The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-01-22


THE jewel was given to me long ago.
she answered, her voice unsteadya .If
you wish to hear things which of myself
I cannot possibly know YOU had better
let me consult the topaz a gain"
Very WE'LL Dick said willing to 'humor
her for the moment, IN case She had
chosen this roundabout way of telling
him what he really desired !: to know.
There is a table-and at chair, also If |
you would like to sit down.
we are, then, to stay here?" Fl
For the present. It depends upon |
yourself. whether you will be allowed to |
crafty your Very ma tural curiosity by
further explorations later ssa III ~
He stepped forward, to place the one
common deal chair which the store room
contained closer to the shelf-lke table,
| and in doing SO saw something: which he
had not noticed before. The tins of pre-
| served fruit standing on the floor by the |
packing case had been disturbed. Several
were gone. -. - - ~
This discovery surprised and discon-
certed Dick. Gould the watchers have
| been hungry for something daintier than
| the fare provided for them, and have con-
sidered it no harm to help themselves to
food which nobody wanted? 1t might be
SO; or in the search lately superintendent
by the captain of the port the tins might
have been displaced and the two or three
| missing ones have been carried some
where else. = 70 .'-.+'
The yelled woman was kneeling on one
knee upon the chair, her elbows on the
high shelf like table, her draped head be-
| tween her hands, her eyes on the yellow
glittering square of the topaz.
| II see all very plainly" she said. II
! thought 1t would be SO when on board this
yacht The. beautiful young lady whom
you love is In terrible danger, even now.
She has been stolen away from her father
and is held as hostage for-another wom-
an. If that woman has not safely re-
turned to Tangier by Tomorrow at this
time the beautiful lady will be dead
The words fell slowly and placidly now
from the hidden lips as the tinkle Of a
fountain in a walled eastern garden. The
woman did not even look up to note the
effect that they produced. T. ~
Dick Knight drew in his breath sharply.
There was sudden: wild confusion as of
the ringing of alarum bells In his head, so
clear only moment ago. He had been
so pleased with his own wretched. little
l subtlety, he had thought himself so clever,
and now-what if. the woman were telling
the truth? He felt as if a hand Of iron
had closed round his throat, and his voice
came thicKly. ..-,..,,s 4. ~
you are lying!" he broke out, all his
drawing courtesy gone.
my topaz never lies I hope that you
may not have black cause Tomorrow to
know that it has shown the truth
i 1T is mere cunning!' cried Dick. ''You
want to torture me into letting you go,
and leaving me ignorant of all that I
mean to know-of all that you might give
me a short cut towards knowing; when
you whine about another woman who must
be in Tangier tomorrow you speak Of
| yourself" Z =" '""is
, 1.-The figure in the topaz does indeed re-
semble mine,'' responded the woman,
mildly. * N=@s-@:' TT -. : j" :'ta-' H.
+ ssWel1, syou tsllalls not atrickg mes agafn.ri
= exclaimed knight sueIt is impossible that
CHI hoIy tol1 mo ba
: Markham is we'll protected by her father.
Fl No harm can have befalen her You do
, not leave his yacht until you have con-
fessed what you know of the secret"
$ my topaz gives me another picture"
/ purred the yelled woman. I see figure
= all in white-a figure like my own-golng
out of restaurank to an office where
kilograms are sent. A message flies over
e the wires. 1t tells "a man. who is swift
= to act and who has no mercy in his heart,
Il that unless another message reaches him
f by s o'clock this evening to say that the
= sender is safe and free, one of his prls-
d oner's fingers is to be cut off. Il All, it
O would be a pity!-lfttle, white, dimpled
n fingers they are. All the rest would miss
the one that was taken. They would
r never be beautiful again without it, and
n then-think, monsieur. of the pain to the
q sweet young lady who loves you so well.
q In her terror and anguish she would call
: upon your name, but you would not be
there to help. And If you repented after
q wards in time to save her life, to-mor-
"a row, could she ever forgive you for hay
4 ing been passive while she suffered pain
- and mutilation, which you could easily
a have spared her if you had believed In
~ the poor fortune teller and her -topaz?'
y, y Dick knight glared at the yelled face
- in impotent rage. ''You deserve to be
. strangled!'' he flung at her, from between
=. set teeth. = H. '3'' ~. - - ~"
n yet monsieur will not urt me, I
II think" the woman said, horrid gurgle
% of triumphant laughter in her voice
The sound of it half maddened Dick.
= He forgot that he was a man and she
n n was woman; that fiend as she might
:, be- because Of his strength and her weak
:, - ness he owed her forbearance. In that
- moment she was to him Eve Markham
murderess, an abnormal creature who
:. exulted in torture, and he sprang on her,
-, =, Selling her by the throat, shaking her to
~ and fro in his fury 49, ). ,..see.
- With q stifled cry she struggled to her
u feet both brown hands flying UP to catch
~ at his and loosen their fierce hold. Some
- how in the battle Ca very different bat
~ tie from that to which Dick had eagerly
# looked forwarD her. Xashmak was I'M
,s fastened and fell from her face, over
20 Dicks hands that clasped the muffled
a throat. Her head covering slipped back
: and in a second the secret OF the hidden
y face was at knights mercy.
n No vision of beauty sprang to his eyes
E. The woman was of middle age; her face
o long and hollow checked, the features not
Moorish but typically italian. crying out
I their nationality despite the brown stain
= carelessly spread over them. The nose
i was aquiline the chin strangely prom
re tnent, pushing back the small, sneering
% thin-lipped mouth into insignificance
1t Now that the head-covering was dis
lie placed, thin trail of dark red hair, like
r a streak of: blood, wandered over the
II round, tight stretched forehead above the
great flaming undaunted eyes.
+ Coward gasped the thin lips Cow.
81 ard and fool! To kill me is to kill hel
i ALSO
3 Dicks senses came back to him, anc
he released the woman, flinging her away
y with a gesture of adherence, SO that she
~ fell back into the chair where she haG
u been sitting, and sat still. panttng-still
- save for the action of the busy hands
= which TREMENDOUSLY replaced the loosenet
- disguise. It was at this instant that Dicl
= heard the tramp, tramp of heavy boots
. that had no need to. tread cautiously.
IL, "Mr. Knight exclaimed the voice o
20 the man Brown, who had not yet beef
N relieved from duty by a successor. 'Ir
m knight, a telegram has been brought OH
" from shore for you, sir.
at Come and bring it here. please" sal
I Dick. unwilling to leave the woman alon
of for a second. s5.