The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1912-05-16

and the Pool of Flame had vanished.
For several years it stayed
quiet, so far as is known. Then the
curse of the thing began to work, and
it 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 Genoese bagnio, by French
girl who got away with it somehow.
The OMahoney 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 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 Dutchman, 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 seven dead men be-
hind 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 not 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; | love him
like a brother. He sickened OF
: Europe when he found his case with
| you was hopeless, and went to Al
| giers, joining the Foreign Legion"
l But how-?"
well, we were fond of each other
{ Chambret and l. l helped him ou
2 of some tight corners and he helped
!. me along when me money ran shor
AS it always did, and will, Tn
! thinking. After while l got to won
t dering how much I owed the mai
and figured it up; the sum tota
J 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 little after tina
that l 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 tn
time would come when some nativ
prince would offer to redeem the Luc
of the State as an act Of piety and pa
triotism. He prophesied reward Q
at least fifty thousand pounds. An
now it's come-twice Overt"
"And now what can you do?"
| "Do?" cried O'Rourke. "Faitf
what would be doing? Dye realiz
what this means to me, dear heart
1t means neutrality-suspicious., a littl
fortune, the right to claim my wife!
j He drew her to him. do? Sure, an
Ivy the first train and boat I'll go
| Algeria, find Chambret, get him
give me the stone, take it to Rangool
! claim the reward, repay Chambre
and"
| "And what, my paladin?"
| Dare We ask me that. madame
| Say, will We wait for me?"
| She laughed softly. Have 1 NJ
y waited, Ulysses?"
! Tell me-" he demanded, "have y
talked with anyone about this letter:
! "Only to Clara Plinlimmon!"
] Good Lord!" groaned the Irishmsl
1 only to her! Could We not hav
| printed broadsides, the better to max
! the matter public?"
did l do wrong?"
"'Twas indiscreet-and that's pu
ting 1t mildly, me dear. Dye kno
the woman's walking newspaper
| How much did We tell her? Did J
show her the letter."
| mo" She answered his last que
ton first. "And l told her very lit
1 only about this reward for rub
didn't know you owned. We wei
= wondering where to find you"
"And she told no one-or who {
you think?"
t. The woman looked little frigh
ened. "She told-she must have to
le that man-Monsieur DIES Trebes."
Of THAT blackguard."
ir HE was with us on the yacht, OF
lie of Clara's guests"
s. "She has pretty taste for col
ut pany-my word! How dye know 81
er told him? He asked you about it,"
70 THE letter? Yes. He wanted
ut know the name of the solicitors al
IN their address. I wouldn't tell him.
le -disliked him."
le Had We told Lady Plinlimmon?