The Washington times., 1911-10-23
THE TIMES DAILY SERIAL STORY
The Scarlet Scarab
BY Albert Payson Tee ] nj p1ss:,. r..
Author Of 'Tn the Lipn's Mouth 9TH
Gitive." and mBluhdelIa Last al
tcopyrishs. The Frank A. Munsey Co.,

I "Then," risked the danger OF the
inquiry. how did you discover who I
IL was creeping back, eccelensa, to
see how the tourist was taking his lone
~ captivity. ! saw you leaning over,
studying the Sigh, ~.
He waved one shaking hand toward
the red beetle painted on the wall.
by the way, who painted that7"
y did. eccelenza," q touch Of artistic
pride ,,i fiaseinss Iss, through his servility.
Before the query was fairly spoken I
could have bitten out my tongue for my
folly In asking It, for he stared at me
In utter amazement.
enxa knows this IL one Of the places!"
Yes, yes!" l broke in impatiently.
although / knew nothing of the sort.
But why did you paint II instead OF
some more accomplished artist? Could
A light OF understanding and a look
OF chagrin broke simultaneously on
rs il so iii doner' he said: II hoped
am accounted skiiifui with tho brush
"Oh, 1t will server interrupted. as
|, IL diminishing the trifie from my mind,
the narrow escape had had from be-
traying my utter lack of knowledge.
But for the inspired turn had given
to the question / must surely have
aroused his suspicious. Yet ventured
ANY tourist" I said, might have
been examining the picture. How
could that have proved my identity to
ain your hand. eccelenza--can you
have forgotten you held the Sign
Now had held nothing at all in
my hands except match ond--my
scarab pin. ! was as much IN the
the. reverent manner whtrewith he
referred to that same mysterious
"Sign."
/ had questioned him far enough to
in hs present sincerity. Who or
what he supposed me to be. or why
lie supposed It, I hao no idea.
But ! thought ! might trust MIN to
more questions. i might ruin every
| thing and undeceive him.
I Was about to order him to take
mo t. where the frightened American
| when all at once he darted forward
to ward me-
Instantly was on guard. the knife
But there was no need. Three feet
| away from me he dropped on all fours,
picked up something from the stones,
| and, on one knee, offered II to me. 1t
when I attacked him in the darkness
| fall"
I took it mechanically and put it in
my inside coat pocket. I scarcely. heed
whiriing with the great solution that
had burst upon 1t.
The sign--the scarab-the scarab-the
It was all clear as day, and anyone
but thickhead would have understood
! long ago.
j had bought the scarab the previous
afternoon. Up to that time had been
an unassuming. unnoticed globe trotter.
From the hour ! put that pin In my
| scarf I had received respectful saluta-
tions from people who had never before
1 had been received by sebaste as his
honored superior. And now this Sicil-
| ian cutthroat had, become my abject
| slave.
! The scarab was a sign or insignia or
, badge or token of some mysterious body
Il not % highest. RAM in mi that % society. Hs s"'
But what society could at once claim
types as the Duke of Ferata and Jacopo
| Murena; as Count Sebaste and Amos
Todd? From what / knew of all that
quartet l feared the organization had
no particularly exalted aim or purpose.
| Nor was 1t evidently confined to Ma
pies. For 1t contained Amos Todd. an
American. and the mysterious Man
| IRON vienna. Also II had business OF
scme sort-possibly had headquarters as
well-in the Austrian capital
| Todd was a millionaire. Ferata was
! a duke. What scheme could be SO stu
! pcndous as to tempt men OF such vast
| financial and social power into Joining
It?
What organization could WELD such
authority as TO bring this, brigand. Mu-
rena. cringing TO the feet of complete
stranger who chanced to wear the scarab
pin? !? Why. TOO. was the scarab painted
| on the wall Of this out-of-t f-the-way hole
| in the ground?
That l had. by a queer freak of fate
become possessed of q pin which bore a
close resemblance to enc which served
as a token of exalted position in some
/ great secret society was evident Blu,
would such pins be on sale to any
chance buyer. in an OF dinary curio shop
like Dard0's. and at 60 cents apiece?
4 A Continuation Of This story VIII
| De Found In TOmorrOw's