The Washington times., 1904-06-05

Evidently he had fallen of the wall
IN the darkness and the rough stones
had broken his skull At any rate IL
was badly crushed and the man was
quite Ifeless.
Inc other man never reported to
'he governor. On the day following this
accident 20 his companion he entered
andrew Courtney's employ.
me governor wondered at this. and
OeiHs man unaccustomed 70 fear. he
went himself 70 inquire into the business
OF the black sloop He was received
politely; apparently he had been ex-
pected
ne talked long with Andrew Courtney
and he had been coming regularly ger
since And the business OF the slooD
ana the warehouse went on as before.
II might not have gone on so easily
II the governor had known of an The
rlches possessed by the man ubosa
customer he was. But Courtney roads
no display OF what he owned
He wore a threadbare coat 10 rscet,,o
the most distinguished OF his yisitore.
he kept his wealth hidden bebi,d bf,
house door. which never opene5 -
friend or stranger, and in strong bo~os
secreted in vaults OF which he s1o,o
knew
Sometimes he visited the vaults ana
poured out the shining contents ~ -
boxes. There upon his knees he thrust
his knotted hands through the shinfn,
heaps Of coin and counted It's worth
and chuckled over il in misery delight
Always. when he left. there was the
glow OF a half-devilish satisfaction in
hiS chill eyes and a curse ufon his Inns.
The delight was for the treasure: the
curse for the land that had given the
treasure, for a government that knew
not Of his existence, and for the soul
/ OF man long dead
/ II had been so for twenty years. and
every year the glow Of cupidfty in the
narrowing eyes and the curse from the
/ lhin bps had grown stronger.
Perhaps be was thinking Of the gold
ana the curse tonight as he sat at tha
rough table IN the little Office. At any
rate the eyes were narrower than usual
and the lips were drawn thin in an I'm
/ pleasant smile which seemed TO vaver
and TO shape itself into unuttered an
| athemas under the changing light from
the Arabian lamp that hung above him.
/ He was expecting a visit and appar-
emily visit Of an unusual nature. The
rough garments that he ordinarily wore
had been replaced by others OF better
make and costiier texture His coat
was Of braided velvet, and tbs, cloth
| n cited in sailor fashion about is lean
/ neck was Of rare Persian silk
/ Upon one finger Of the hand that
! rested on the table was ring from
which a glowing diamond flashed with
a warm radiance that made biz chill
eyes seem more lusterless than ever.
| The hour glass standing on the table
haG been moved thrice and the hour
was midnight. before the visitor came.
He was ushered silently through the
outer darkness and stood uuannounced
before the Office door as IL slid noise
less1y back
The light from the steady torch be-
side the entrance revealed his face
against the darkness outside. The light
always shOne thus on Andrew Court
ney's visitors. leaving himself IN COM
Darative shadow.
| The figure outlined by the light was
/ that Of a well-knit. youthful man with
la pleasant English face. He bore him
self with the stin erectness impaired
by long seasons of drill, ana his bronz-
ed cheeks showed the blush tinge COM
mon 10 military men. and resulting
from the daily visits OF the razor.
| At present his face wore a somewhat
not know what 10 make Of the strange
lmanner of his reception.
But he displayed no sign Of fear AID
advanced calmly 10 take the chair 20
| which Courtney mOtioned him.
| Tor a moment the two sat IN silence,
while the narrowing blue eyes OF the
older man took in all the details OF the
others appearance. Then he broke 81
! lence. saying:
You come
From Sir Admiral Rookie. on the ad-
vice Of Captain Powelton." interrupted
the young man whose uniform proclaim
ed him an officer OF the British navy.
Il am Lieutenant Calthor3e. though
dare say that my own name does not
signify IN the present matter"
| The elder man paid no attention 20
the latter portion OF the. remark. but
| inquired with a faint trace OF eagerness
| in his voice:
Did Captain Powelton give any word
for me?"
He asked me 10 say, Remember tho
/ Barbary Chief. and keep faith
! The eyes Of the older man shifted
from the others face on which they
had rested for a moment. The knotted
hand on which the Jewels shonc. drum
med upon the table. and the bent fig
ure Strengthened In the chair he spoke
with sudden vigor:
Aye 1t is because I remember and
because am keeping faith pledged long
since. not TO man but TO the devil in
hell-that is why I sent 70 him."
The young man shifted uncomfort-
ably on his seat. The strange nature
of his surroundings, the mysterious at-
mosphere of the place and the remark
able words OF the man before him made
the whole affair seem uncanny.
| His eyes were fascinated by the fash
ing jewel upon his companions rest
! less fingers.
After a pause. Courtney spoke again
| Il am glad that Dick Powelton re-
members me. We were shipmates many
years ago"
''He led me to believe that you would
have something Of Importance 10 I'M
| mart" put in the officer, anxious 10 es-
| cape "reminiscences
"Of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF impor-
| tance?'' Courtney chuckied over the
words. though there was no trace OF q
smile upon his lips now. once more ne
| turned toward the young man win a
| sudden access of energy
Yes II is something OF Importance,
he said Il want you 70 so 70 your ad-