Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1912-03-06

ECcPYRIcHT 1900 6y LoUISrIGSEFa
member me words to the letter.
Your guns made crowd out of this
happy reunion. I've merely dispensed
with them; l call ye both to witness
that ye have neither of ye suffered.
Sure, I'm as peaceable as any lamb,
Sit down, sit ye down and take it like
little men. The situations unchanged,
save that I've put temptation out oi
your reach"
And as they wavered, plainly Of
two minds, O'Rourke clinched the ar
gument of his attitude. 81 beg to call
your attention" he remarked, ito the
fact that ye have left me own brace
OF revolvers here at me feet, when we
SO joyously turned me bag inside out
I'm not touching them, mind ye, but
mind ye further: I'll brook no non.
sense. If We make a move as if to at
tack me, I'll Il. There! That's
much better. Wise lads, ye are, both
of We: graceful in defeat. Let me see:
We've a long ride together, though
ye did come unlimited. I trust ye
will help me beguile the tedium with
society chatter, me friend" with a
twinkle at the discounted vicomte
'Pm in danger of forgetting me man
ners. Pardon me, 1 pray, but-hut ]
trust your nose is convalescing?"
In high feather with himself,
GRourke entertained his companions
with running are of pleasantries fol
the balance of the darkened hours
And he touched both more than once
with the rapier-point Of his wit and
irony, and had the pleasure of seeing
both squirm in impotent rage. They
cut wretched figures, two against one.
yet failures, while he taunted them in
one breath, with the next declared
himself their captive. Toward the end
the reserve which the vicomte i'm.
posed upon the Honorable Bertie was
worn down: the Englishman turned
with raw nerves upon his tormentor
.You damned asst" he stammered,
all, but incoherent. "You sit there
and-and gloat, damn you! When all
the time we've got the upper hand"
BE quiet!" interposed the vicomte.
81 WON'T" ragged the honorable. HE
thinks himself so Internally clever!
What 'dyou say, you Irish braggart, ii
( told you you'd never see the Pool
Of Flame again?"
"Pd say" returned o'Rourke. "that
you were either lying or fool. In
either case fool. II, as ye seem to
be trying to make me belieye-which
Z don't for one instant-ye have sue
ceeded in stealing the Pool of Flame.
Pn hunt the pair Of ye to the ends, OF
the earth, If need be-"
He eyed them refectively during a
moment or two made interesting by
Glynn's desperate attempts to blurt
out indiscretions against the prohibi
ton of the vicomte: something which
the older man enforced crudely by
clapping his hand across the English.
mans mouth, as we'll as by whisper.
ing savagely in his ear.
But there'll be no need" continued
the Irishman, when Glynn was calm.
Lets consider the matter dispassio1.
ateiy, presupposing that ye have the
stone. Well, what then? Ye dare not
attempt to sell it-'twould result in
instant detection. 1t would not pay
ye to have it secretly cut up into
smaller stones-the loss in value
would be sturendous, the whole not
worth your while, as l say. Ye can
not take the Pool Of Flame (dont get
excited: I'm not going to tell ye
where) to claim the reward, for We
don't know where to go. 'Tis white
elephant it would be on your hands"
1T does not seem to strike mon
sieur that there are other ways of
finding out who offers the reward"
the vicomte suggested icily.
81 can see ye wandering around ask
ing somebody please to relieve ye OF
the Pool of Flame and pay ye a com
mission. I wonder how long ye think
ye'd last. But It's no use trying to
hoodwink me: don't believe one
word ye say. I'll wait until find out
the truth before Lbother meself With
ye."
Their persistence in limiting that
they had gained possession Of the
ruby perplexed and discounted him
He. did not believe 1t; twas incon'
ceivable: yet-he had known stranger
things to happen. Still, without a
clue, to have stumbled upon the Sc
cret, 90 have made of with 1t from
under the very nose Of the Governor
General! No; 1t was not reason
able to ask him to be eye all that.
Nevertheless, when he arrived al
Algiers, his anxiety had grown SO
oyerpowering that he called cab and
desired TO be conveyed post-haste to
tie Palace de Ia Government.
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