Palestine Daily Herald (Palestine, Tex), Vol. 13, No. 118, Ed. 1 Saturday, January 23, 1915 Page: 5 of 8
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: The Palestine Daily Herald and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Palestine Public Library.
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By JOHN FLEMING WILSON
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^COPYRIGHT* 1914, BY JOHN FLEMING WILSON
Version of the Motion Picture Drama of the Wxne Name Produced by the Universal
Company! Illustrated With Photographs Prom the Picture Production.
me. . H§ found that place and jna’de
the plan and fooled me." He pain-:
‘fully lifted' his clinched* hands toward
heaven ■ and Cursed vehemently until
his curses faded into a perfect delirium'
of mad dre&ma. Far away on the hill
the coyotes barked dismally.
No longer stealthily like a man ob-
sessed. bat with one desire, he strug-
gled down the hill and out Upon the
mesa. Yet*thefe was still in his eyes
all the innumerable sfars, and he could
not fix his. direction in his mind, for
to his accentuated sight they all ap-
peared brilliant and .peculiar. Thus be
got lost. 1
At times, in moments when the dead-
ly1 thirst which parched his throat al-
lowed him tb drink, be saw the' one
glimmering light, which marked the
place where lie knew* Gallon had gone.
Miles and hours became to “him as
nothing; ytet finally through his sharp-
ened. senses he spelled water, and as
the sun was rising over San Jacinto
mountains he fell face downward into
a stream, ^ome instinct told him thaft
towns were built on hills; that cons^
qnently -to find the town he should go
apstreapr So he struggled, stemming
the cunpht. dragging his feet, his left
hand clltrched into the folds of his^
shirt over £he wound. In his heart
was1 stll^smolderlng the flame which
ixi the fulness of his physical strength
had been hatred of his partner.
*Tlt gft him yet,*’ he muttered.
...
CHAPTER L
things breed in the
of southern California
loos of them beautiful,
ms of than symbolic of
terrible thirst
> are three thirsts in this world:
Hie one for life; great
, the thirst for lore.
and the last expression of
In the locked door, and
time, the primal carpenter
his tools and went Within
ease the, door has stood tor
\ a defense end an opportunity,
vista of life we find many
i and gates—doors to hap-
> life and to love,
to yen
seared knuckles 6n
Then realize that sooner
tells them that they
without a key.’ “Who
master key to all these lpck-
’ we cry.
the
wearily struggling
toward the
thirsty
the silent question Id
;V
lately alone. Chance, the master of ns
all. (Mights in strange freaks. Now at
this moment, whan he felt hatred in his
heart for his partner, when he knew
that" he had come on his final quest
coddle along, Mis-
wift a weakling to
tren Chance laid b
her quick finger on
him and whispered, “Here!”
He heard that light whisper and
dropped his gage to the ground. A mo-
ment later be was furiously hammer-
ing at the outcropping of rock that
threw its sharp shadow down the hilL
Wilkerson turned sluggishly in his
sleep. |
“I wonder where the old man is,” he
muttered to himself. “He’s always
prowling round o’ nights.” \
What was that figure slinking around
the bluff? Something in his partner's
attitude as he stopped directly in. the
full sheen of the moonlight made him
pause.
“He’s got something,” he thought
“Why does he not come down to
•• -1
» San Jacinto nxran-
ftiy
gold—the gold
about Tea, 1 most
j * tv
m to realize that yon |
r,* snarled WUkerson,
always talking about I—I—L
1 got a share In this? feaven’t
up 4noney? And yet yen don’t
that I’ve any concern in
me. partner.” said rile other
flvtng his dim gaze on the mcran-
Trn always thinking of that girt
p Tod know she’s in school and
: to have s good education, and
t to work to pay for It Excuse
you know I did not mean
way, but when I remember her
*— Be broke off abruptly, and
stopped.
mother?’ asked WUkerson.
her mother.” cbol
Gallon.
s?r.
girl deserves the best Snere is In
all she’s got, and. by
took his fist toward
______ blil*—“ahe shall have
' I have & tear that mountain apart
— finger nails.”
’ said WUkerson impatiently,
camp. I’m thirsty/’
stopped In the shade of the fal-
of th^ Tncca and made their
firs tor coffee, but before the
V well started WUkerson
the water bag and took a
companion suddenly
U» * •*. ; ‘ •' s h- ’ . . ’ • ■
be said sternly, “that
us clear to the moon-
{8 ? *
flung bis head back sad
“Wh^ worry? Don’t you see
there «ou Sun Jacinto peak?
at meaaSTcreeks down every flavine
guicte”
Gallon’s eyes. dulled. He
more subside into n
“That's my pencil,” he thought dully,
“There is not 'another pencil in this
desert How. can I write to Dolores if
Old Man Gallon walks off r
He took out of his pocket a won
leather wallet and drew out the pic-
ture of a wpban, whose calm, cold fea-
tures, unadorned by the photographer’s
art were appealing to,the man of his
appetitea. •
He looked at this a moment and
then all the morbid fire In his blood
flamed toward his heart- Love, life
and happiness depended upon the po*;
session of gold. Therefore, with riiii
fire 'in his heart, WUkerson suddenly *
got that absolute thirst for gold which
traverses deserts, which has kUled
more people than the armies of Eu-
rope. /
And in his sudden access of physical
desire for gold in order to attain this
woman he rose to his feet and there
came upon his face a swift expression,
stealthy but determined.
He put the photograph away and,
.pantherlike, stole into the shadow un-
der the hill and toward the man vkho
had been his partner, but whom he
was resolved to kjJL He crept along,
taking all precautions against disturb;
lng a single pebble, until he stood over
Gallon, and id the full*
saw that Gallon was drawing the
and marking the location!* of a mine.
“How far,” he thought forcefully to
himself, “has the old man gone What
gulch la this? What place Is this? He
has found the gold, and I’m going to
have ftisT. He stUl watched the pencil
and saw him trace in rude letters:
“This will make yon happy.”
That’moment Gallon saw WUkerson
smiling at him. - ■ -ji 'i
Smiles and tears,* sorrow and laugh-
ter, have made this world what it-Is,
and the smUe on the. saturnine visage
of WUkerson stirred Gallon to his
depths. Did WUkerson know? Had
WUkerson sefen? Was Ruth to lose rile
gold that he had found after all .these'
years? Wilkerpon had peeked ovef his
shoulder. Wilkerson L Wilkerson! Wfl-
kerson! There must be no Wljtersdn!
He Dulled out his revolver and fired
at foe man smiling at "him from'the
CHAPTER IW-
are under arrest.*
-
a,way on the same dimly lit
; another man was seek-
>*the fcan^ light Thomas
len had realized that be
lerer. What would happen
Were convicted of killing
This was the thought
him on—onward toward
across the mesa. Care-
of the sagebrush, ab-
of the little gul-
last year’s rains, he
iy onward, and as he
was formulated in his
lot only tb save the gold
Iter,
to save her
shadow.
Wilkerson emptied
. la-
the old man.
his revolver at
But GaUon’s trained eye.
He Pulled Out Hie'Revolver and Fired
at the Man,
camp? I think 111-see.” So he wrap-
ped himself in bis blanket again, but
his eyes’ were open and turned on his
partner.
A few moments later Gallon cams to
camp, heavy footed, as if half asleep,
dropped his hammer and kicked the
fire to e blaze.
“If I, had a proper partner there
would be coffee for me,” be said in to
tone loud enough to reach the sleeper.
“What’s the matter, old pal?” asked
WUkerson, apparently drowsy.
“Oh. nothing,” said Gallon. “I- Just
thought you might have left some cof-
fee” * •’ -0* ^
t “Did not And anything, did yon, part-
ner?’ asked Wilkerson.
' “Nopeyr nothing doing Guess those
,r Indians, did not give me the right
where they said the gold | bunch.” : V
muttered,
there.
“In one of them j WUkerson
Gold!» Gold! Say.
we’U get that gold, but we
save the water. I didn’t mean
harm, partner, for calling you 1
\ down for drinking that water, but I’qe
got to get that gold/'
turned over as If once
more going to sleep, but his eyes were
open, and he *saw Gallon marking
down son?* notes on a piece of paper. .
“Did you. say the Indians did not
give you the right hunch?” WUkerson
asked suddenly “How often have 1 I
WUkerson dnee more reached for tfie’ got to tell you we’re partners. I be-
water and took a long draft
“I guess this will last dU we reach
those foothills,” be said. But bis com-
panion paid no attention to him. stol
idly i
coffee
preparing their slender meaj of
and beans. ■ i ; , ■
When the*** bad eaten Gallon brusque-
ly motioned to Wilkerson to clean up
rite camp and then glleqtly started np
rite guich.
“1 never beard of finding gold by
uutenilght” his partner -mattered to
himself. “Let the old man dig arpund
If ho wants to.” And immediately once
more he yielded to his physical desires,
tub time tor sleep.
Gallon steadily trudged around
Muff, following rite stream'so best
lieve if you got a strike you wouldn’t
teU me. Are we partners or not?*
“Yes; we’re partners all flight I
haven’t .foundanything/’-
“What was that stuff you had in
your hand?’ aSked WUkerson drow-
sUy. “You’re always bringing in a
lot of dirt and looking it over, but I
notice you kind of keep that dirt in
/Our hand.''
Wilkerson once more yielded to his
physical desire tor sleep, but was
awakened "by the barking of a coyote
on the hill. He suddenly raised him-
self «nd let out a curse against the de-
stroyer of his sleep. Thqp he swiftly
realized that GaUon was still awake.
backed np by his overmastering pas-
sion, had directed his weapon too sore-
ly. Wilkerson realized that his ene-
my’s bullet had'gone home.
Still with the blood lust in hi# heart
Gallon pulled out the picture of a Httie
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
befogs. Where were they? There was
no sonnd on the desert except the
rustling of .the dry. leaves of the
yuqpas and the murmur of the cactus
qs it died of drought. He was really of
two minds. Ope desire was to ^nd the
location of the gold. The other wap to
save his own life and assuage the‘bit-
ter fast which he knew meant death.'
At Inst he stumbled to his-feet and '
peered across the mist veiled valley.
Far away he. saw a[ light Gathering
all his strength, he started toward it;
for.lt held out to him the prospect ofi*
help for bis physical Injury, and as he
fingered his- revolver he feverishly
dreamed Of ' finding • Gallon and ;so
avenging hi nisei f.
/ Under; the stars he tramped on. As
men see their.real world in miniature
and. their ideal world magnified, as we
all do. the (noon, flooding' its light
down upon hls path, did not appear
within bis range of vision. It was
only the little pin points of stars in
the purple bldck sky that he discerned*
sitting by the fireside, writing
the same stab pencil
with
horizons had been obliterated, be
saw a solitary twtekling light, which
meant a humarf limitation.
“I’ll get hipj yet." he muttered thick
iy. The mere act of articulate speech,
died In his throat. He realized that he
had no water, and the overpowering
thirst burned in his very marrow. .
“I can’t make It,” be thought to hin-
ts and Ideals that the
them the fainter
was with astonish-
|omas Gallon suddenly
the street of Valle
■;
lot’ of silent infinence in
of closed doors. Gallon
street, and every door
one. No hospitality,
showed that law and
vigilant, held their sway,
on toward the green
the sheriff's office,
d an alert deputy.
Jfi;’ • J ;• 4
j he said firmly. “The
my partner and near-
at Mm shrewdly
i on his feet, buckling
rolv«:, and In a sees
had. brushed his way
er and was bawling
: apparently was a vacant
V dimly heard his call,
was to play his part
; Would these men find by
gold? A moment later a
Jploon acroks the street
and the door opened,
the matter?’ yelled a half
*. reeling 00L ,.
out again 1” , cried the dep-
ths sheriff. They have got
*s pkrtoer.”? Theh he turned
aathbritatiVely and said,
sh? did you* have.7” - f
p,” said Gallon. “We did not
but they thought we
fW. 'j'ji J 5 1; ?
a quick gesture the deputy
ration's wrist and opened his
losing a nugget “Where did
you gift* this?” he asked.
The hid man stared down stupidly at
that warm btt. of gold. He bad carried
• 7 ; '• t •
hand
“At this foot of San Jacinto moun-
tain. on the upper level,” Gallon stam-
mered..
“Get your horses, boys,” ordered the
sheriff. ; .
It was not but a feAr minutes until
the posse, Gallon riding stolidly on an
extra horse, was scampering through
the streets toward the mountains, now
absolutely dark, as the- moon had set
Sheriff Hawkins waq. not aware that
as they crossed a wash a panting,
grqanfng man was crawling on his
belly toward the solitary light which
marked Valle Vista. : Nor did Gallon,
dumbly riding toward the darkness
which hid the scene of his crime, real-
tzei that- Wilkerson was within ten
yards of him as they splashed through
the stream. *, ;
Then suddenly* appeared tn the sky a
spot of white, which spread until the
murk of the night had .turned to dusk.
^Well, thank God it's daylight” said
the sheriff to Gallon. “I guess we’can
get yonr partner all ri#ht now.” And
even as he spoke'the dufc suddenly be-
c&me enriched by the light of the sun
rising ltt the east The moment it
struck the brass on his pony’s bridle
Gallon Involuntarily reined in. Through
his blistered lips he muttered: “Gold!
-?•-
Ruth!” >
Inquiring eyes were turned on him,
The sheriff shoved his horse pver and
asked, “What gold?” . *>•
At the same instant came the deputy
on the other side of him.
“Say, chief, he says there was no
gold.”
A sinewy arm reached out and took
“I think
sheriff, his
Gallon’s gun away from him. “I
I better keep this,” said tife sher
dark countenance fiiowIMsIiin.
So this cavalcade 1ape its way
through the toesh California dawn
until there was a sudden break In the
mesa. The deputy threw out his hand.
“There are a hundred gulches In these
mountains. Which one Is it, pardner?”
At the word “pardner* Gallon polled
himself together. The glitter of the
brass on the hone's headstall and that
word. Should be tell them the location
of that gulch? The stroke of one
horse’s hoof might disclose the mother
lode, and yet he had told thorn the out-
laws had killed Wilkerson.
His horse stumbled and threw him
When he 'got up be gropingly pointed
his . hands toward the hills and mut-
tered, “That way. boys—that’s where
they got him.”
Half on hour later the posse was
grouped about the dead fire, and the
sheriff was staring at a blood stained
blanket fi • 1
“There has been trouble,” he said
abruptly. Then he turned on Gallon.
“Why is this coffee hot?” he said,
lifting up the pot The brusque tones
of the sheriff cut the silence that fol-
lowed. i ’/'/
“I don’t see your man. I doift under-
stand this. Yen gre under arrest—for
the murder of*— Ho looked at Galkm,
and the old involuntarily said.
“Wilkerson.” / s
<A11 day the sheriff, with Gallon, Ms
*od tx
the gullies and gulches for the ’
I m§i-
5' ■- v
■ •' ■ -' % '
“Get your horses, boys.”
it clear across the tpesa. emblem of his
thirst sj'mbol of his undying desire.
For the ihomeut he did not know what
to answer. Theft he recovered himself
and said quietly. “1 Was going to”— He
paused a .moment and looked straight
Into the eyes of the-man opposite him
“I was going tQ .save ail I .had.” i
and in the midst of this firmament as* * ** thats all you had Mntias did not
-- - - - * - - --• •• - » t get much, and he is Considered a pret-
ty smart fellow-/’.- was the curt re-
sponse. “Here comes the sheriff.”
In the west tbehr ordinary speech is
deeds, not words Appeared other men
and then the bulky; figure of the sber
iff. This tnan> wasted no time in pre-
liminaries, but quickly roared, “lUitcb
way?’
whose blood stained blanket they had
found. The old man, taciturn as ever,
merely said, as 1f repeating by rote.
“The outlaws got him.”
When the toll, moon M risen
the night life of the desert had begun,,
grotesque life, built of fleeting forms
and bizarre shadows, the sheriff called
a halt np the canyon.
On one side of the pulley on which
they were camped the sheriff's men
had built a fire. It was against a rock,
which rose whltely under the moon.
Gallon saw his chance He worked
his way to .the fire and in spite of the
pain held his bands out Over the blaze
until he felt the strands of the rope
weaken and finally part.
A moment later he was making his
way to where the hlrses were tied.
He leaped upon the nearest one and
within a second was on Ms way down
the hill into the mist which filled the
valley.
But the noise of his horse’s hoofs on
the rongh shale of the hillside awak-
ened the guard. / ,, • ; .«
“I think I will have a cup of coffee,”
he said to himself sleepily and slug-
gishly stretched himself. A moment
later he flung the empty coffeepot into
thdUarkness.' “Sheriff,” he cried, “he’s
gone!”
The sheriff lifted his lanky form as
* by a single movement
gone?” he yelled. /'• •?'- u
“Who’s
man. Gallon,"
.' . *S *• V » ft.
replied the
“That
guard.
“We must get him, boys .“’.the sheriff
said. They rode to the edge of the hill
and looked down into an iridescent see
of mist a mere pool of curdling moon-
shine.
“He’s got away from us. boys.”
the sheriff. “We’ll ’never find him
there.” \
Gallon rode quickly on, no longpr
seeking for a light but* for darkness,
and yet as he felt the pony quiver un-
der him he himself felt a strange trem
or—Wilkerson wias still alive-some-
where behind that veil was his enemy.
■ and the man who knew the location off
the richest mine in all golden Califor
nta.
Mission Street pier marks the point
on the San Francisco water front where
sooner or later every one in. this world
passes, and among the multitudes
strange. sul>dued and nnsnbdaed by
the tremendous forces which make onr
civilization. Gallon found himself abso-
lutely ubobserved in this throng—he
was as' he hoped to be. Berthed at
the pier was a steamship, quartermas-
ters at the gangway, and a sign hung
on the'rpil saying. “We sail at 9:45
p. BU**
When he reached his cabin GaUon
stealthily took out from his pocket a
folded paper and looked at it He laid
it on the white covering of the bunk
apd once more dipped Ihto his jacket
This time it the picture of a girl.
“I will save. It for you.” he murmur-
ed to himself. The bare room held
hut one movable article of furniture-'
a chest of strange workmanship * an#
redolent of alien lands. Gallop stoop-'
ed over and puUed atJthe lid. kIt came
open to his touch, and be saw then a
strange conglomeration if artietea. An
idol lay there, inanimate, bqt impor-
tant# He picked it up. and as.hp.did so i
one of tts corn! eyes fpB oak -M •.
To Mm it saw a sinister omen/ aad
be stared far a moment; clutching at
his breast Then he gave way to the
hysteria of the hunted and the haunted. .
; “I don’t know whose god you ace,”-
he muttered “but if *700 mjdst have It
—take it” And Into the open socket
he thrust the paper that held* the se-
cret of his minet \ • . V * ..
That sleep which is like a shot In the
heart overtook Gallon before the Santa
Clara was weH to sea. He was awak-
ened from it. by the sound of sin alter-
cation. ' *
“You;?e got to . pat back to port,”*
said a voice in an ugly tone. > ; •
Thefe-was a fusilade of shots, and *
then the deck beneath him tilted'slow-
ly. 1 The fcbest slid down the deck to*;
ward shore. Gallon locked the Chest,
dragged it across the sill and - then
looked back to see an enormous! Wall
of water. This wall crumpled faded
.1 .V
/. *
%
. ■
yet left him breathless. What.Was the
matter? Then be saw huge columns
of smoke ponring out from the! after
part of the ship. It w£s not the in-
exorable and avenging rsea, but firo*
He saw the boats go over the side. He *
saw two men struggling In the tops—
yet it was a dream. His cobbciousnise
held but; two facto—one the chest that
contained the secret of his mine, the
other the key that bad iflcked within
that strange and alien depository rite
picture qf a little girL *
Six boors later
of 1
4 {
On
ed. almost u
tp crawl beyond the reach of the
gering breakers, clutching a key.
was Thomas Gallon. - H
He sat down and stared at the burn-
ing ship be .had left Dimly he remetp-,
be red those strange nam&ers that
of that
tor out
marked the position
.flaming to destruction
horizon. * Vi ' ■* ;
137. 23 west; 3l. 27 north,
jj But how to remember them? How
to keep this precious information ’in
his bead. His groping fingeri found
tiie ke^. A moment later he was
scratching the numbers oh its soft sur-
face. '• _ .' ' J.'
“This.” be said through hif salt
parched Ups. “is the master’key/’
Stared up at the blue sky, .and* then
bowed his bead in utter weakness. v
; * • • '■« •
“If Wilkerson is alive he knows.
Every day is the same. When can >1
find the*secret of ’The Master Key? "
\
*
Gallon then picked up
and dnlij looked over
Thomas
letter file
conYentsJ
“Funny,” he thought to himself,
“that that engineer Yhat I 'wrote to
Drake about has not turned np.” He
fumbled the letter uncertainly,' but the
tome caught his eye—John Dorr. * ~
At that very moment the motor stage
chugged slowly into camp; and* a tall,
heavily built man swung down into
the street, salt ease in band. He look-
ed about him with a trained eye. He
saw the opening of a mine upon the
httl—the trestle crawling toward the
damp, the pump house—all the para-
phernalia of an active mine, but he
also perceived that the stamp mHl woe
’! ik ' ‘A •= * £
bet they’ve lost the loder he
ugtt to himself. t He turned to a
er who was' passing and asked,
here Is Mr. Gallon?’ b
‘Up there In that bungalow.win
the reply. f
Jo hit Dorr straightened himself up
and went quietly up the acclivity, until
he finally arrived before a typical Cali-,
forma house. To his great astonish-
ment a slender, fair haired girl con-
fronted him, instead of the brusque, .
rude miner he had been led to ex-
pect he would meet on his arrival at
The Master Key/’' * ■
“I’m John Dorr/ he ^aid awkwardly.'
‘1 came to see Mr. Gallon. I am the
new mining engineer.” ‘ ‘ 4 “ >
' Ruth looked at him critically,
was nothing like the men she
used td* His clothek were good,
fairly breathed soap and
Efo
woa
He
watdk, and
his very apparent strength gloved be-
neath d clear, smooth skin and well
proportioned limbs. Then she met .his
eyes in frank admiration. “! / ’ t \
“I’ll Call father.” she .said, but shs
still hesitated. That gentle pans#
brought the blood to John Dorr’s face.
He realized that this was a'moment
#he would always remember. w
(Continued Next Saturday.) ;
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Hamilton, W. M. & Hamilton, H. V. Palestine Daily Herald (Palestine, Tex), Vol. 13, No. 118, Ed. 1 Saturday, January 23, 1915, newspaper, January 23, 1915; Palestine, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1014970/m1/5/?rotate=270: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Palestine Public Library.