The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1913-01-09

anne. I'll get my legs in day or
so. Fortune, will you answer one
question:"
"As many as you like"
How did you get here?"
Don't you know?"
George wasn't certain, but the girls
voice was cold and accusing.
T?"
Eyes. Wasn't it the note that you
wrote to me-"
Ryanne TOOK his head in his hands,
wearily. 81 wrote you no note, For
tune; have never written you a note
of any kind. You do not know my
handwriting from Adams. In Gods
name, why didn't you ask your mother
or your uncle? They would have rec
ognized the forgery at once. Who
gave 1t to you?"
"Mahomed himself"
Damn him!" Ryanne grew strong
under the passing fit Of rage. mo,
don't tell me to be silent. don't care
about myself. I'm the kind Of a man
who pulls through, generally. But
this takes the spine out Of me. I'm
to blame; it's all my fault"
Say no more about it." She be-
lieved him. She really hadn't thought
him capable of such baseness, though
at the time Of her abduction she had
been inclined to accuse him. That
he was here, prisoner like herself,
MOS onD o1,,eiva ouidonno on FAR q cha
was concerned, of his innocence. But
she knew him to be responsible for
the presence of Jones; knew him to
be culpable of treachery Of the meat-
est order; knew him to be lacking in
generosity and magnanimity toward q
man who was practically his benefac-
tor. What does Mahomed want? p
"The bally rug, Fortune. And Jones
here, who had it, says that it is gone.
Vanished, magic-carpet-wise," sup,
plemented George.
"And Jones would have given 1t up. -
"And thousand like it, If We could
have bought you out Of this"
Zones and 1 could have managed
to get along.
1--WE shouldn't have mattered."
"Ard would you have returned tc
Mr.. Jones his thousand pounds?"
"Yes, and everything else l have,
quite honestly.
Don't worry any more about the
rug, then. l know where 1t is"
"You?" cried the two men.
"Yes. stole 1t. I did so, thinking
to avert this very hour; to save yor
from harm," to George. "and you from
doing contemplate thing" to Ry
anne. 1T is in my room, done up II
the big steamer-roll. And now l an
glad that l stole it."
Ryanne laughed weakly.
Said George soberly: What con
temptible thing?" He remembered
Mahomed's words in regard to Ry
anne as the latter lay insensible II
the sand.
Ryanne, quick to seize the opportu
nifty of solving. to his own advantage
the puzzle for George, and at the sam
time guiding Fortune away from
tonic. the danger of which she kney
nothing, raised hand. II bribed Ma
homed to kidnap you, Jones. Don
be impatient. You laughed at N
when laid before you the prospectu
of the United Romance and Adver
ture Company. wished to prove t
YOU that the concern existed. And s
here is your adventure upon approva
l thought, of course, you still had tn
rug. Mahomed WAS to carry you int
the desert for a week, and by the
time you would have surrendered tn
rug, returned to Cairo, the hero OF
full.fedged adventure. Lord! what
mess of it I've made. forgot, ne1
to this bally rug, Mahomed loved me
The hitherto credulous George ha
of late begun to look into facts II
stead Of dreams. He did not believ
a word of this amazing confession, d.
spite the additional testimony OF Fo
tune, relative to Ryanne's statement
made to her in the baZaars.
"The bitter bitten," was George
sole comment.
Ryanne breathed easier.
CTO BE CONTINUED)