Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-12-12
The Greut Cypncr

1t was a night OF Illusions. The
whole world was unreal. Lne city
eouId noL be seen, 1nere was d
sort of fairy VISA eXtendIns over
the gardens across the oil Vi PARK
into the aze plerced Dy the narrow
waite shalt u the National monG-
nient extending into The sky.
There was d heavy odor Of Jessa-
mine ana h-oneysuSk!e lying apou;
the southern porslcO ct the eXecu-
tive mansion. But there Were nc
tights. The whore OF the porLIcu
was in a heavy shadow. a 5S
strong, masculine voice, cultivated
and nrm, was speaking.
II am glad that business of your
embassy brought you to AnIerlca.
Monsieur Jonquelie.' 1t STD, be
cause l wanted to ask yUd about
hat last expedition OF Chauvannes .
knew Chauvannes III south Africa.
He was a nrst-class man. What was
the mystery about his death! The
uurrent report at the time could not
have been the truth, 1t was too
fantastic"
One might have made out the hg-
ure OF the Erenchman by ook4nS
elosely in the dim llght. lie a IN
= long chair, his legs q
cigarette, u%nlighted, moving IN MS
fingers. His voice was low n clear
when he spoke, like n engaged
With q reflection.
1T was all the truth, E1cellency'
II said, las we know how.
The big voice interrupted. 1hat
fantastic. story! al 80.
Tha Frenchman's voice did not
Khange. .ia
.sThe truth about it," he said, is
oven more fantastic than the cur
vent story of the time. Nobody be-
uaved it. Nobody could have pc
naved it. When MS journal many
name in, everybody thought Chdu-
vannes had gone mad before Tue
s,Id. Thethings ne wrote down SIM
DIV could not have happened!
He paused then: But 1t was
syery word the truth. Ihere
are the emeraIds IN the LouVre:
The big man beyond Mohsteu[
Jonquelle, obscured by the th4cR
shadow, made an eXcIaHatloH u
establishment.
s.The emeralds," he said, are oil
course proof OF the fact hal Chau-
vannes found some evidences OF the
hing he was after. But his journal
could not have been the truth. me
man who wrote the closing pages OF
shat journal must have been Iado-
The Frenchman replied with no
.hange in his voice.
"Excellency," he said, the man
who wrote the closing pages OF ina
lournel was not only not mau' oue
he was SO clever that / have never
Ceased to admire him.. lie was IL q
position, from which, ne
new perfectly well, there was no
sscape. and he undertook to DO a
thing that not only required u
soundest intelligence, but 1t also re-
111ired a degree of c~leverness thar
aas not been equaled by anybody
feel that l ought to stand and IN I
cover whe never l think ABOUT
Ehauvannes."
There was a sound in the dark
ness as of one drawing mes oouy
swiftly together in q chair Ihere
was a sort of booming IN the dig
voice. ace
rourse' I knew what Chauvannes
after. He used to talk ABOUT
I when we were shooting on the
He had the clew, he thought
a a lost civilization of an immense
,ve- in the great wilderness OF Cen
raj Africa, a little north or inc
IT,,
firm voice:
sT was not surprised that Chau-
found some evidence OF the
hing he was looking for. lie was a
Irst-class a~rchaeologist. He knew
d about everything of the sort that
Lad been uncovered. And he was a
aIl-round explorer, none bet
err. If there was any man In the
,orld who could have gone from the
.ongo across the old trail of tina
worry raiders, northeast to the Al
art Nyanza, it was Chauvannes.
an believe that C-hauvannes Went
a there, and that he found the EVIL
Iences of the things he was look
ng for; but the journal that the sur
of the expedition brought IN
not be true. Chauvannes was
insane when he wrote lift the ex-
'erpts I saw of it were not colored."
Monsieur Jonquelle replied in the
ever voice.
sour government, Excellency," he
aid, twas precisely of your opinion,
ghen the journal finally came in.
hey thought C-hauvannes was mad
Vt the end. But he was not mad!