Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1912-11-08

to go and come as | pleased. To do
this and live meant precarious ex,
ploits. This rug represents n OF
them. l am telling you the family
secret; l am showing you the skele
ton in the closet. confidentially. l
stole that rug; and when say that
the seven labors Of our old friend
/ Hercules were simple diversions CON-
pared, you'll recognize the difficulties
| had to overcome. You know some
thing of the Oriental mind. | hand
led the Job alone. l may not be out
Of the jungle yet"
George listened entranced. He could
readily construct the scenes through
which this adventurer had gone; the
watchful nights, the untiring patience,
the thirst, the hunger, the heat. And
yet, he could hardly believe. He was
a trife skeptical. Many a 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 n l have In
mind, you certainly have stolen 1t.
And II it's a copy, I'll tell you quickly
enough"
That's fair. And that's why"
Ryanne declared, II wanted you to
look at 1t. To me, considering what
have gone through to get 1t, to me IL
is the genuine carpet. To your expert
eye 1t may be only a fine 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. W
this is the real article, l want you to
take 1t off my hands," the adventurer
finished pleasantly.
There will be a hue and cry"
mo doubt Of It,"
And the devils own job to get 1t
out of Egypt" These were set phrases
of the expert; preliminaries to bar
Tgaining. zone might as well carry
round a stolen elephant"
But a man who Is as familiar with
the game as you are would have little
difficulty. Your integrity is an estab-
lished fact, on both sides Of the water.
You could take it to New York as a
copy, and no appraiser would know
the difference. It's worth the attempt.
I'd take It to New York myself, but
you see, l am fiat broke. Come; what
do you or l care about a son-of-a-gun
of a Turk" drolly.
what do you want for 1t, suppos
ing it's genuine?" Georges throat was
dry and his voice harsh. His con
science reused herself, feebly, for II
had been a long time since occasion
had necessitated her presence.
Ryanne narrowed his eyes. carefully
! balancing the possibilities. Say, one
, thousand pounds. 1t is like giving i
away. But when the devil drives, yol
, know. 1t is beyond any set price;
Is worth what any collector is willing
, to pay for 1t. l believe l know thu
. kind Of man you are, Mr.. Jones, ant
! that Is why, when l learned you wer'
: in Cairo, l came directly to you. Yo1
would never sell this rug. No. Yo1
would become like a miser over hi
: gold. You would keep 1t with you
: emeralds Il have heard about then
!. too); draw the curtains, lock tn
;. doors, whenever you looked at 1t. Eth
. You would love 1t for its OWL SAKE
, and not because 1t is worth so man
!, thousand pounds. You are sailing
a few days; that will help. The Pash
!, is in Constantinople, and 1t will b
- three or four weeks before he hears {
: the theft. or the COST" with a certai
-, grimness.
"You haven't killed any one?" viii
a pered George.
II don't know; perhaps. Christina
> ity against pagarism; the Occident'
:. conscience permits it." Ryanne mac
!. a gesture to indicate that he wouI
submit to whatever moral arraignmel
Mr.. Jones deemed advisable to max
>. But George made none. He 70!
~ hastily, sought his knife and, withol
- so much as by your leave. slashed Il
Irvine, flung aside the paper. and thre
- the rug across the Counterpart.
p" was the Yhiordes. There vas not Il
slizhtest doubt in his mind. He hi
heard 1t described, he had seen
photograph of 1t, he knew its histoI
and, most vital of all, he owned
"a good copy Of It,
- Against temptation that was robu
and energetic and alluring like Il
man who insists upon your having
"A drink when you want 1t and ought n
to have it), what chance had CO
science. grown innocuous in the lol
- period of the young mans good /
havior? Collectors are always hone
10 before and after that moment arriv
when they want something desperat
- ly; and George was no more sain,
"a than his kind. And how deep Ryan
40 and his confederates had delved in
human nature, how well they COT
read and Judge It, was made mantle
iii this moment of Georges moral
. lapse.
= perdad, the jinns, Sinbad, the TIT
sand and One Nights, Alibaba and |