Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-06-02

naharajah's palace just as dusk was
falling. Perhaps the pressure Of my
revolver against my breast gave me
assurance, for 1t is dark and lonely
read, but there was a fascination
watching the dying of the red glowing
Indian sunset and the coming OF the
velvet black darkness jeweled above
with stars and pointed here and there
with cleaning lights from scattered
dwellings.
Il was crossing a bleak stretch of
Wild ground. rank with parched grass
and weeds. when 1 first heard the tenn
pie hell-the same bell that you heard
last night and from which / ran away.
1T seemed as if all the poor down
trcdden, plague stricken natives of
India called appealingly for aims. II
mattered little that the Jewels were
not my own. / tore them from my
belt with feverish impatience and
threw them into the aims basin, and
they disappeared. Then something
happened, and / went down, down.
when 1 regained consciousness 1
was still lying in the parched grass,
and pariah dog was licking my face.
The stars shone overhead. but the tenn
pie was gone-marble walls and floor,
turing bell-all gonew Hedges buried
his head in his hands and was very
still.
"And what did you do?' 1 asked aft
er long silence.
81 raved like q mailman" returned
Hedges, lifting his head fercely. Il
ran into the city and found a man
whom I knew, and he put great forces
to work and discovered nothing. No
one had seen or heard Of such a tenn
pie, and they believed had been
drinking and been set upon by robbers.
Il would be breaking stone now If
had not had a rich relative who lent
me the fortune to replace the stolen
gems. I am repaying him now"
"Of course l am ruined said.
''Half OF what 1 have is yours, Pc
ter, and you can pay me back" he said
quickly.
1 held up my hand. ct couldn't,
Hedges. You know 1 am grateful.
am engaged to marry Ethel Lambert,
as you are aware. 1 have nothing but
my profession, no capital whatever,
anu L A4dAG JOuAACy AnbO
hades for the gold to get a start. 1
have lost it and must begin again.
cannot ask her to wait much longer,
and the professor
"Is Professor Lambert a stiff on
money!" demanded Hedges. ct
thought him quite the other way, you
knoy."
He isn't a bit mercenary," said
hastily, ''only 1 haven't got the face
to take Ethel from her luxurious home
into the poor quarters 1 can now af-
ford, and so''-
so you'll both be miserable forever
after" Interrupted Hedges dryly.
Lets go back to San Francisco and
see Professor Lambert before you do
anything desperate"
We resumed our journey the next
day and several weeks afterward
found me dressed once more in civil
lied garments. shaver and shorn, ring
ing the professors doorbell. / did not
ask for Ethel, though my eyes were
aching TO see her. and so was taken
through the house and into the long
passageway that led TO the labcra-
tory.
Professor Lambert was a metallur-
gist. found his gray head bent above
some fragments Of greenish metal on
the table.
When he had warmly greeted me
told my unlikely story, knowing it was
scarcely credible, yet when / had con-
cluded the professor took me by the
hand and led me into a back room.
Then he told me the story of how he
had experimental with bell tones. hop
ing to carry out theory of his own
that some day he might produce Il bell
whose tones might find a response in
human hearts. He hoped TO attain a
pitch of tone whose vibration might
strike a chord of human sympathy IN
every heart, that the hearing of il
might promote good fellowship and
love and end in universal peace--a very
pretty theory.
The one casting he had made had re-
suited in producing that strange bell
whose call was to sacrifice. TO give all
in response TO its command. Startled
at the production and still uncertain
as to its value. he was shocked 70
awake one morning and find that his
assistant had disappeared and with
him the bell.
Secretly he had pursued the man
His agents had trailed the thief from
country to country. and even after
had fallen senseless in the little chapel
and had been thrown into outer dark
ness by the adventurer the detectives
had fallen upon the temple and carried
it and the thief triumphantly to San
Francisco and justice.
A train of burros carried the stage
setting from place to place. Wherever
men walked in solitary places with
gold or silver or precious stones the
temple might be found.
your gold ore is in that sack in the
corner" concluded the professor. with
a smile. And now suppose you go
down and see Ethel"
Eager as l was to meet my sweet.
heart. I waited long enough to tele-
phone the strange story to Hedges. pa
siently waiting in the hotel to share his