THE MASTER KEY By John Fleming Wilson By special arrangement for this paper a photo-drama corresponding to the wstallments of "The Matter Key" may now be seen at the leading mov ing picture theaters. By arrangement made with the Universal Film Manufacturing company It Is oot only possible to read "The Master Key" In this paper, but alio after ward to see moving picture* of our story. COPYRIGHT, 1914, BY JOHN PI.EMING WILSON "Everett. Everett"—repeated Wllker- ! •on, "who Is George Everett?" Despite John's frowns, Ruth voln biy explained. When she hnd finished | m "John, are we broke?" Wilkerson nodded and said: "I'll put ' the men to work tomorrow. Dorr. Ret- ; ter have your plans ready!" He stamp td out. "Yon bad better go this afternoon," ilohn told Ruth. "There is no time to lose." "All right," she said, "TO be ready | In au hour." John smiled. "All right; I'll take j you over In the motor truck or shall j we ride to Silent Valley?" "I've never been to New York," she aald timidly, and with that Inconse quential logic which maidens have, she added. "Let's ride. I'll take Patsy and oa can ride Black Joe." r Dorr did not understand at all that In leaving her borne for the great strange city she wished her last hours 4© be filled with sunshine and a famil iar test of scurrying over dry Califor nia on half broken horseflesh. "All right, we'll ride," h® satd. "While you are getting ready I'll write j a letter to George Everett" Ruth laid one slender band on John's shoulder. "You're always doing things for me, | John," she 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 It seemed to him 9s If he held one end of a golden thread that s! e was spin ning through sunshine. It was an chored In his heart That thread would bo 3,000 miles long before she saw good old Everett lie picked up his pen and wrote rapidly: "Master Key" Mine, June George Everett. 11l Broadway. New York City: Dear George— When a young, slender, brown eyed, golden haired girl walks Into your office and says. "I'm Rutn Gallon," and hands you the papers that she will have In her little hand bag. please see that she gets SIO,OOO Ever yours, JOHN DOUR He would have added more. His finer ftistlnct told him that Ruth should be the first to put the whole scheme before the cool headed, rather cold hearted George Everett He addressed the envelope and sealed It. Then he went to the telephone and culled up the station at Silent Valley. "Bill." he said quietly after listening s moment to see if any one was 011 the line, "1 want to send a telegram. Take It over the wire, please. I'll be down lu a little while and pay you." "Sure." floated back a clteer.ful voice. "1 wish my credit was >s good as yours, ten miles away, but it seems as If I hare to be always present when I ask tor It Go ahead, John!" "This Is It Bill," Bitld John: George Everett, 111 Broadway, New Vork City: Miss Ruth Gallon leaves tonight to eee you about "Master Key" stock Meet her end 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 involuutarily adopted a Jlttl* of John's savage intonation on the last four words. It woke him up to the fact that he was allowing his feelings to become public. He begun to see why lt was that men looked at him strangely at times, when it was a ques tion of Ruths interests. He must re strain himself. The operator did not hang op tmme dlately, but said hesitatingly: "Say. John, there's a wire here; Just came in from 'The Master Key' tnlne. It does not seem to Jibe with yours. Wil kerson sent lt" "I'll play fair," said John to hltnsclt and he culled back over the wire, "Bil ly, that's yours und Wilkerson's busi ness, not mine." ir he hnd listened to the tenor of the message directed to Jean Darnell, In New York, be would have learned what Wilkerson was plot ting. For years Wilkerson hnd built up for himself a golden Image In Jean Dar nell. No one renllr.ed better than him self thnt she was n creature of appe tlte, a lover of silk and velvet A wo man whose eyes widened tit sight of a Persian cat. Feminine In every tie gree. womanly In none. Rut lie him self, dominated nbsolntely, utterly Hnd completely by his desires, had fnllcu WEDNESDAY EVENING, tinder her spell, and he was going to win her. no matter how. It is a Ftrange thing that when a dishonest tnan 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 hnd always thought of her In terms of gold; that was a contrast— j the pallid, satiny, blue eyed woman, 1 voluptuous, soft—and his image of her built of yellow gold, dragged out of | the bowels of "Tlie Master Key" mine. This Image wa9 now before his eyes: Instend of the warm, sun blessed Call- 1 fornla hills, with their faint scent ot snge 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, June Jean Darnell. Astor House. New York City: Find George Everett at 111 Broadway and meet Ruth Gallon In Chicago on 9ante Fe express leaving here this even ing. Introduce Drake as Everett after you have seen Everett and keep the girt to yourself until I can arrange matters. HARRY. "1 can't send this through nny office j near here." he thought, "so I guess I'll ; ride down to Vallo Vista and hand it j to the conductor, lie can send lt from j Los Angeles." Three days later Ruth Gallon settled , herself In the sent of a Pullman that ] was soon to leave Chicago for New j York. She was excited, in crossing ' town from one depot to another | through the streets roaring with traf- 1 Be she had heard sounds that had nev- j er met her ears before—the spunds of | the world's business which, oddly | enough, seemed to be mostly hauled : over cobblestones. The faint echo or | that nrise still riuig in her ears. It ap 1 palled her to think that ste must dwell j with men who lived In such an ntmos- j phere; also she felt very lonely. She j thought of the mine, of Tom Kane In 1 the door of his cook shanty, of the great ore bucket swinging across the j gulch toward the mill, of John, bend ' ing over his blue prints and papers; of | the grave on the hill where her father lay, still within the precincts ot "The j Master Key." It had been so impressed upon her j that her mission was of vital impor tance to the mine, that these tender | emotions flowed into the same channel | with her really keen business Instinct, j She pulled the key. warm from her ' bosom, out of Its hiding place and look ed at It CHAPTER VIII. } Jean Darnell's Ruse. " HIS must be Miss Gallon." i 1 said a pleasant voice. SjyjjffKjf Ruth Ipoked up to see a woman of florid beauty and j dressed in somewhat extravagant style 1 looking down at her out of great taw- j uy, velvet eyes. Western bred. Ruth j responded amiably to this salutation, j though she bad not the faintest Idea I who the woman was. "Yes, I am Miss Gallon." "I atu Mrs. Darnell." said the worn j nn. "May 1 sit down? I am an old | friend of your friend. John Dorr's. He i wired me that I would find you on this j train." The lie was so plausible that j Ruth merely blushed, thinking that it | was one more token of John Dorr's j carefulness of her comfort and safety. | To her Inexperienced eyes this woman | represented the tremendous city to which she was going. Her dress, her manner, her Jewels, the evasive per- I fume that she affected were all strange | and Impressive to her. She moved over a little to allow Mrs. Darnell to j sit down. "John never spoke of you," said Ruth j slntply. "1 did not have the faintest ! notion that I was to meet nny of his I friends. Do you live In New York?" j "Yes. 1 live In New York. 1 happen- i ed to be in Chicago, nnd through Mr. Everett I heard from John." "Oh, you know Mr. Everett!" cried j Ruth. "He Is the man I am going to i see in New York." and she went on to i tell, as best she could, the gist of her , i mission. ! It was typical of the woman to whom !>he was talking thnt she did not Ini.er rupt this naive narrative. She sat In silken silence, occasionally allowing her great eyes to rest on Ruth's fair face with an assumption of affection. As 11 matter of fact, she was profoundly tn | terusted Life had taught Jean Dar nell a great many things, and among them hnd been the great lesson of self preservation—the saving for herself ot money, of comfort, of health and ot good looks. Now It was a question of money, prime among them all, nnd Iter rather keen wits saw precisely tlte chances which Wilkerson was taking. She recalled his oft repeated statements thnt there was money In "The Master ' Key" and his latest letters Imploring ; her to help him get control of the stock. When Ruth ended np with a gentle I 'And so I told John I'd come and see j what I could do," the elder woman j smiled gently. Times were not so good ' with her as they had been, and If Hnr 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. "Sir. Everett will meet us at the train." she said briefly, "and then yon enn tell him all this. Meanwhile, sup jiose we talk about'something else." j "But I can't think of anything else," 1 said Ruth (To Be Continued l-'i-lday) H KB |We Have Turned the Piano Business Upside Down■ g| ggj We Have Absolutely Cut and Slashed Prices and Terms to the Bone gg H Time Piano Buyers, Attention: f Cash Piano Buyers, Read This: ® llano Buyers in and aroiuid Harris burg were completely taken off their feet l>y | Money talks. It talked for us when we purchased this gigantic stock of pianos. §|jp§j| announcement of the gigantic SIO.OO closing out sale. YVe have taken the entire 9 The prices that we have placed on this stock are so low that every piano should he a HgMH KrfiS State by storm. We have Ticcn deluged with letters, telephone calls and telegrams. 1 spot cash transaction. If you have any amount of money to pay "cash" for a piano Ifjjfffi HH9 Wo cannot stop to answer these urgent calls from buyers. The sale must go on. All H i>i-jn K it liere to this store. You can roam through this store, select the piuno you like nwl ■yiMM pianos must go. We will positively sell this stock at prices and terms so ridiculously 2 ... . . .. . . . ... ~ - . *. . ... egWEa low that it will startle the piano world. Just imagine such values as you sec adver- Jk hest, tell us bow jou .Wish to pay tor It. Could sou ever expect to beat this offer. All h|B tiseil in this paper to-day. They will be sold. They must be sold. Read the terms. H "Winter At Co.", "iindolf," "Kimball," "Crown," "UldrldEc'' pianos will be sold at any HH 881 Can you resist the temptation to place one of these Instruments in your home. - Come BH price that is within the bounds of human comprehension., liring- your cash licrc, sc |in at once, either during the clay or evening. We will remain open evenings until II o'clock. lect your piano now and have it delivered at once or set aside for Christmas delivery. • j " Crown " "Kimball" ■ Ej $1 a Week $1 a Week H |g| Free Stool, Scarf, Delivery Free Stool, Scarf, Delivery g 9 ANY PRICE OFFERED BUYS A PIANOS $95 ANIHJP. COME IN AT ONCE |j B-Sl H| We Pay Railroad Fare •\ We Are Open Evenings Until 9 O'clock [We Will H.ld the Piano I 9 ||j§ Both Ways and Pay |I/b n|-/\ i* Hj| a f* I ' You Select and Deliver |||| Freight on Pianos to ff §| | LCI 810 1i O lt Christmas Eve if You ||g g Any Point in Penna. 23 Nor , h Foarth St H M ELDRIDGE, Mgr. Harrisburg, Pa. . Wlsh ' J jg| limiWMIIIIIIBIIIIWIIWIMI HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH DECEMBER 9, 1914. 11
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers