Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-10-02
EPISODE ONE
Eve.
CHAPTER |

During the last two years Fate,
Chance, and Destiny had been too
busy to attend to Mike Clinch.
But now his turn was coming in
the Eternal Sequence of things. The
stars in their courses indicated the
beginning of the undoing Of Mike
Clinch.
From Esthonia a REFUGE Countess
wrote to James Darriagh in New
York;
After two years we have dis
covered that it was Jose Quintana s
band of international thieves that
robbed Ricca. Quintana has disap-
peared.
as Levantine diamond broker in
New York, named Emanuel Sard,
may be in communication with him.
"Ricca and / are going to Amer
lea as soon as possible.
valentine
The day Darragh received the let
ter ne started to look up Sard.
But that very morning Sard had
received a curious letter from Rot
terdam. This was the letter:
'Sardius - Tourmaline - Arag-
onite Rhodonite Porphyry -
0bsidian Nugget Gold - Dias-
pore Novaculite Yu Nugget
Silver - Amber-Matriv Turquois
--Elaolite Ivory - Sardonyx =
Moonstone Iceland Star - Kalpa
Xircon - Eye Agate +" Celonite -
Lapis - Iolite ~ Nephritc - Chal-
cedony - Hydrolite Hegolitc -
Ameththyst - Selenite Fire Opal
-Labradorite Aquamarine -
Malachite - Iris Stone-Natrolitc
Garnet s. Jade-Emerald- Wood
Opal - Essonite - Lazulia Epidote
Ruby - Onyx Sapphire -
Indicolite - Topaz - Euclase ii
Indian Diamond Star Sapphire
African Diamond - Iceland Spar
Lapis Crucifer # Abalone - Turk
ish Turquoise Old Mine Stone -
Natrolite Cats Eye - Electrum
is a a."
That afternoon young Darragh To-
Gated Sard's office and presented
himself as a customer. The weasel
faced clerk behind the wicket laid a
pistol hand and informed Darragh
that Sard was away on business
trip.
Darragh looked cautiously around
the small office:
Il have important news concern
ing Jose Quintana," whispered Oar
ragh; "Where is Sard?"
"Why, he had letter from GUM
tana this very morning" replied the
clerk in low, uneasy voice. Mr.
Sard left for Albany on the one
O'Clock train. Is there any troublc?"
Darragh bored him through with
his dark stare:
Mind your business" he said
That night in Albany Darragh
picked up Sard's trail. 1t led to a
dealer in automobiles. Sard had
bought Comet Six, paying cash,
and had started north.
Through Schenectady, Fonda, and
Mayfield, the following day, OAR
ragh traced a brand new Comet Six
containing one short, dark Lavcn-
tine with a parrot nose In North
vile Darragh hired a Ford.
At Lake Pleasant Sard's car went
napror rln |.
minutes; but he learned that Sard
had inquired the way to Ghost Lake
Inn.
That was sufficient. Darragh
bought an axe, drove as far as h'ar-
rods Corners, dismissed the Ford
and walked into a forest entirely
familiar to him. .-
He emerged in half an hour on a
wood road two miles farther on
Here he felled tree across the road
and sat down in the bushes to await
events.
Toward sunset, hearing car COM
ing, he tied his handkerchief over
bis face below the eyes, and took an
automatic from his pocket.
Sard's car stopped and Sard got
out to inspect the obstruction. OAR
rhgh sauntered out of the bushes,
poked his pistol against Mr.. Sard's
fat abdomen, and leisurely and thor
oughly robbed him.
In an agreeable spot near brook
Darragh lighted his pipe and sat him
down to examine the booty in de-
tail Two pistols, a stiletto, and a
blackjack composed the arsenal of
Mr.. Sard. A large wallet disclosed
more than four thousand dollars in
Treasury rotes-something to reim-
burse Ricca when she arrived, he
thought.
Among Sard's papers he discov-
cred cipher letter fro Rotterdam
probably from Quintana. Cipher
was rather in Darragh's line.
But Quintana's cipher proved to
be only an easy acrostic-the very
simplest of secret messages. With
in an hour Darragh had it pencelled
cut;
Cipher
Take notice:
Star Pond, n. Y. Name
is Mike Clinch Has Flaming