The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1912-02-16


could see. | am content" He bowed
his head with curious submissiyeness
stretching forth his palms as If il
token of surrender.
O'Rourke caught at his breath. He
had scarcely hoped for this: he had
merely called the serang aft as the
leader of the lascars, hoping to fright
en- him into revealing whichever oil
his comrades had stolen the great
ruby-if he knew.
"Ye have, then, the leather bag?" he
demanded, exultation in his voice.
AYE, sahib; or, if not that, 1 have
that which was therein"
"The stone?"
aye, sahib."
"Then give 1t me-"
Il am the sahib's slave" The Sc.
rang flashed strange smile at the
revolver in O'Rourke's hand. His at
titude puzzled O'Rourke; he would
hardly have believed this Of the man !;
rather he could have conceived of him
as denying the theft to the last and
fighting like an unclaimed fiend to re-
tain his booty. His present pose was
out of character, or the Irishman mis-
judged him.
Out OF character or no, it was COM
Portable. The serang, with head bent,
was fumbling in the folds of his sash;
O'Rourke thought him over long about
it, yet was inclined to give him time
in view of his abject surrender
At length, still smiling oddly, the
man lifted his eyes and stretched
forth hand tight closed. 'The sa-
hib," he said gently, shall see that
his servant spoke truth. Let this
weigh with the sahib for mercy. Be-
hold"
The brown fingers. Enclosed and in
the hollow of his palm trembled that
which seemed a ball of crystalized
rose fire, the stone that man has
named the Pool of Flame. O'ROurke
uttered low cry of satisfaction, STEP
ping forward to snatch up the jewel
simultaneously he was aware of a
quick gasp from the direction of the
woman, followed, ere he could account
for them, by two pistol shots.
The adventurer groaned, pitching
forward blindly, one side of his head,
from the ear to the temple, a-quiver
with an agony as if a white-hot iron
had scared him there. He stretched
forth an arm aimlessly and gripped an
iron stanchion, stopping his fall, and
hung there for what seemed an con,
sea and skies swimming blood-red be-
fore his eyes, in his ears a thunder
Gus rushing as Of mighty waters.
BY supreme effort of will he kept
himself half-erect, clinging to the rail,
and opened his eyes, So briefly had
pain blinded him that it was patent
barely second had elapsed since the
firing of the shots. To his left
stricken lascar was still in the act of
falling; before him Mrs. Prynne stood
motionless, her face mask of horror,
revolver still poised; to the right the
serang, drawing a kris, was smiling
sardonically, his eyes fixed upon the
woman who had set at naught his
plans.
O'Rourke tried to call a warning to
ner, for it was plain that she was ap-
palled by what she had done, needless
of all but the man she had killed; but
it was as if the bullet that creased his
temple had temporarily paralyzed
him; his tongue clave to the roof of
hic mouth ond hn
nor speak
Powerless Che believed), he watched
the serang gather himself together,
like some gaunt cat, and spring; in
two strides he would have been upon
the woman and the night had been
crowned with it's most pitiful crime.
Yet in midair, O'Rourke saw the man
falter and fall back, dropping the
kris and clutching frantically at moth
ing.
Stupidity the adventurer saw the
smoke trickling from the muzzle of
his own revolver and knew that, some
how, he had managed to pull the trig-
ger. His heart leapt in his breast, so
keen was his gratitude. Trembling
in every limb, he essayed a second
time to fire and put a final period to
the serang's career. But his shot
went wide and the cylinder damned
so that the hammer would not rise
a second time. With an oath he let
go the rail and attempted to bridge
the distance between himself and the
lascar, who was now at a considera,
BILE distance Keeling away toward the
rail-
But his overtaXed strength, sapped
by loss Of blood, failed him; and. NAL
ice infused new vigor into the serang.
new power to accomplish his final
fiendish act
Grinning with anguish, the man
leapt away from O'RoWke, staggered
and, jerking back his arm, flung the
Pool of Flame from him with all his
might.
ORourke paused, petrified with de-
spair. The great stone, glinting in
the moonlight like the very heart of
five doc ,rib