Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-07-30

Having gained the room, Ryanne
threw of his coat and relighted his
cigar. which. in saving mood. he had
allowed to 90 out. He motioned George
to be seated.
"Just 4 little yarn before I show You
tho rug. See these culfs7"
"Yes."
you will observe that have had
to reverse them. Note this collar?
Same thing. Trousers-hems bit
frayed, coat shiny at the elbows"
Ryanne exhibited his sole fortune.
-Four sovereigns between me- and
Jail" >,
George became thoughtful. He was
generous and ki6d-hearted among
those he knew intimately or slightly.
but he had the instructive reserve OF
the seasoned traveller In cases like
this. He waited.
1.-THE truth Is. I'm all but done for.
And IL I fail to strike bargain here
with you. Well. should hate
to tell you the result. Our consul
would have to furnish me passage
home. Were you ever up against it to
the extent of reversing your cuffs and
turning your collars? You don't know
what life 10, then"
George graveiy produced two good
cigars and offered one to his host.
There was an absence Of sound,
broken presently by the cheerful
crackle Of matches; two billowins
clouds Of smoke foated outward and
upward. Ryanne sighed. Here was
cigar one could not purchase In all the
length and breadth of the Orient, a
Pedro Murias. In one of his doubt.
fully prosperous epochs he had smoked
them daily. How long ago had that
been?
"Yonder is rug. a prayer-rug, as
holy to the Moslem as the idols eye
is to the Hindu. as the Bible is to the
Christian. For hundreds of years 1t
never saw the outside of the Sultan'a
palace. One day the late. tho recently
late. Abdul the Unspeakable Turk,
gave It to tho Pasha Of Bagdad.
Whenever this rug makes its appear
ance in Holy Mecca, It 10 worshiped.
and none but Sultan or q Sultan'a
favorite may kneel upon It. Bagdad,
tho hundred mosques. the old capital
Of Suleiman the Great. the drear3
Tigris and the sluggish Euphrates, .
muezzin from the turret calls to pray.
er. and all that; eh?"
George leaned forward from his
chair gentle terror in his heart
The Yhiordes? BY Jove! IL that the
Yhiordes?"
Admiration kindled in Ryannei
eyes. To have hit the bull's-eye with
20 free and quick an aim was ample
proof that Percival Algernon had not
something about rugs.
you've guessed It,"
How did you come by IT." George
demanded excitedly.
why do you ask that?"
Man, ten-thousand pounds could
not purchase that rug. that bit Of car
pet. Collectors from every port have
been after it in vain. And you mean
to tell me that It lies there. wrapped
in butchers paper?"
"Right-O!"
1AyoAA0 soAo"uAy VSIdCuSu Cuu
and rolled up his sleeve. The bare
muscular arm was SCARED by two
long, ugly knife-wounds, scarcely
healed. Next he drew up q trousers
leg. disclosing q battered shin. "And
there's another on my shoulderblade
the closest call ever had. A man
who takes hts life in his hands, as ]
have done, merits some reward. Mr.
Jones. Ill be frank with you. am Q
kind Of derelict. Since was boy, J.
have hated the humdrum Of Offices.
OF shops. / wanted to be my own man,
to go and come as l pleased. To do
this and live meant precarious ex.
PLOTS. This rug represents one Of
them. am telling you the family
secret; am showing you the skele-
ton in the closet. confldentially. il
stole that rug; and when I say that
the seven labors Of our old friend
Hercules were simple diversions com.
pared. you'll recognize the difficulties
I had to overcome. You know some
thing Of the Oriental mind. hand
led the job alone. may not be out
OF the jungle yet"
George listened entfanced. He could
readily construct the scenes through |
which this adventurer had gone: the
watchful nights. the untiripg patience.
the thirst. the hunger. the heat. And
yet, he could hardly believe. He was
. tribe skeptical. Many . rogue had
made the mistake Of playing Georges
age against his experience. He had
made some serious blunders in the
early stages Of the business. how.
ever: and everybody, to gain some
thing in the end, must lose something
at the start
III that rug is the one I have in
mind. you certainly have stolen 1t. |
And II it's copy. I'll tell you quickly
enough"
That's fair. And that's why"
Ryanne declared. II wanted you to
look at It. To me-, considering what
have gone through to get 1t. to me 1t |
IL the genuine carpet. To your expert
eye 1t may be only Ans copy. know
this much. that rare rugs and paint. !
ings have many copies. and that some
one is being hooked. sold, bamboozled.
sandbagged, every day In the week. II
this Is the real article, want you to
take 1t OF my hands," the adyenturer |
finished pleasantly.
There will be q hue and cry