The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1911-01-05
The DIAMOND SHIP
MAX PEMBERTON
Doctor Xavier" The Days. eta
Copyright y Appleton Co.
MAX PEMBERTOr
Copyright By ID. Appleton 4 Go.

head, the skin OF which bore the scars
OF ancient wounds and more than one
jagged cut. A goats beard. long and
unit empt and shaggy. depended from a
chin as sharp as a wedge: the nose was
prominent. but not without sugges-
ton OF power; the hands were old and
tremulous. but quivering still with the
furnaces light showed me at a glance.
When II died down I was left alone I'm
the darkness with this revolving figure,
and had but the dread suggestion of
It's presence for my companion.
DR.. Fnbos, of London! Is It not DR..
Fabos? am an old man. and my
eyes TO not help me as once they did.
But think It Is DR.. Fabos!" w
1 turned upon him and declared my
self. since any other course would
have made me out afraid OF him.
Il am DR.. Fabos-yes, that IL so.
And you. think. are the man they call
Val Imroth?"
He laughed, horrible, dry. throatly
laugh. and drew a little nearer to me.
Il expected You before--three days
ago." he said, just in the tone OF cat
purring; you made a very slow pas
sage, doctor, n very slow passage in
deed. All is well that ends well, how
ever. Here you are Mt Santa Maria,
and there Is your yacht down yondcr.
i
So he stood fawning before me, his
voice almost whisper in my ear.
What to make of II, knew not at all.
Harry Avenhill. the young thief I cap
tured at Newmarket, had spoken of
this dread figure. but always In con-
nection with Paris, or Vienna, or Rome.
Yet here he was mt Santa Maria. his
very presence tainting the air as with
o chill breath of menace and of death.
My own rashness in coming to the
island never appeared so utterly to be
condemned, so entirely without excuse.
This fearful old man might be deaf TO
every argument I had to offer. There
was no crime. in all the story he had
not committed or would not commit.
With General Fordibras could have
dealt but with him!
Yes" l said quite calmly, that is
my yacht. She will start for Gibraltar
tomorrow IL do not return to her. 1t
will depend upon my friend, General
IFordibras."
/ said 1t with what composure could
Icommand-for this was all my defense.
His reply was a low laugh and a bony
finger which touched my hand as with
a die of ice.
1T is a dangerous passage to Gibral-
tar, DR.. Fabos; do not dwell too much
upon 1t. There are ships which never
see the shore again. Yours might be
one OF them"
'TJnberufen. The German language
is your own. If my boat does not re-
turn to England, and after that to Lon
don. In that case, Herr Imroth, you
may have many ships at Santa Maria.
and they will fly the white ensign. BE
good enough to credit me with some
small share OF prudence. should
scarcely stand here as do, had not
measured the danger--and provided
against it. You were not then in my
calculations. Believe me, they are not
to be destroyed even by your presence
Il Now he listened to this with much
interest and evident patience; and |
perceived instantly that 1t had not
failed to make an impression upon him.
TO be frank, feared nothing from
design. but only from accident, and al
though I had him covered by my re-
volver, l never once came near to
touching the trigger OF II. So mutual
ly In accord indeed, were our thoughts
that when next he spoke he might have
been giving tongue to my apprehen-
sions.
i "A clever man. who relies upon the
accident OF papers. My dear friend
would all the books in our great
library in Rome save you from yonder
men IL I raised my voice to call them ?
Come, DR.. Fabos, you are either a fool
or a hero. You hunt me, Valentine
Imroth, whom tho police of 20 cities
have hunted In vain. You visit us as
a schoolboy might have done, and yet
you are as well acquainted with your
responsibilities as am, What shall ]
say Of you? What do you say OF your
self when you ask the question: VIII
these men let me 60 free? Will they
permit my yacht to make Europe
again| Allow me to answer that, and
In my turn will tell you why you
stand here safe beside me when at a
word OF mine. at n nod, one OF these
white doors would open and you would
be but a little Whit OF ashes before a
man could number 10. No, my friend
do not understand you. Some day ]
shall do so--and then God help you!'
4 Herr Imroth," I said quietly
the smallest concern to me. Why l
came to Santa Maria you will know in
due season. Meanwhile, I have little
information for youf ear and for your
ear alone. There is In Paris, Rue
Gloire de Marie, No. 20, young wom-
Il I paused, for the light, shining anew,
showed me upon the old mans face
something I would have paid half my
fortune to see there. Fear and not
fear alone, dread, and yet something
more than dread-human love, inhu-
malice, all desire, all hate.
Devil" he cried, devil! what have
you to do with herr"
i l clutched his arm and drew him
down toward me.
i Life for life. Shall she know the
truth Of this old mans story, the old
man who goes to her as a husband clad
in benevolence and well doing? Shall
she know the truth or shall my friends
in Paris keep silence? Answer, old
man. or. they shall tell 1t to her to-
morrow"
He did not utter single word Pas
sion or fear has mastered him utterly
and robbed him OF both speech and
action. And herein the danger lay; for
no sooner had I spoken than the light
OF a lantern shone full upon my face
while deep down. as II were. In the
very bowels Of the earth. an alarm bell
was ringing.
The unknown were coming UP out OF
the pit And the man who could have
saved mo from them had been struck
dumb as though by a Judgment OF God
CHAPTER TX.
Imroth seemed unable to utter a
sound; but the men who came up out