Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-10-02
EPISODE ONE

ioODE ONE
Eve
CHAPTER 1
During the last two years Fate,
Chance. and Destiny mad 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 refugee Countess
wrote to James Darragh 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 dis
appeared.
"a Levantine diamond broker in
New York, named Emanuel Sard,
may be in communication with him.
"Ricci and l are going to America
as soon as possible.
Valentine"
The day Darragh received the let
ter he started to look up Sard.
But that very morning Sard had
received a curious letter from Rot
terdam. This was the letter:
"Sardius - Tourmaline - Ara
gentle = Rhodonite = %Porpphyry -
Obsidian = Nugget Gold = Dias-
pore = Novaculite = Yu Nugget
Silver - Amber = Matrix Tur-
quoise - Elaeolite " Ivory - Sar-
donyx = Moonstone - Iceland Spar
- Kalpa Zircon : Eye Agate = Ce-
lonite = Lapis = Iolite = Nephrite
- Chalcedony : Hydrolite . Hego-
lite - Amethyst = Selenite . Fire
Opal - Labradorite - Aquemarine
= Malachite - Iris Stone = Natro-
lite - Garnet : Jade = Emerald =
Wood Opal = Essonite - Lazuli .
Epidote = Ruby = Onyx = Sap
phire - Indicolite Topaz = Eu-
clase = Indian Diamond : Star Sap
phire = African Diamond = Ice
land Spar = Laps Crucifer = Aba
lone - Turkish 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 handy and informed Darragh
that Sard was away on a business
trip.
Darragh looked cautiously around
the small office:
II have important news concern
ing Jose Quintana," whispered OAR
ragh: Where is Sard?"
why, he had a letter from Quin-
tana this very morning" replied the
clerk in a low, uneasy voice. "Mr,
Sard left for Albany on the one
o'clock train. Is there any trouble >
Darragh bored him through with
his dark stare:
Mind your business" he said.
That night in Albany Darragf
picked up Sard's trail. 1t led to {
dealer in automobiles. Sard hat
bought a Comet Six, paying cash
and had started north.
Through Schenectady, Fonda, ant
Mayfield, the following day, Oar
ragh traced a brand new Comet Si1
containing one short. dark Levan
tine with a parrot lose. In North
vile Darragh hired a Ford.
At Lake Placid sard's car wen
wrong. Darragh missed him by tel
minutes; but he learned that Sar'
had inquired the way to Ghost LAX
Inn.
That was sufficient. Darragl
bought an axe. drove as far as Har
rods Corners, dismissed the Fore
and walked into a forest entire.
familiar to him."
He emerged in half an hour on
wood road two miles further or
Here he felled a tree across the roa'
and sat down in the bushes to avail
events.
Toward sunset, hearing a car com
ing. he tied his handkerchief owe
his fact below the eyes, and took a
automatic from his pocket.
Sard's a stopped and Sard go
out to inspect the obstruction. Oar
ragh sauntered but of the bushe:
poked his pistol against Mr.. Sard'
fat abdomen, and leisurely and thor
oughly robbed him.
In an agreeable spot near a brool
Darragh lighted his pipe and sat hin
down to examine the booty in de
tail. Two pistols. a s~tiletto, and
blackjack composed the arsenal o
Mr.. Sard. A large wallet disclosed
more than four thousand dollars IL
treasury notes-something to REIN
burse Ricca when she arrived, h
thought.
Among Sard's papers he discov
cred a cipher letter from Rotterdam
probably from Quintana. Ciphe
was rather in Darragh's line.
But Q~uintana's cipher proved t.
be only an easy acrostic-the yer.
simplest of secret messages. With
in an hour Darragh had it pencilet
out:
Cipher
"Take notice:
Star Pond, N. Y. Name
Mike Clinch. . . Has Flaming Jew
ell . . Erosite I sail at once
"Quintana."
Having served in Russia as al
officer in the Military Intelligence
Department attached to the Amerl
can Expeditionary Forces, DarragI
had little trouble with Quintana'
letter. Even the signature was nc
difficult, the fraction is was easll
translated Quint; and the familla
| prescription symbol a a spelled ana
which gave Quintana's name in full
He had heard of Erosite as Tn
rarest and most magnificent of a
gems. Only three were known. IN
young Duchess Theodorica of rs
tbonia has possessed one.
Darrah was immensely amuse
to find that the chase after Emanu'
Sard should have led him to the yer
borders of the great Harrod estat
in the Adirondacks, which now wa
the property of Harrod's nephew
James Darragh.
When he came to the first tres
pass notice he stood a moment I
read it. Then. slowly, he turned an
looked toward Clinch's.
Fate. Chance and Destiny WEI
becoming very busy with Mix
Clinch. They had started Quintan'