The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-09-20
xll.-THE PURSUIT OF
THE SILVER SKULL
BY FRANK LOWELL MEL SON

Il i
II / could bring myself to the telling
ol the tale. II holds still poignant
memories that | would gladly let slum-
Dor Even yet. although six years have
passed. i start out of troubled dreams
III night and hear Carlton Clarks wild
cry as Tor once his master mind gave
way. ! see Achmon's staring eyes look
ing INTO mine. l see Thaida's lovely
FORM stark in the semblance of death.
But | have set my hand 10 telling and
,he promise that has been written shall
De kept. And thus il happened.
clarke and / We're in our apartments
one morning. late i'm June. | was idling.
the last bit OF work turned off. the
last batch of proofs corrected and re-
turned 10 the printers. Clark was
deep in thick volume of Hindu my
thology.
How I should like to revisit that
Wonderful land of India" said Clarke.
: looking up suddenly from his book
: Why! We're you ever in India" 7
!. exclaimed i'm surprise
Yes. ! spent three years there. up
in the old Deccan country II was time
wasted for | was. then too immature
Ia grasp or to explain by the rules
- or cold science all the wonders that J
saw. Wen go there together some day,
Sexton"
Just then there was an impatient
ring at our bell ana 1 opened the door
to admit a tall. scholarly looking man
with a pointed beard and pince nez,
who eagerly inquired for Mr.. Carlton
Clarke.
Il have often heard of YOU Mr..
Clarke. began the visitor extending
his hand. 'and ] have always promised
myself that. should the need arise. !
would consult you. ! am Professor
Tomlinson. curator of the Marshall
Museum. You will pardon me If / ad-
nit it is with considerable curiosity
come to YOU ! have heard of your
work and I wonder if YOU can tell me
the object of my visit. ! will now con-
centrate my mind upon it.
Clarke sat for a few minutes and
looked fixedly AT the professor who
half closed his eyes and assumed a
look of deep. concentration.
And you say this sgnet ring dis
appeared from its case. which was
locked. in broad daylight and il is i'm
possible any Of the guards should have
had a hand in il as you alone carried
the key? But then there are such
things as skeleton keys AID lock picks. "
Wonderful, Wonderful" exclaimed
Professor TomlinsOn. eXcitedly. Mr..
- Clarke. / shall never again dispute that
! telepathy is "A proved fact You your
e self d. not know what a remarka bic
lnlllE you nave uODt. No o4ic bUA iilS =
self knows of the loss TO the museum,
for had a replica of the signet which
! Immediately substituted for the Origi-
nal and the guards themselves do not
know Of the change. In the case of
articles of great value we often display
replicas. but unfortunately in this in
stance il was the original which was
in the case. Moreover. no one but my
self knew the value Of the Signet. But
a. -
Without doubt" answered Clarke
But 7 think We shall arrive at con-
clusion. more quickly If we dispense
with mysticism and you tell me the
whole story.
Perhaps that will be the better way"
said the professor. The ring, then,
as YOU should first know, was one l
procured personally in India. I had il
from fakir who claimed to have been
a thug ana a leader i'm the great Sepoy
rebellion 1t attracted me at once as a
most curious bit of workmanship IL
was formed Of a tigers head set with
magnificent diamond. The head was
hinged and. operating by hidden
spring. ii opened. disclosing the seal
underneath. II must have been the
seal of some great ruler of the raiah
days, but the falxir claimed to have
been ignorant on that point. Although
I have asked dozens of Hindus. all that
| could ever get out of them was that
there are some things not good for
Feringhee 10 know. Here is the rep
lica which ! had made by the most ex-
pert bijOutier of Paris. "
The professor took from his pocket
little case and opening il displayed
massive ring formed as he had said Of
a tigers head and set with a diamond
of at least three carats, not genuine.
however. as he had admitted. Clarke
examined the ring with great interest.
II did not take him long To find the
hidden spring. and pressing it the
tigers head flew back. disclosing the
face of a signet Of peculiar design.
Clarke studied it in wonder and sur
prise.
You say. professor. that you alone
knew the value of the original of this
ring. | doubt very much if you know
it's value"
Il shall be delighted if you can tell
me. for | have delayed making re-
port to the trustees and accounting for
the enormous sum il cost me until /
could give them an exact idea Of its
worth"
Unless | am greatly mistaken" an
Swered Clarke 'tnis Is the sSnet %
Mana Sahib. the great leader of the
Sepoys for whose head the British gov
eminent would gladly have paid el0.-
OnO. nave OFTEN seen representations
of the device. The original of this ring
would lead a rebellion in India today.
But tell me what you know of its dis
appearance"
There is very little 10 tell II was
two weeks ago last Sunday. There were
very few persons in the museum /
had just walked through the aisle past
the case and l am positive the ring
was there. l walked TO the end of the
aisle ana back again and l know no
guard was near it nor any of the pub
lie. yet the ring was gone. said
nothing. but substituted the replica
and watched the guards carefully, be-
lievine> If the matter were kept quiet
the guilty person might give himself
away now believe l took the wrong
course: / should have come to you at
once"
do YOU remember TO have noticed in
the museum that day a tall, dark fell
low. DIRE ssed i'm whitee A black NOUS
tached fellow. You would scarcely take
him for Hindu. vet the man refer
to is of that race"
Yes, now that you speak of IL. ] be-
lieve l did see such man just before
| entered the aisle
Then, professor. Mr.. Sexton and
can recover your ring. At least l know
where to look ii, but il will require
- Is.1f