Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-11-06
Continued from u last issue)
EPISODE ELEVEN
The Place of Pines
PTER

The last sound thai Mike Clinch
heard on earth was the defamation
of his own rifle. Probably it was
an agreeable sound to him. He lay
there with a pleasant expression on
his massive features. His watch a
fallen out of his pocket.
Quintana shined him with an
electric torch; picked up the watch.
Then. holding the torch in n
hand, he went through the dead
mans pockets very thoroughly.
When Quintana had finished, both
trays of the fiat morocco case were
full OF wonder and suspicion.
Unquietly he looked upon h
dead-upon the glitterng contents
of the jewel-box-but always his
gaze reverted to the dead. The
faintest shadow of a smile edged
Clinch's lips. Quintana's lips grew
graver. He said slowly, like n
who does his thinking aloud:
..What is it you have done to me,
Tami Clinch? Are there truly
then two sets of previous stones?-.
W Flaming Jewels 1.-TWO gems OF
Erosite like there never has been in
all thees WORT excep' only two
more? Or is II set false?
law L AAOAS ~ W ~ RA0
facsimilies? . My frien' Clinch,
why do you lie there an smile at me
SO YER funny J.. like you are
amuse? . I am wondering what
you have done to me, my frien'
Clinch. . :"
For a while he remained kneeling
beside the dead. Then: "Ah, ball."
he said, pocketing the morocco case
and getting to his feet.
He moved a little way toward the
open trail, stopped, came back
stood his rifle against a tree.
For a while he was busy with LIS
sharp Spanish clasp knife, whiting
and fitting together two peeled
twigs. A cross was the ultimate re-
suit. Then he placed Clinch's hands
palm to palm upon his chest, laid
the cross on his breast, and shined
the result with complacency.
Then Quintana took off his hat.
"L'ami Mike" he said, you were
a mani . Adios!"
The night had turned frosty.
Quintana. wet to the knees and very
tired, moved slowly. not daring to
leave the trail because of sink-holes.
What he had to have was a fire;
he realized that. Somewhere off the
trail, in big timber if possible, he
must build a fire and master this
deadly chill that was slowly para
lying all power of movement.
At last he came to a place of
pines, first growth giants towering
into night, and, looking up, saw
stars, infinitely distant . where
perhaps those things called souls
drifted Ike wisps of vapor.
When the fire took. Quintana's
thin dark hands had become nearly
useless from cold. He could not
have crooked finger to trigger.
For a long time he sat close to
torpid limbs, but did not dare strip
his foot-gear.
Later he ate and drank languidly,
looking up at the stars, specializing
t the possible presence of Mike
up there.
What a chase Clinch had led him
the Flaming Jewel. And now
Clinch lay dead in the forest-faint-
smiling. AT what?
In a very low, passionless voice,
Q%uintana cursed monotonously as
ne gazed into the fire. In Spanish,
Portuguese, italian. he
cursed Clinch. After a little while
he remembered Clinch's daughter,
md he cursed her, deliberately,
thoroughly, wishing her black mis-
nance awake and asleep, living or
Presently Quintana slept after his
,wn fashion-that is to say, looking
loosely at him one could discover a
thinner under his lowered eyelids.
And he listened always in that kind
# sleep. AS though a shadowy part
i him were detached from his body
mounted guard over it.
The ~inaudible movement of a
venturing into the fire.
lit circle awoke Quintana. Again a
AuUNng leaf amid distant birches
woke him. Such things. And so
ne slept with Wet feet to the fire
md his rifle across his knees; and
dreamed of Eve and of murder, and
hat the Flaming Jewel was but a
of glass.
At that moment the girl of whose
ghite throat Quintana was dream
.1g, and whining family in his
ireams, stood alone outside Clinch's