The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1911-06-29

tne verge or an ind1ScretlOn; no mat
ter what his fears, they were not yet
become a suitable subject for discus
sion with Rutton's servant. Il think"
he amended lamely, 'he had forgotten
something"
And 'e's out there now, My Gawd,
what night" He hung in hesitation
for a little. Did e wear is topcoat
and at, sir?"
mo! he went suddenly. l don't
think he intended to be gone long"
I'D better go after i'm, then. Ell
ave pneumonia III just jump
into me clothes and" He slipped
into the back room, to reappear with
surprisingly little delay, fully dressed
and buttoning long ulster round his
throat. You didn't 'appen to no
| tice which wy e went, sir?"
AS well as I could Judge, to the
east"
Doggott took down a second ulster
and cap from pegs in the wall. "Ill
do my best to find i'm e might lose
imself, you know with no light nor
! nothin'"
The door slammed behind him.
Alone, and prey to misgivings he
scarce dared name to himself Am
/ Der from the window watched the blot
4 of light from DOggott's handlamp fade
and vanish in the storm; then, becom.
| ing sensible to the cold. went to the
| fireplace, kicked the embers together
until they blazed, and piled on more
/ fuel
A cOzy. cracking sound began to
/ be audible in the room, sibilant Jets Of
flame. scarlet, yellow, violet and
/ green. spurted up from the driftwood
/ Under the hypnotic influence of the
comforting warmth, WEAKNESS de-
I scended upon Amber like burden;
he was afraid to close his eyes or to
sit down, lest sleep should overcome
him for all his intense excitement and
anxiety He forced himself to move
steadily round the room, struggling
against a feeling that all that he had
witnessed must have been untrue, an
evil dream, akin to the waking Wis
ions that had beset him between the
loss of Quain and the finding of Rut
ton. The very mediocrity OF the sur
roundings seemed to discredit the
testimony of his wits.
In a setting so hopelessly common.
place and everyday, one act Of
drama of blood and fire had been
PLAYED: into these mean premises the
breath of the storm, as the babu en-
tered, had blown Romance.
Incredible,
And yet Amber's hand, dropping
idly in his coatpocket, encountered
priceless witness to the reality Of
what had passed FrOwuiug, troubled
he drew forth the ring and slipped +,
upon his finger, rays of binding EN-
erald light coruscated from it, daz
cling him With low cry OF wonder
he took it to the lamplight. Never
had he looked upon so fine a stone, sc
strangely cut
II was set in ruddy soft gold, work
ed and craven with exquisite art il
the semblance of a twoheaded cobra;
inside the band was an inscription sc
worn and faint that Amber exper
fenced some difficulty in dicipherinG
the word Rao Cking) in Deyanagari
fanked by swastikas. Aside from tn,
stone entirely, he speculated, the
value Of the ring as an antique woult
have proven inestimable. AS for the
emerald itself in It's original state
before cutting, it must have been
worth the ransom Of an emperor;
much had certainly been sacrificed to
fashion it in its present form.
To gaze into its depths was like
questioning the inscrutable green
heart Of the sea. Fascinated, Amber
felt his consciousness slip from him
as a mantle might slip from his shout
ders; awake staring wide-eyed into
the emerald eye he forgot self, for
got the world, and dreamed. dreamed
curiously.
The crash of the door closing be-
hind him brought him to the right
about in a panic lutter He glared
stupidity for a time before COmpre-
hending that Rutton and Doggott had
returned.
If there were anything peculiar in
I
Indeed. he seemed unconscious, for a
time of the presence either OF Amber
or OF Doggott The servant relieved
him of his overcoat and hat, and he
strobe directly to the fire. bending
over to chafe and warm his frost
ntpped hands. PROFESSIONALLY he la
bored under the influence of an ex-
traordinary agitation. His limbs
twitched and jerked nervously; his
eyebrows were tensely elevated, his
eyes blazing. his nostrils dilated; his
face was ashen gray.
From across the room Doggott sig
nailed silence to Amber. with a fore
finger to his lips and with a discre-
ton bred of long knowledge OF his
masters temper, tiptoed through into
the back room and shut the door.
Amber respected the admoniuon
throughout a wait that seemed end
less.
(TO BE CONTINUEDD
Significant.
"A barber was picked up on the