The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1912-11-23

10 go ana come as pleased. 10 90
this and live meant precarious ex.
ploits. This rig represents one OF
them. I am telling you the family
secret; am showing you the skele
ton in the closet, confdentially |
stole that rug; and when | say that
the seven labors Of our old friend
Hercules were simple diversions COM
pared, you'll recognize the difficulties
had to overcome. You know some
thing Of the Oriental mind. hand
led the job alone. 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
trife skeptical. Many a rogue had
made the mistake of playing Georges
age against his experience. He ha6
made some serious blunders in the
early stages Of the business how.
ever; and everybody, to gainTsomes
thing in the end, must lose something
at the start.
If that rug is the one have in
mind, you certainly have stolen 1t.
And if it's copy, I'll tell you quickly
enough"
That's fair. And that's why,
,Ryanne declared, Il wanted you to
look at 1t. To me, considering what I
have gone through to get it, to me it.
is the genuine carpet. To your expert
this much, that rare rugs and paint.
ings have many copies, and that soms'
one is being hooked, sold, bamboozled,
sandbagged, every day in the week. T.
this is the real article, want you tn
take it off my hands," the adventuref
finished pleasantly.
There will be hue and cry.
No doubt of it,"
And the devils own job to get it
out Of Egypt" These were set phr@Ejlle
Of 40 expert, preliminaries to
gaie slg- "one might as well can at
rouR1 stolen elephant. !"
But man who issas familiar with
the anne as you are would have nttg 81
diff Nty. Your integrity is an est
lisa 5fact, on both sides of the VIZ T II
"a. could take it to New York 81 II
copy, and no appraiser would know
the difference. It's worth the attempt.
I'd take it to New York myself, but
you see, I am fiat broke. Come; what
do you or care about a son-of-a-gun
of a Turk ?" drol1y.
what do you want for it, suppos-
ing it's genuine?" Georges throat was
dry and his voice harsh. His con-
science reused herself, feebly, for it
had been a long time since occasion
had necessitated her presence.
Ryanne narrowed his eyes, carefully
balancing the possibilities. Say, one
thousand pounds. It is like giving it
away. But when the devil drives, you
know 1t is beyond any set price; it
is worth what any collector is willing
to pay for it. I.be1ieve / know the
kind of man you are, Mr.. Jones, and
that is why, when I learned you were
in Cairo, l came directly to you. You
would neYlr sell this rug. NJ You
would become like miser over his
gold You would keep it with your
emeralds q have heard about them,
too); draw the curtains, lock the
doors, whenever you looked at 1t. Eth?
You would love it for its own sake,
and not because it is worth so many
thousand pounds. You are sailing in
q few days; that will help. The Pasha
is in Constantinople, and it will be
three or four weeks before he hears of
the theft, or the cost" with a certain
| grimness.
"You haven't killed any one?" whis-
| pered George.
Il don't know; perhaps. Christian
ity against paganisna; the Occidental
conscience permits it. Ryanne made
gesture to indicate that he would
submit to whatever moral arraignment
Mr. Jones deemed advisable to make
But George made none. He rose
hastily, sought his knife and, without
so much as by your leave, slashed the
| Irvine, flung aside the paper, and threw
| the rug across the counterpane. It
| was the Yhiordes. There was not the
| slightest doubt in his mind He had
| heard it described, he had seen a
! photograph Of it, he knew its history
| and,N st vital Of all, he oWp<#Ia
good Y of it, fAA
Al { temptation that was @sst
| and 4 srgetic and a1luring UikS he
ma4l no insist; upon ydspr having
driI when yoa want it and ought t
to hive it,, what chance had GU
sciHhce, grown innocuous in the LON
| pefiod of the young mans good beA
hayior? Collectors are always honest
before and after that moment arrives
when they want something desperate
| ly; and George was no more sanity
than his kind And how deep Ryanne
and his confederates had delved into
| human nature, how well they could
| read and judge 1t, was made manifest
III this moment Of Georges moral re
lapse.