The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1912-04-11


and the Pool of Flame had vanished.
7. For several years it stayed
quiet. so far as is known. Then the
curse of the thing began to work, and
1T came to the surface in a drunken
brawl in the slums of Port Said. The
police. breaking into some dive to
stop a row, found nobody in the place
but a dead Greek; they say twas a
shambles. One of the police found the
big ruby in the dead mans fist and
before his companions guessed what
was up slipped away with the stone.
. He was murdered some months
later in a Genoese bagnio, by a French
girl, who got away with it somehow.
. The O'Mahoney came across
the thing in Algeria, when he was
serving with the Foreign Legion. He
was in Sidi Bel Abbas one night, off
duty, and wandering about. when he
heard a man cry out for help in one
OF the narrow black alleys of the
place. He thought he recognized a
comrades voice, and surely enough,
when he ran down to aid him. he
found a Dutchman, a man Of his own
regiment, fighting with half a dozen
natives. He was about done for, the
Dutchman, when the O'Mahoney came
up, and so were three of the Arabs.
The O'Mahoney took care of the rest
OF them, and left sever dead men be-
mind him when he went away-the
six natives and the Dutchman, who
had died in his arms and given him
the Pool of Flame with his last whis-
per. +.
That's how it came to me-" said
O'Rourke.
And where is it now?"
Back in Algeria. if I'm o mistak-
en-. Ye remember Chambret
he was with us in the desert and
wanted We to marry him afterwards?
He has 1.-THE dear man; l love him
like a brother. Z. He sickened Of
Europe when he found his case with
you was hopeless, and went to AL
giers, joining the Foreign Legion"
But how"
We'll, We We're fond of each other,
Chambret and l. helped him out
of some tight corners and he helped
me along when me money ran short
AS it always did, and will, I'm
thinking. After a while l got to won
dering how much I owed the man
and figured it up; the sum total
frightened the life out of, me, and
made him take the ruby by way of Sc
curity-and never was able TO redeem
it, for twas only a little after that
that | came into me enormous patri-
mony and squandered it ~riotously get
ting married to the most beautiful
woman living.
He warned me to hold the stone,
the O'Mahoney did, saying that the
time would come when some native
prince would offer to redeem the Luck
of the State as an act of piety and pa
triotism. He %prophesied a reward Of
at least fifty. thousand pounds. And
now it's come-twice Overt"
And now what can you do?"
"Do?" cried O'Rourke. Faith,
what would | be doing? Dye realize
what this means to me, dear heart?
1t means you-independence, a little
fortune, the right to claim my wife,"
He drew her to him. do? Sure, and
by the first train and boat I'll go to
Algeria, find Chambret, get him to
give me the stone, take it to Rangoon,
claim the reward. repay Chambret
and"
And what, my paladin?"
Dare We ask me that, madame?
Say, will we wait for me?"
She laughed softly. Have l not
waited, Ulysses"
Tell me- he demanded, have We
talked with anyone about this letter."
only to Clara Plinlimmon!"
Good Lord!" groaned the Irishmsn.
Only to her! Could We not have
printed broadsides, the better to make
the matter public?"
did l do wrong?"
TWAS indiscreet-and that's put
ting it mildly, me dear. Dye know
the woman's a walking newspaper?
How much did We tell her? Did ye
show her the letter."
No" She answered his last cues
ton. first. And l told her very little
only about this reward for a ruby
l didn't know you owned. We were
wondering where to find YOU"
And she told nc one-or who do
you think?"
The oma looked a little fright
ened. "She told-she must have told
that man-Monsieur des Trebes."
That blackguard!!"
He was with us on the yacht. one
of Clara's guests"
She has a pretty taste for com.
pany-my word! How dye know. she
told him? He asked you about it?"
"The letter? Yes. He wanted to
know the name of the solicitors and
their address. I wouldn't tell him.
-disliked him"
Had We told Lady Plinlimmon?"
mo
'Praisoa ho for &hotpv N