Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1913-01-09
you don't believe

Nh''e A"'Sh ~ ucSu pTOFeu Impossible
You've been knocking about here Ions
enough to know something of the
tenacity of the Arab and the East In
dian. Given just cause, an idols
eye or holy carpet, and they'll fol
low you round the world ten times, Il
need be. l never worry needlessly
but l lay out before me all the points
OF the game. There is one man In Bag
dad who will never cease to think OF
me. This fellow is an Arab, Mahomed
El-Gebel by name, the real article
proud and savage, into whose keeping
the Holy Yhiordes was given; Ma
homed-ElGebel, the Pasha's right
hand, sheik in his own right"
But you haven't got the rug now
mo, Mr.. Jones, haven't; but on
the other hand. you have. So, here
we are together. When he gets
through with me, your turn"
George laughed. Ryanne grew
thoughtful over this sign. Percival
Algernon did not seem exactly wor
ried.
Aren't you little afraid?"
81? Why should be-" INQUIRED
George innocently. Certainly, what.
ever your Arab friends arguments
may be, moral or physical, I'm going
to keep that Yhiordes."
Was he bluffing? Ryanne wondered.
Did he really have nerve? Well,
within forty-eight hours there would
come a test.
Say, do you know, rather wish
you'd been with me on that trip-that
is, If you like rough game" Ryanne
said this in all sincerity.
II have never been in a rough game,
as you call it; but I've often had a
strong desire to be, just to find out for
myself what sort of duffer / am"
Ryanne had met this sort of man be-
fore; the fellow who wanted to know
what stuff he was made of, and was
ready to risk his hide to find out. His
experience had taught him to expect
nothing of the man who knew Just
what he was going to do In a crisis.
did you ever know, Mr.. JONES'"
said Ryanne, his eyes humorous, that
there is an organization in this world
of ours, a company that offers a try
out to men of your kidney?"
Whats that? What do you mean?"
What l say. There is an established
concern which will, upon application
for a liberal purchase of stock, ar
range any kind of adventure you
wish"
"What?" George drew in his legs
and sat up. what sort of jolly is
this?"
"You put your finger upon the one
great obstacle. No one will believe
that such a concern exists. Yet It is
a fact And why not?"
Because it wouldn't be real; It
would be going to the moon a la
Coney Island"
Wrong, absolutely wrong. II /
told you that / am stakeholder in
this company, and that the adventure
of the Yhiordes rug was arranged for
my special benefit, what would you
say?" D.
"Say?" George turned a serious
countenance toward the adyenturer.
"Why, the whole thing Is absurd on
the face of it. AS joke, 1t might go;
but as genuine affair, utterly impos-
sible."
mo-" quietly. 81 admit that it
sounds absurd, yes; but ten years ago
they'd have locked up, as insane, a
man who said that he could fly. But
think of last summer at Paris, at
Rheims, at Frankfort; the Continental
air was full of fying-machines. Bah!
It's pretty difficult to impress the av-
erage mind with something new. Why
shouldn't we cater to the poetic, the
romantic side of man? We've con-
Germs for everything else. The fact
is, mediocrity is always standing be-
hind the corner with brickbats for
the initiative. Believe me or not, Mr..
Jones, but this company exists. The
proof is that you have the rug and
have the scars"
"But in these prosaic times!" MUIR
INJURED George, still skeptical.
"Prosaic timesi" shifted Ryanne.
There's one of your brickbats. They
swung it at the head Of the first print
er. Prosaic times My friend, this
Is the most romantic and bewildering
age humanity has yet seen. There's
more romance and adventure going
about on wheels and steel-bottoms
than ever there was In the days OF
Drake and the Spanish galleons.
There's an adventure lurking round the
nearest corner-romance, too. What
this organization does is to direct you;
after that you have to shift for your
self. But, like first-rate physical In
structor, they never map out more
than a man can do. They gave me
the rug. Your bones, on such a quest,
would have been bleaching upon the
banks Of the Tigris."
What the deuce is this company
called?" George was enjoying the con,
versation immensely.
The United Romance and Adven.
ture company, Ltd, of London, Paris
and New York"
Have you any of the companys
paper with your" George depressed