The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1912-02-23
Copyright 1909, by Louis Joseph Vance


upon a steamship. For they were,
after all, we'll matched; and one of
them he knew to be armed Shifting
in his chair so that his revolver lay
convenient to his hand, as De Hyeres
approached the Irishman removed his
cigar from between his teeth, fiicked
away an inch Of ash and silently prof
fered it in the prescribed fashion.
The Frenchman accepted the cour-
tesy with a bow, applied the fire to his
cigarette. inhaled deeply and returned
the cigar with q formal phrase of
thanks. He fingered for a moment,
putting and gazing off over the black,
starlit expanse of the Bay of Bengal,
lonely to its dim and far horizon, then
observed quietly: 81 am not mistaken,
1 believe, in understanding / have the
honor to address Monsieur lie Colonel
O'Rourke, Chevalier of the Legion of
Honour"
You are not mistaken, monsieur"
returned O'Rourke pleasantly, then
with the directness which he some
times found useful, watching the man
closely as he spoke: "And l believe
it is my pleasure to recognize Mon
sier lie Vicomte des Trebes?"
"Des Trebes, monsieur" The
Frenchman's look of wonder was be-
yond criticism and there was no least
trace of discontinue to be detected
in his manner. But no. You are
under a mistake. 1 am merely a
French gentleman without a title;
Raoul de Hyeres is my name"
"Ah!" said the wanderer "'Twas
the resemblance misled me. Pardon,
monsieur"
Granted, my dear sir. -. Des
Trebes? The name has familiar
sound. Do | not remember reading
somewhere that the Vicomte des
Trebes died last spring? In Tunis,
was it? F.. Suddenly, l believe"
rs it 500" said O'Rourke drily. ''Pos-
sibly. The vicomte lived in the man
ner of those who meet with sudden
deaths"
The subject languished, and after a
few more noncommittal observances
De Hyeres wandered off, presumably
in search of the English girl, to whom
he had been paying assiduous atten-
ton.
On closer scrutiny, she had proved
to be a remarkably pretty girl; al
though, in point of fact, O'Rourke, for
all that he admired her looks i'm
mensely, had purposely avoided her
This he did from motives Of prudence;
he mistrusted the combination formed
by De Hyeres and the girl. The latter
might be all that she looked and claim
ed to be: a sweet, wholesome and rath-
er ingenious young Englishwoman, an
orphan, resident in Rangoon in the
household of an uncle, to whom she
was returning after a visit with
friends in Simla On the passenger
list her name stood as Emilia Pyn-
sent. But the adventurer felt it the
course of wisdom to deny himself the
pleasure of her acquaintance, so long
as she permitted the attentions of the
Frenchman.
Altogether, considering the hot
weather and such self-imposed re
strictions, O'Rourke considered the
voyage hardly a success from a social
point of view. He kept pretty much
TO himself and to Danny, and to make
assurance doubly sure he instituted a
new regime with regard to the Poo
of Flame: that jewel never left his
stateroom. When O'Rourke was or
deck or at meals, Danny sat behind
bolts, alert and under arms, and vice
versa. By night they stood regular
watches together, the one on guard
while the other slept. Clearly the ad
venturer was determined that no lack
of safeguards on his part should agair
deprive him of the ruby.
But it's no easy matter to avolo
meeting any particular person on
ship with a small saloon list, unless
one is willing to be purposely rude
and discourteous. For all his war;
ness the Irishman was to carry witt
him a personal impression of Miss
Pynsent.
On the last day Of the passage, to
WarQ evening, the HOOudu IdiSOu LIN
coast of Burmah; by dark she was
steaming steadily southwards along
the littoral, heading for the delta o.
the Irrawaddy.
A still, bright night with little wind
ORourke was not one to resist It's al
lure. Four bells saw him lounging a
the rail below the bridge, staring nun
grfly over toward the land. 1t was II
his mind that another twelve hours
or so would see him relieved OF NIL
trust; and as the time drew nigh I'm
patience burned hotly within him; az
had become full weary Of the Pool o.
Flame and was anxious to be free O
the thing, to have its chapter In al
history closed forever.
Far over the water white an
flashing light lifted up and caught ~
eve. a nameless beacon bright agains
the darkness at the base OF the ara
bon hills Guardian of the pef1ts =