Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-07-27

the morrow Mr.. Jones would leave for
Port Said. Ryanne shook his head
and with his cane beat a light tattoo
against the side of his shin. Abduc-
tion was rather out Of his sphere OF
action. And yet, the suppression OF
:Percival was by all odds the most in
.portant move to be made. He had
volunteered this service and accom-
plish 1t he must, in face Of all obsta
,cles, or poof! went the whole droll
fabric For to him it was droll, and
never It rose in his mind that he did
not chuckle saturninely. 1t was q
kind of nightmare where one hung in
mid-air, ones toes just beyond tie
flaming dragons jaws. The rewards
would be enormous. but these he
would gladly surrender for the SUI
preme satisfaction Of turning the
poisoned arrow In the heart Of that
canting hypocrite, that SNUG church
deacon, the sanctimonious. the sleek,
the well-fed frst-born. And poor Per-
cival Algernon, for no blame Of his
own, must be taken by the scruff CT
his neck and thrust bodily into this
tangled web OF scheme and under
scheme. 1t was infinitely humorous
He mad had a vague plan regarding
Mahomed, guardian Of the Holy Yh!-
ordes, but it was not possible for him
to be in Cairo at this early date. That
he would eventually appear Ryanne
never doubted He know the Oriental
mind. Mahomed-El-Gehel would cross
every barrier less effective than death.
It was serious matter to the Mos
lem. If he returned to the palace at
Bagdad, minus the rug, it would mean
free transportation to the Arabian
gulf, bereft of the most important
part Of his excellent anatomy, his
head. Some day, If he lived, Ryanne
intended telling the exploit to some
clever chap who wrote; 1t would lool,
rather well in print
To turn Mahomed against Percival
as being the instigator would be an
adroit bit Of work; and 1t would rid
him Of both Of them. Gioconda said
that she wanted no rough work. How
like a woman! Here was mans
game. q desperate one; and Giocon-
da, not forgetting that it was her
inspiration, wanted it handled with
gloves! 1t was barehand work, and
the sooner she was made to realize
this, the better 1t was no time for
tuning 1lddles.
Mahomed ont Of It. there was a GER
tain English bar in the Quarter Roset-
II, place of dubious repute. Many
derelicts drifted there In search of
employment still more dubious. Dregs,
scum; the bottom and the top of the
kettle; outcasts, whose hand and
enimus were directed against society;
black and brown and white men: not
soldiers of fortune, like Ryanne, but
their camp-followers. In short, it was
there (and Ryanne still felt dull
shame OF it) that Wallace, carrying
the final instructions Of the enterprise,
had found him, sleeping off the effects
of shabby rout of the night before.
It was there also that he had heard
of tho history and the worth Of the
Yhiordes rug and the possibility Of its
theft. He laughed. To have gone upon
an adventure like that, with nothing
but the fumes Of wine in his head!
For few pieces of gold he might
enroll under his shady banner three
or four shining lights who would un-
dertake the disposal of Percival. Not
that he wished the young man any
harm-no; but business was business,
and in some way or another he must
be made to vanish from the sight and
presence Of men for at least two
months.
AS for Major Callahan's unforeseen
danger, the dell coTld look out fer
that.
Ryanne consulted his watch, a cheap