The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-12-28

Sure I'm as peaceable as any lamb
Sit down, sit We down and take 1t like
little men. The situations unchanged
save that I've put temptation out o.
your reach"
And as they wavered, plainly O.
two minds, O'Rourke clinched the ar
gument of his attitude. II beg to cal
your attention." be remarked, ito tn,
fact that ye have left me own brace
of revolvers here at me feet, when W
SO joyously turned me bag inside out
I'm not touching them, mind ye, but
mind ye further: I'll brook no non
sense. If ye make move as If to at
tack me, I'll There! That
much better. Wise lads, ye are, both
of ye: graceful in defeat. Let me see:
We've a long ride together, though
ye did come unlimited. trust "
will help me beguile the tedium with
society chatter, me friend" with 8
twinkle at the discounted vicomte
Pm in danger of forgetting me man
ners. Pardon me, pray, but-but
trust your nose is convalescing"
In high feather with himself
O'Rourke entertained his companions
with running fire Of pleasantries fol
the balance of the darkened hours
And he touched both more than once
with the rapier-point of his wit and
irony, and had the pleasure of seeing
both squirm in impotent rage. They
cut wretched figures, two against one
yet failures, while he tainted them in
one breath, with the next declared
himself their captive. Toward the end
the reserve which the vicomte i'm
posed upon the Honorable BERTHE waa
worn down: the Englishman turned
with raw nerves upon his tormentor
"You damned asst" he stammered,
all but incoherent. you sit there
and-and gloat, damn you! When all
the time we've got the upper hand!"
BE quiet!" interp9sed the vicomte.
Il wont!" ragged the honorable. HE
thinks himself so Internally clever!
What 'dyou say, you Irish braggart, II
told you you'd never see the Pool
of Flame again."
I'D say" returned O'Rourke, that
you were either lying or fool. In
either case fool. II, as We seem to
be trying to make me believe-which
don't for one instant-ye have sue
ceeded in stealing the Pool of Flame,
I'll hunt the pair of ye to the ends OF
the earth, if need be-"
He eyed them rehectively during a
moment or two made interesting by
Glynn's desperate attempts to blurt
out fndiscretions against the prohibi.
ton OF the vicomte: something which
the older man enforced crudely by
clapping his hand across the English.
mans mouth, as we'll as by whisper.
ing savagely in his ear.
But there'll be no need" continued
the Irishman, when Glynn was calm.
Lets consider the matter dispassion.
ately, presupposing that We have the
stone. Well, what then? Ye dare not
attempt to sell it-'twould result in
instant detection. It would not pay
ye to have 1t secretly cut up into
smaller stones-the loss in value
would be stupendous, the whole not
worth your while, as say. Ye can
not take the Pool Of Flame (don't get
excited: I'm not going to tell ye
'where) to claim the reward, for ye
don't know where to 60. IT'S a white
elephant 1t would be on your hands"
1T does not seem to strike mon
sieur that there are other ways Of
finding out who offers the reward"
the vicomte suggested icily.
: Il can see ye wandering around ask
ing somebody please to relieve ye OF
the Pool Of Flame and pay We com
mission. wonder how long We think
yed last. But It's no use trying to
hoodwink me: don't believe one
word ye say. I'll wait until I find out
the truth before I bother meself with
ye."
Their persistence in limiting that
they had gained possession of the
ruby perplexed and discounted him.
He did not believe it; twas incon-
ceivable: yet-he had known stranger
things to happen. Still, without a
clue, to have stumbled upon the &C.
cret, to have made of with it from
under the very nose of the Governor
General! No; it was not reason
able to ask him to believe all that.
Nevertheless, when he arrived at
Algiers, his anxiety had grown so
overpowering that he called cab and
desired to be conveyed post-haste to
the Palace de la Government
CHAPTER X
It was high noon when O'Rourke
drove up before the Palace of the
Governor-G General. Weary. dusty and
Av>ro1 - {voH hA uao ho hnoffQ fad