made a rich tind and that
he hail lost the location and accepted
"The Master Key"' as a substitute in
the hope that by working it thoroughly
he might ti ml the mother lode. In
other words, careful manipulation ot
'Look here, Wilkerson, maybe both
us have made a mistake."
cf i
the present tuine. painstaking toil in
figuring out the trend of the various
veins, would lead to that nartieular
-,r .rr,i,i i,.wi .n .. tiu. n.i i
of Gallon's youthful rainbow of hopes
Wilkerson was determined to he mas
ter of "The Master Key." He needed
the skilled aid of Johu Dorr with his
engineering knowledge.
John Dorr knew that there was a
tremendous secret in Gallon's life rep-!
resented by the golden key which he j
had torn from his neck and handed to
Kuth when he was dying. That key i
had figures on it. He understood that
those scratches on that golden surface
represented something tremendously
important, and that the old man had
committed Kuth to his charge and had
spoken of Wilkerson as his former
partner and said. "Wilkerson knows."
What was it that Wilkerson knew'
It was better, thought John. t accept
his amiable advances and thereby pos
sibly gain liis confidence and find out
for Ruth's sake that secret which
Thomas Gallon had taken to his grave.
So ou the second day after the resto
ration of the old scale of wages and
his own reappointment ''s engineer in
charge John went down to the office
and said bluntly: "Look here. Wilker
son. maybe both of us have made a
mistake. I'm sure my only aim is to
help out in the promotion of "The Mas
ter Key.' "
'Wilk'ci'sou received him amiably.
"I'm sure my only interest in this busi
ness is to fetch into good ore. All that
we are digging out now is dirt without
eny pay in it."
"I think l know where we can strike
first class iitulT," Dorr returned. "There
Is sure pay rock if we travel south
from that main tunnel. We may have
to go a couple of hundred feet."
Wilkersou looked at him shrewdly.
"That will cost money," he remarked.
"Rut I'll take this up with Kuth."
John looked at him with a faint tract
of the old enmity in his eyes. He did
not like to hear the first name of tht
mistress of "The Master Key" on those
lips.
"If the mine is not paying it's up to
us to make it pay." he remarked.
When Wilkersou entered the bunga
low Kuth perceived a great change in
his attitude. He was no longer sullen,
and he was evidently worried. It was
a clean worry, and she smiled at him.
Had not her father come in with that
expression on his face many times':
T5be put her chin in the cup of hei
hands and asked cheerfully, "What is
It, Mr. Wilkerson?"
lay I sit down?" he said awk
wardly. r - -..--
She motioned to a chair, and he pull
ed out of his pocket n paper covered
with figures.
"I think you ought to know how
things are going along. Miss Gallon."
lie said, with unusual formality.
"When your father made me superin
tendent of this mine 1 did not realize
that the responsibility was so heavy as
it Is. We are not making any money.
We are losing money. You can see by
the reports which 1 have here that out
cleanup lately has been far less than
our expenses, and our last one showed
practically nothing. We must find the
vein again. To do so we must have
money. There is no money in 'The
.Master, Key' mine."
"That's what father used to say
metiines." said Ruth quietly. "Kut
tie always got it"
ihp Star Theatre every
IT
i Wilkerson flushed. "Miss Gallon. I
hope that you don't thi;.k that I'm m r
doing my best. I am. John i if and
! I have 1.HIII' over this Matter :i .get her.
lie agrees with nio that we have
lutely lost the vein and that it The
.Master Key' is to pay anything more
we must lind it again ."
Kuth's expression softened at the
mention of John Dorr's name "What
doi'S'he think?" she dema mled. "What
is the chance of finding it again':"
"If we run west. Dorr thinks." said
Wilkerson slowly, "we'll recover the
vein, but that will cost money, which
we haven't got. lo you realize. Miss
Gallon, that the pay roll here is over
1.K!0 a day? Within a week I have
to pay out over $:!o.0oo for the month,
and I tell you frankly that when I
have paid that there will be no more
money to the account of 'The Master
Key' in the bank in Silent Valley."
IJutlj realized lhat he was speaking
; the truth, even lessening the lmme
: diateness of the catastrophe, but her
distaste of the man was too great to
allow her to discuss the matter with
him in the intimate way which she felt
was necessary. She must see John
Dorr.
She quickly dismissed Wilkerson and
then went to Dorr's office herself, meet
ing him at the door. She bore as a
gift a small basket of fruit. Without
preliminaries she said. "John, are we
broke?"
lie laughed; then his face grew
grave. "The mine is not paying." he
i said briefly.
"But can't we make it pay? What
I Is the matter?"
"Money." said John,
i "Hut why money?"
I "It will cost iflO.OW to drive that
! new tunnel." John added as they en
I tered the office.
! "Rut Mr. Wilkerson just said he was
! going to pay over $30,000 to the men."
Kuth said soberly. "If we have that
I much money, why- can't ve"-
iAupiV-rit Iier ifht-
stood why old Thomas Gallon had been
so insistent that he. John Dorr, should
look after her. She was a mere child
He tried to explain the exact situation,
with the result that Kuth finally push
ed him off bis high stool, got up on it
herself and wrote in a large, childish
hand right across the face of one of
his new drawings. "1 must raise $10.
000!" She swung around to John and asked.
"How can I get $10.(KM)?"
Dorr hesitated. His plan was risky
in view of Wilkerson's attitude, but.
after all. the money must be raised.
He said quietly: "Pledge the stock you
own in "The Master Key." I know a
man in Now York who will loan you
$10,000 on it." He bent over her ear
nestly. "But listen, Kuth. If we spend
the $10,000 and we don't tind the moth
er lode, you lose the mine. It's just
like a mortgage on a farm."
"But you wouldn't suggest this if it
weren't the only way out." she said
briefly. "Now, how am I to do this?"
"You must go to New York and see
George Everett. I will give you a let
ter to him, and he will see to it that
you get the extra money we need.
Meanwhile I'll keep the mine going."
Kuth gave him her full eyes. "You
don't like Mr. Wilkerson. do you?"
"I don't trust h!'u," he renlied.
At this moment the superintendent
entered .the office and. seeing their two
heads close together over the desk, he
scowled.
"I came to see what we are going
to do about that new Tunnel." he said
roughly. "I don't like to start in any
thing I can't finish."
Kuth swung around to say quietly:
"I am going to New York city to see
Mr. George Everett, a friend of Mr
Dorr's, and I will come back with the
$10.OU0."
"Everett. Everett" repeated Wilker
son. "who is George Everett?"
Despite John's frowns. Kuth volu
bly explained. When she had finished
ft
"John, are we broke?"
Wilkerson nodded and said: "I'll put
the men to work tomorrow. Dorr. Bet
ter have your plans ready!" He stamp
ed out.
"You had better go this afternoon."'
John told Kuth. "There is no time to
lose."
"All right." she said. "I'll be ready
in an hour."
John smiled. "All right; I'll take
you over in the motor track or shall
we ride to Silent Valley?"
"I've never been to New York." she
said timidly, and with that inconse-
quential logic which maidens have, she
added. "Let's ride. I'll take Patsy and
you can rtde Black Joe."
Dorr did not understand at all that
In leaving her home for the great
strange city she wished her last hours
S Tjaiss'' lw-
r
ffinn i imrfT - mm il i muff
to be filled with sunshine atwl a famil
iar zest of s- ii'.ryint.' ver dry Califor
nia oil ha if hukcii horseflesh.
"All right, we'll ride." he said
"While you are getting ready I'll write
a letter to George Everett."
Kut ii laid ou.' slender hand on .loan's
shoulder.
"You're tilways doing things for me.
John." sin- said simply "Some day I'll
do something for yon." She slipped
away without a backward glance.
Dorr watched her trip down the hill
toward her own little bungalow, and
I it seemed to him as if Tic held one end
! of a golden thread that she was spin
l ning through sunshine. It was an
chored in his heart. That thread would
bo :5.0l0 miles loug before she saw
good Old Everett. He picked up his
pen and wroje rapidly:
"Master Kpy" Mine, June
George Everett. Ill Broadway. New York
City:
Dear CJeorse When a young, slender,
brown eyed, K"h1eti haired girl walks into
your ofllee and says. "I'm Kuth Gallon."
and hands you the papers that she will
have in her little hand hag. liluatse nee
that she cets Slu.'AW. Kver vours.
I JOHN' DOUR.
He would have added more. Hfs
finer iustinct told him that Kuth should
be the first to put the whole scheme
before the cool headed, rather cold
hearted George Everett. Ho addressed
the envelope and scaled 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. "I want to send a telegram Take
it over the wire, please. I'll be down
in a little while and pay you."
"Sure." floated "fTack a cheerful voice.
"I wish my credit was as gWd as
yours, ten miles away, but it seems as
if I have to be always present when 1
nsk for it. Go ahead. John!"
"This is it. Bill." said John:
George Everett, 111 Broadway, New York
City:
Miss Ruth Gallon leaves tonight to see
you about "Master Key" stock. !eet her i
ancl w itOj,m' ori tier arrival. lake goon
JOHN DOltll
The operator repeated the message
and involuntarily adopted a little of
John's savage intonation on the last '
four words. It woke him up to the
fact that he was allowing his feelings i
to become public. He begun to see
why it was that men looked at him
strangely at times, when it was a ques
tion of Kut lis interests. He must re
strain himself.
The operator did not hang up imme
diately, but said hesitatingly: "Say.
John, there's a wire here: just came
in from 'The Master Key' mine. It ;
does not seem ta jibe with yours. Wil
kerson sent it." !
"I'll play fair." said John to himself,
and he called back over the wire. "Bil- :
ly. that's yours and Wilkerson's busi- I
ness. not mine." If he had listened to
the tenor of the message directed to j
Jean Darnell, in New York, he would (
have learned what Wilkerson was plot- '
ting.
For years Wilkerson had built up for
himself a golden image in Jean Dar- j
ncll. No one realized better than him- ;
self that she was a creature of appe- j
tite, a lover of silk and velvet. A wo-
man whose eyes widened at sight of a I
Persian cat. Feminine Sin every de- '
gree, womanly in none. But he him- i
self, dominated absolutely, utterly and j
completely by his desires, had fallen j
under her spell, and he was going to
win her, no matter how. It is a :
strange thing that when a dishonest I
man finally yields to an honest passion I
nothing will satisfy him but the ut j
most observance of the ritual of socie- j
ty. Harry Wilkerson's vision was of j
walking up the aisle of a great church 1
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-
fornia hills, with their faint scent of
sage and cactus, he saw a richly fur
nished room and breathed the odor of
attar of roses. Let us not follow him
in his dreams. But looking over his
shoulder an hour later we read:
"Master Key" Mine, Juno
Jean Darnell. Astor Housn, Xew York
City:
Kind George Kverctt at HI Broadway
and meet Kuth Gallon in Chicago on
Bante Ke express leaving here this even
ing. Introduce Drake as Everett after
you have teen Everett and keep the girl
to yourself until I can arrange matters.
HARRY.
"I can't send this through any office
near here," he thought, "so I guess I'll ;
ride down to Valle Vista and hand it !
to the conductor. He can send it from
Los Angeles."
Three days later Kuth Gallon settled '
herself ill the seat of a I'ullman that
was soon to leave Chicago for New i
Y'ork. She was excited. In crossing;
town from one depot to another
through the streets roaring with traf
fic she had heard sounds that had nev
er met her ears before the sounds of
the world's business which, oddly
enough, seemed to be mostly hauled
over cobblestones. The fatut echo of
that noise still rang in her ears. It 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 I
the door of his cook shanty, of the j more than the fool 1 take you for."
great ore bucket swinging across the She drew him back to where Ruth
gulch toward the mill, of John, bend stood amid the suit cases and hand
ing over his blue prints and papers; of; bags and said. "Miss Gallon. Mr. Ev
the grave on the hill where her father j erett has been telling me that he, too.
lay, still within the precincts of "The : has heard from Johu Dorr about your
Master Key." i coming."
It had been so impressed upon her ! Ruth scanned him politely. But the
that her mission was of vital iuipor- interest died iu her eyes when she
tance to the mine, that these tender
emotions flowed Vrato the same channel
with her really keen business instinct.
She pulled the key. warm from bev
bosom, out of its hiding place and look
ed at it
CHAPTER VIII.
Jsan Darnell's Ruse.
T
ills must ! Miss Gallon."
said a pleasant voice.
Kuth looked n i to see a
woman of florid beauty and
liressed i:isomewliat extravagant style
looking down at her out of great, taw
ny, velvet eyes. Western bred. Kuth
responded amiably to tliis salutation,
though she had not the faintest idea
who the woman was.
"Yes. I urn Miss Gabon."
"I am Mrs. Darnell." said the wom
an. ".May 1 sit down? I am an old
friend of your friend. John Dorr's, lie
wired me that 1 would tind you on this
train." The lie was so plausible that
Kuth merely blushed, thinking that it
was one more token of John Dorr's
carefulness of her comfort and safety.
To her inexperienced eyes this womau
represented the tremendous city o
which she was going. Her dress, her
manner, her jewels, the evasive per
fume that she affected were all strange
and impressive to her. She moved ;
over a little to allow Mrs. Darnell to j
sit down. j
"John never spoke of you," said liuth 1
simply. "I did not have the faintest I
notion that 1 was to meet anv of liis ;
friends. Do you live in New York?"
"Yes. I liv. in New York. I haiiix-i.-
ed to be in Chicago, and through Mr. j
Everett I heard from John." j
"Oh. you know Mr. Everett!" cried 1
Kuth. "He is the man 1 am going to
see in New York." and she went on to
tell, as best she could, the gist of her
mission.
It was typical of the woman to whom
she was talking that she did uot inter
rupt this naive narrative. She sat in
silken silence, occasionally allowing her
great eyes to rest ou Kuth's ftiir face
with an assumption of affection. As
a matter of fact, she was profoundly In
terested. Life had taught Jean Dar
nell a great many things, and among
them had leen the great lesson of self
preservation the saying for herself of
fnoney. C3illj5fe!
good hKiks. Now it was a quest i
money, prime among them all, a;
lrh
rather keen wits saw precisely t ie
chances which Wilkerson was fi!:i:;g.
She recalled his oft repeated stato"ie: : s
that there was money in "The M,i:r
Key" and his latest letters implo.-i;
her to help hiin get control of the sto l;
When Kuth ended up with a geii.fi1'
"And so I told John I'd come and see j
what I could do." the elder woman
smiled gently. Times were not so good
with her as they had been, and if Har
ry Wilkerson could put this deal
through and make money for them all '
it would simplify many a problem
which she dully pondered at night.
"Mr. Everett will meet us at the
train," -she said briefly, "and then you
can tell Lim all this. Meanwhile, sup
pose we talk about something else."
"But I can't think of anything else." ;
said Kuth.
"Oh, you will," said Mrs. Darnell.
"You can combine the pleasure of see-,
iug New York with your little busi-,
ness. Mr. Everett will quickly settle ;
that part of it. and 1 shall take great j
pleasure in showing you about Mauhat- j
tan. I presume you are fond of op-
era?" ;
i
"I have never been to the opera." j
Ruth responded. "1 should love to go, j
but when I do go I must go all alone.'' j
she went on impulsively. "I think op-;
era must be like church one wants to '
go all by oneself."
Mrs. Darnell turned very slowly and
for the first time in many years reveal
ed :i sec re i thought: "Do you know that
my only pleasant memories, my dear,
are of myself?"
The bitterness of that confession,
with all its implication, wholly escaped
Kuth's sensitive but inexperienced
mind. Yet there was something in the
tone that warmed her heart to this ef- i
fulgent creature. At least, she was
not going into the great city all alone,
nor confront Mr. Everett by herself.
Mrs. Darnell made her feel that she
was competently protected.
When they arrived the next morning
at the Grand Central station in New
York city Mrs. Darnell quietly intro
duced her to a slim, rather handsome
young man. who seemed ill at ease un
til he had drawn Kuth's companion
aside for a moment for a chat while
the porter collected their luggage.
"I don't just like this game." he said
"In the first place. Everett is a big
man in the city, and this Miss Gallon
doesn't look to me like a girl you could
fool long. Anyway, I can't under
stand what you are trying to do, Jean.
You must know what sort of a fellow
Harry Wilkerson is by this time. Why
play his hand for him?"
"I don't notice you holding any
trumps in your hand." she returned
gently, but with a faint gleam In her
eyes which made him draw back.
"This is my game, and 1 expect you to
play your part. You come on -now and
be George Everett. The girl is as ig
norant as a pigeon. Remember what
I told you."
"About that stock?" he said sullenly.
"Yes, the stock. You understand
that she came to New York simply to
raise money for this mine. Y'ou are
supposed to handle the business for
her. If you don't learn all that is to
be learned .about 'The Master Key'
mine in the next two days you
are
saw what sort of a man he was. He
mignt oe a inenu or jonns; ne migut (
be the man to rescue "The Master j
Key" from bankruptcy, but he did not
interest her. I
Drake, trying to play the part of the ;
! usy broker and. beiug thoroughly and
temperamentally an actor, felt the chill
f this lack of interest and would cer
tainly have fallen down ou his par:
had he not been prompted by Mrs.
Darnell. He was glad to hasten away
to tind the elusive taxi.
The real George Everett got out of
his limousine on the corner of Vander
bilt avenue and hurried through the
revolving doors: brisk, debonair, alert,
decided: with that happy style which
denies foppery and avoids surveillance,
i It seemed strange that he should have
a photograph in his hand at which he
looked intently until he got in the cou-
otirsc. There he stopped and, with the
; picture still in his hand, commenced
i watching the faces of the people
thronging through the gates under the
1 vast dome. As he waited he frowned
j slightly. "Why had John Dorr sent
him during business hours on a wild
i goose chase?" He thought of this ;'r
j ticulately and then smiled to himself.
I "A wild goose!" he muttered. It
brought up darkling sunset vistas,
j lakes smooth as quicksilver under the
evening sky. and slim. gray, beautiful
birds homing downward. The frown
left his forehead
"After nil it will be good to see some
body from out of doors." he said to
himself.
! Half an hour later he discovered that
he had irretrievably missed the ar
rival or uie unicago express anu wiui
it Kuth Gallon. He went back into
his car and drove to his office. Once
there he called his head clerk, an an
dent and fragile man. as crisp and
bloodless a"s the money that passes on
Wall street, and told him to see at 1
what hotel Miss Kuth Gallon wa? stop
ping. Then he wired John Dorr:
1U Broadway. New York.
John Dorr. "Master Key" Mine. Silent
Valley, Cal. :
Could not find Miss Gallon at train. Am
seeking for fctir. as it is important that
the business besettled Immediately. Wire ,
any possible address j
GEORGE EVERETT.
Far out on Broadway, above the '
, t1
eighties, an operator was ticking olf
v 1?. iaildres Ls.ejl to .A'--a-v-r
Wilt
kersoii. Ttread : " '
J5 A West Eighty-fourth St.. New York.
Hai ry Wilkerson, "Master Key" Mine, via
Valle Vista, Cal.:
Everything all right. George met R'.'th
She is now with mo and waltl.v; further
particulars. Hive seen Everett under
gui:-e of prospective purcha :-er of stock
The girl is charming.
JEAN DARNELL
Some bouses, like some people, should
never be illumined with sunshine, and
Mrs Darnell's residence, overlooking
the Hudson.'was of this type. Its dull,
led stone front, marked by windows
that seemed blind to all that went by.
was not distinctive in that neighbor
hood. A thousand doors within a mile
would have suggested to the passerby
lit t !: : t : n:o;v t:or less th.i:i the great
oak portals within which she lived. To
Kuth Gallon, of course, the h'iM-e
seeiiu d lici.:e:i Ion- !.v formal ami
ly. Within she found :.n atmosphere
so al . - -1 : 1 1 : . I .. -tr'i.ge ami i.lien to all
she had ever known that she saiank
within herself 1 1 : i 1 nothing to vay
until lm h.-i'1 In en i mm'.'.i tivl to hor
own room on t!m third floor ;:t.d a i!:s
erect maid was busy unpacking her
things. i:::t!i felt that society had :il
le;:dy laid i's restrictions on her She
recognized the maid as the "gown and
hat" policeman.
This .silent, but exceedingly oldi usivc
personage l:;: in;; retired at Inst. Kuth
studied her surroundings. When she
' had co:i'p c ed her survey s'.ie tla nght
to hers !f that there were two tilings
; wanting ('tie was a siil: haired Per
i slan cat and the other a f'aiuing co'or
j ed sc-crf a noss the bed that fo.i:;i!e:ed
j the r.itogctlmr of an apartment .vvore
ly luxurious. Then she tried to ana
i lyze the odor, delicate yet insistent.
which she was ever afterward to asso-
ciate with Jean Darnell and her expe- j
rience in New York.
At last she traced it to some pallid
! flowers in the great green and dark red
vase, whose unwholesome beauty was
that of plants whose roots have never
been in good, sound soil. They looked
to her much like lilies, whose pads had j
lloated on some dark and opalescent
pool, viscid with odors of the night.
She was still staring at these and
snilling their scent through widened
nostrils when Mrs. Darnell knocked on
the door and entered slowly. She had
changed her street gown for a negligee,
which instantly caught the girl's ap
preciative eye.
"You look beautiful." she said quick
ly. Jean Darnell turned her tawny i
eyes on her and smiled faintly.
"I am not usually up until noon," she
responded, "and I am getting old, my
dear." She threw out her jeweled
hands with a sparkling gesture of half
comic resignation. Kuth laughed. .
"John Dorr says everybody gets old
in New Y'ork. Don't you like him?"
Mrs. Darnell looked into the clear
eyes of the girl and almost failed to t
follow her baser instinct. But at that :
loose throat she saw the heavy gold of ,
"The Master Key." As if it had su
pernatural powers, the sight of that .
Key iocKeu tue uoor or uer neart.
course I like John, stie said easily.! , am worrio(1 , ought t0 go to the
"We must get everything fixed up now. wtz Carton (md gee lf there nre teie
George will be here-George Everett, i 9 for me fop thnt8 wnere John
of course. I mean-tonight, and you woud w)re mp rm afraid Mrs. Dar.
and he can talk the business over. I .,., Imiite he-
"Y'ou know, we simply must have
the money." Ruth returned earnestly.
"The miue isn't paying now. but John
knows where we can tind the mother
lode again: then we'll all be rich."
"Ah."' said Jean Darnell. "You're
selling stock. I presume?"
"I own It all." Ruth returned proud
ly. "It's my mine. My father left it
to me when he died." She did not see
the sullen hatred that slowly flamed
until Jean Darnell's eyes fairly blazed.
In her own room she stood a moment
breathless. Then she tore off her fleecy
De2llcee ln an intensity of silent rage
aftd despair seen oniv by tne UDexcited
eyes of the god whom she na4 defie1
It is wickedness, not virtue, which
to tneatrica,t and at this moment Jean
Darnell flung herself into her evil pas
siou with all the abandon of the trage
dian, only her voice was almost inau
dible: "Tom Gallon. Tom Gallon, dead
though you are. I'll have revenge!"
When her fury had spent itself and.
like all physically indolent women, she
could not yield long to emotion she
prepared her campaign.
Fir.- t she called up George Drake and
made certain that he would be at her
home for dinner that evening. Then
she called up two old acquaintances
who were always glad to fill empty
chairs at her well set table. This set
tled, she again sought: Kuth and per
suaded her from going down immedi
ately to Everett's office.
"You must be very tired, my dear,'"
Mrs. Darnell purred. "And, anyway,
you know, in New York young ladies
do not go about unescorted to men's
business ofHces. and I cannot go with
you until tomorrow or next day."
"That will be too late." cried Ruth.
Mrs. Darnell opened her eyes wide,
as if in surprise. "Mr. Everett is com
ing to dinner tonight" she said sooth
ingly. "You can talk business to your
heart's content right here."
"That will be much better," said
Kuth
When her hostess was gone she
stood by the window trying to think
more calmly of all that had happened
, sjnce Sje U11(j ief t
The Master Kev"
mine, but one thought was prominent:
"What was John Dorr doing?" She
recalled that there was three hours'
difference in time. It was now 2 o'clock,
in New York, and it was only 11 in Si
lent Valley. Tom Kane would be just
making his final preparations for din
ner, and she could almost smell the
odor of his coffee. These homely de
tails occupied her mind tenderly for an
hour; then she caught up and dressed
herself for the street a.JT.iin.
She had barely finished when the
maid came in with tea. followed by
Mrs. Darnell.
My child, what in the world are you
-ffcn" have atbgeffier:
"I was going out for a walk."
responded. "You know I have
Kutli
never
"What was John Dorr doing?"
been In New Y'ork. and it seems a
shame to waste this line afternoon.
Anyway, I want some fresh air."
yire. Darnell looked at her thought-
fully and smiled presently in a way
hat made Kuth flush. It seemed to
convict her of discourtesy to her hos
tess. "You had best have tea!" and
the girl obediently removed her hat
and jacket and sat down.
It seemed to her that the rest of tho
afternoon passed in flashes of such en
tertainment iis siie had never known.
It must be remembered that Kuth. liv
ing in the mine nearly all her life since
leaving school, had not had the advan
tages or the society of trained, alert,
smart clever women. Mrs. Darnell
was very cleVer and she used her ev
ery art to keep Kuth's attention. She
succeeded.
That night at dinner George Drake,
posing as George Everett, suddenly
flushed darkly and turned to the girl
at his left. "Miss Gallon.'' he said in
a whisper, flashing his dark eyes to
ward his hostess to see if she were
watching. "I really hope that the trust
you put in me you won't find misplac
ed. I'll do everything I can to help
you. even if it is funny that 1 diun t
know that John Dorr has red hair."
Kuth looked at him very soberly. "I
don't just understand a great many
things." she said.
It all seems so
strange. Mr. Everett, and. you know.
cause I want to go and make sure for
myself that John has not wired."
"I'll go myself." said the false Ever
ett, locking at his plate. "I'll to
night. In fact. I'll go right now." He
caught Mrs. Darnell's eye and said
apologetically: "I'm afraid, my dear
hostess. I'll have to leave you. I havo
Just remembered my" solemn promts"
to be at the club at ! o'clock, and. be
sides. I've promised Miss Gallon to go
to the Ritz and get her mail and tele
grams." He turned to Ruth, and she
noticed a very grave look in !'is eyes,
which she was to understand later,
lie bent gallantly owr her hand and
lightly kissod her fingers. "You may
trust me' he said
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
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