Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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ef0 UIS JOSEPH VANC LUSTRATIONS,-BY ELLSWOJ-'UG CT 1909 by LOUI SEPH VA SYNOPSIS. C CHAPTE-R I.-The story opens at donte Carlo with Col. Terence O'rourke his hotel. O'Rourke, a military free ce and something of a gambler. is sing for appearance in the restaurant I ow when the sound of a girlish voice ,..ging attracts his attention. Leaning out ,..n the balcony he sees a beautiful 9 girl who' ,ddenly disappears. He rushes C to the corria'o(to see a neatly gowned form enter the elevator and pass from ight. CHAPTER II.-O'Rourke's mind is C led with thoughts of the girl, and when goes to the gaming table he allows his rkable winnings to accumulate in rently. He notices two men watch- t him. One is the Hon. Bertie Glynn, le his companion is Viscount Des es, a noted duelist. When O'Rourke the table the viscount tells him he ents the French government and he has been directed to O'Rourke as ( an who would undertake a secret on. jC 'PTER IIT.-At his room O'Rourke. -vho had agreed to undertake the mission. awaits the viscount. O'Rourk- finds a ,mysterious letter in his apartment. The viscount arrives. hands a sealed package to O'Rourke. who is not to open it until on the ocean. He says the French gov ernment will pay O'Rourke 25.000 francs for his services. A pair of dainty slip- f pers are seen protreding from under a doorway curtain and the viscount charges * O'Rourke with having a spy secreted l there. CHAPTER IV. I It would be difficult to designate pre E isely just what O'Rourke thought tc I scover, when after a punctilious re I urn of Captain von Einem's salute, he eopened his door and, closing it quick. r y as he entered, turned the key in the j ock. is mood was exalted, his imagina 1 . excited; the swift succession o f nts which had made memorable the i might culitg Iirthi ope i vitatio .a challenge from the mosi ae duelist in Europe, had In red a volatile vivacity such as not even the excitemr'nt of the -Casino had, been potent to create in him. Of al:1 nad conjectures t:naginable the mad t was too weird for him to credit ir humor of that hour. Eliminating 11 else that had happened, in thE utrse of that short evening, his heart "been stirred, .his emotions played i ljv a recrudesence or a passion] .e had striven with all his 1~~ d im~ icr a time; first heard the voice of the one an to whom his love and faith and * onor were irretrievably pledged, he1 had then seen her (or another who re tarkably resembled her) for the scant est of instants; ~and finally he had mysteriously received a letter which could, he belIieved, have been convey ed to him by no other hand but hers. pAnd now he was persuaded beyonda doubt that the person of the alcove, the eav'esdropper for whose fair repute be had chosen to risk his life, was no cody in the world but that same one f woman. -But uaore than all else, perhaps, he expected and feared to find the room eserted; for the balcony outside the windows afforded a means of escape too facile to be neglected by one who ewished not to be discovered. . .. 'His first definite impression was o consternation and despair; for the lights had been shut off in his ab sence. Then quickly he discerned,) ith eyes dazed by the change from' t e lighted hallway to the lightless hamber, the shadowy shape of a wom an, motionless between him and the windows, waiting. . . An electric switch was at his el bow. With a single motion he could ave drenched the place with light.,] For an instant tempted, some strange)] scruple of delicacy, abetted it may be by his native love of romantic mystery,t yed his hand.I - "Madame," said he, "or mademoi-1 selle, whichever ye may be-the win dows are open, meself's not detaining ye. If ye choose, ye may go; but ye'd favor me by going quickly. . . . -give ye," he continued, seeing that neither moved nor replied, "this ~ne chance. In thirty seconds I turn~ the lights." The woman did' not stir; but he . ht he could detect in the still 'er quickened\: breathing. ye've taken," he amended, SOf ame ru -wa. 'Tis little~I iave t :se. . . . There was no answer. He touched the switch with an im atient hand, stepped forward a singlc ace, caught himself up and stoppe< hort, now pale and trembling who ha< moment gone been flushed witi alm. "Beatrix!" he cried thickly. Dumbly his wife lifted her arms an< >ffered herself to him, unutterabI: ovely, unspeakably radiant. . . . it were worse than a waste of tim< o attempt a portrait of her as sh( eemed to him. Seen through her hus and's eyes, her bea,uty was incompar ble, immaculate, too rare and fine. tot elicate a thing to be bodied forth it vords, dependent upon the perfectior f no single feature. Not in her hair air as sunlight on the sea, not in he yes of autumnal brown, not in th vonderful fineness of her skin or it he daintiness of her features, not it -e graciousness of her body, did h( nd the beauty of her that surpasse< xpression, but in the love she bor( im, in the sweetness of her inviolat( oul, in the steadfastness of her im regnabie heart. . . . But it's doubtful if ever he had an lyzed his passion for her so minute y. Mostly, I think, at that moment o ier abrupt disclosure to him, he long d unutterably for her lips and th roffered wreath round his neck of he lim, round, white arms. Yet he would not. Trembling thougl e was, with every instinct and ever iber of his being straining toward her vith the hunger for her a keen pain it Lis heart, he held himself back; or hi :nception of honor held him bacl hat which he had voluntarily forfeil ,d and put away fron* him for his hon >r's sake, he would not take bac] hough it were offered freely to him "So," he said, after a bit, shakily hen pulled himself together, an ~ontrolling his voice-"So "twas youi elf, after all, Beatrix! M\e heart toli ne no other woman could have suni hat song as ye did-" The woman dropped her arms. "You ieart, Terence?" she asked a little'bi1 eriy. "What else? Do ye doubt it?" She shook her head sadly, wistfu: y. "How do I know? How can I tell surely, dear, no two people were eve appier than we-yet within a yea rom our wedding yo u. . . you lef ne, ran away from me. .,. . . Why? "Well ye know why, 'dearest, an! eil ye know 'twas love of ye alon hat drove me from ye. Gould I le t be saitl ye had a husband who wa ncapable of supporting ye? Could et it be said that your husband live ike a leech upon your fortunes aith, didn't I have to go for you ake ?" "No," she dissented with a seconi eary shake of her pretty head; hink it was love of yourself, a little erence-that and your pride ..Why should any of our worn iave guessed you were not the ric nan you fancied yourself when w. vere married? Who would have tol hem that your lar.ded heritage iJ reland had turned out profitless? No ,my dear." "I know that," he contended stut >r12ly, "but I know, too, sooner o ater it would have come out, an' hey would have said: 'There sf< ;es with h:er fortune-hunter, the ad enturer who married her for he nonecy-'" 'And if so? What earthly diffex mece could it make to us, sweetheart 'h..:t can gossip matter to us-if yol ove me?" "I!" he cried, almost ar.grily. "If . . Ah, but nlo, darling! 'tis your elf knows there is no 'if' about it, tha 'm sick with love of ye this ver: ninue-sick and mad for ye... "Then," she pleaded. with a desper tte litt'e break in her incomparabit roice: and agtin held out her arm *:,..t.-+en h'vc *A~ " me. oh. rn' learest onehave pity on me if oni: 'r a little while." And suddenly he had caught her t aim, and she lay in his arms, he roung strong body molded to his, he .ips to his, her eyes half-veiled, thm neet fragrance of her-too well r< nembered-intoxicating him; lay st ine in his embrace, yet held hit trongly to her, and trembled in syn >athy with the deep, hurried poundin >f his heart..L In the south the horizon flame ivid to the zenith, revealing a greal lack wall of cloud that had stole; ip out of Africa; beneath it the se shone momentarily with a sickly sill en luster. Then the dense blacknes yf the night reigned again, as pr< ound as though impenetrable, eterna Later a dull growl of thunder rolle n across the waste. With it came thm irst fitful warnings of the impendin vind storm. "'Twas ye who sang to me, deal "Who else, you great silly boy ..And when you followed me t :he door, making as much noise as roung elephant, Terence-I was mint :?d ao punh ynn a little, a very litth my dear. So I merely opened mm and closed it sharply." "There was a woman in the hall "I saw her, dear, and laughed, thin] ing how puzzled you would be. . . Was I cruel, my heart? But I did n( mean to be. I'd planned this surpriso you know, from the minute I foun our rooms adjoined." "And this letter"-O'Rourke fumble In his pocket and got it out-"y brought it to me?" "It came to me in London, dear, tw weeks ago; we were together-Clar Plinlimmon and I-at the Carltoi He Stopped Short, Thunderstruck. waiting for her yacht to be put int commission. Meanwhile she was mal Ing up the party for this Meditei ranean trip. . . . I had no ide where to send you the letter. Hav 3 you read it?" "Have I had time, sweetheart c mine?" There was an interlude. In the distance the thunder rolle and rumbled. Resolutely - the young woman di, engaged herself and withdrew to a li tie distance. "Read, monsieur," she insisted, pe: emptorily. "I've better things to do, me dear, he retorted with composure. "You'll find it interesting." "I find me wife more interestin than- How d'ye know I will?" "Perhaps I have read it." O'Rourke turned the letter over i his hand and noted what had therett fore escapecf'his attention-the fa( that the envelop'e, badly frayed on tb edges through much handling, wa open at the top. "So ye may," he admitted. "It was that way when I received I And I have read it. How could I hel It?" "Then ye've saved me the bother. He prepared to rise and capture he: She retreated brisk!y. "Read! she commanded. "Read about th Pool of Flame!" 'He stopped short, thunderstruc] "The Pool of Flame?" he reiterate slowly. "What d'ye know about thati t"What the letter tells me-no mor, What has become of it?" iBut he had already,. withdrawn tt enclosure and tossed the envelor aside, and was reading-absorbed, e: cited, oblivious to all save that co: veyed to his intelligence by the wri ing beneath his eyes. It was a singularly curt, dry at business-like document for one the was destined to mold the romance < his life-strangely terse and trite) phrased for one that was to exert a far-reaching an influence over the liv4 of so many men and women. Upon single sheet of paper bearing their le terhead, Messrs. Secretan and Syphe solicitors, of Rangoon, Burmah, ha caused to be typed a communicatic to Colonel Terence O'Rourke, inforr ing; him that on behalf of a client w1 preferred to preserve his incognm1 they were prepared to offer a rewai of one hundred thousand pounds ste ling for the return, initact and u: marred, of the ruby known as ti Pool of Flame. The said ruby wa ~when last h~eard of, in the possessic of the sa'id Colonel O'Rourke, wi would receive the reward upon tU delivery of the said stone to the u: dersigned at their offices in Rangoc within six months from date. Sa delivery might be made either in pe son or by proxy. With which Messr ISecretan and Sypher begged to r main respectfully his. The Irishman read it once and agai: memorizing its import; then delibe ately shredded it into minute pari cles. "So It's come." he said heavily, "iul as' the.O'Mahoney foretold it would! He sank back in lhis chair, and 11 wife went to him and perched herse upon the arm of it, imprisoning h rltead with her ai-ms and laying h4 cheek against his. "What has come, my heart?" "One hundred thousand pounds, h e said. . .' . "Treble its wort ouble what the O'Mahoney expec "Who is the O'Mahoney, dear?" SHe roused. "An old friend, Beatr -an old comrade. He died some yea3 back, on the banks of the Tugel lighting with a Boer commando. E was a lonely man, without kith or ki or many friends beside meself. Tha I pi'esume, is how he came to lea' the Pool of Flame with me." 1 wound an arm round her and held hi close. "Hearken, dear, and I'll I telling ye the story of it." Behind them the infernal glare I up the portentous skies. ~Thund< echoed between clouds and sea lii heavy cannoning. The wife shrat lose to her beloved. "I am not at a afraid," she declared, when her Y0i< 1could be heard-"wit'a you... Tel me about the Pool of Fla.me." e when he went to South Africa," ex plained O'Rourke. "'Twas a paste " board box the size of fist, wrapped in brown paper and tied with a bit of - string, that he brought me one even ing, saying he was about to leave, and would I care for it in his absence. I d knew no more of it than that 'twas something he valued highly, but I put it away in a safe-deposit vault-which d he might've done if he hadn't been a e rcatierbrain-an Irishman. . . . "Then he wrote me a letter-I got 0 It weeks after his death-saying he a felt he was about to go out,' and that the Pool of Flame was mine. He went on to explain that the box con tained a monstrous big ruby and gave me its history, as far as he knew it. "It seems that there's a certain tighly respectable temple in one of :ho Shan States of Burmah ('tis me ;elf forgets the name of it) and in :hat temple there's an idol, a Buddha >f pure gold, 'tis said. It would be a perfectly good Buddha, only that it lacks an eye; there's an empty socket Ln its forehead, and 'tis there the Pool of Flame belongs-or come from. [n the old days the natives called this stone the Luck of the State, and maybe they were right; for when it disappeared the state became a Brit ish possession. "In the war of 'eighty-five, says the O'Mahoney, a small detachment of British troops out of touch with their command, happened upon this temple we're speaking of and took it, dispos sessing priests and .populace without so much as a day's notice. The officer in command happened to see this eye in the Buddha's forehead, pried it out a.nd put it in his pocket. In less than an hour the natives surrounded the temple and attacked in force. The British stood them off for three days and then were relieved; but in the meantime the officer had been killed and the Pool of Flame had vanished. For several years it stayed quiet, so far as is known. Then the curse of the thing began to work, and It came to the surface in a drunken brawl in the slums of Port Said. The police, breaking into some dive to stop a row, found nobody in the place but a dead Greek; they say 'twas a shambles. One of the police found the big ruby in the dead man's fist and before his companions guessed what was up slipped away with the stone. . . . He was murdered some months later in a Genoese bagnio, by a French girl, who got away with it somehow. . . The O'Mahoney came across s the thing in Algeria, when he was serving with the Foreign Legion. He was in Sidi Bel Abbas one night, off duty, and wandering about, when he heard a man cry out for help in one 'of the narrow black alleys of the nplace. He thought he recognized a .<comra.de's voice, and surely enough, ' when he ran down to aid him, he found a Dutchman, a inan of his own eregim?ent, fighting with half a dozen natives. He was about done for, the dDutchman, when the O'Mahoney came up, and so were three of the Arabs. The O'Mahoney took care of the rest of them, and left seven dead men be* hind him when he went away-the e ix natives and the Dutchman, who e ad died in his arms and given him the Pool of Flame with his last whis "That's how it came to me," said d Y'Rourke. Lt "And where is it now?" >f "Back in Algeria, if I'm not mistak y en.-. . . Ye remember Chambret o -he was with us in the desert and bs wanted ye to marry him afterwards? a He has it-the dear man; I love him .like a brother. . . . He sickened of r, IEurope' when he found his case with d you was hopeless, and went to Al ni giers, joining the Foreign Legion." 1-"But how-?" o "Well, we were fond of each other, 0 Chambret and I. I helped him out d of some tight corners and he helped -me along when me money ran short 1--as it always did, and will, I'm ethinking. After' a while I got to won* , dering how much I owed the man n and figured it up; the sum total .0 frightened the life out of me, and I emade him take the ruby by way of se - curity-and never was able, to redeem n It, for 'twas only a little after that .d that I came into me enormous patri r- mony and squandered it riotously get s. ting married to the most beautiful e- woman living. "He warned me to hold the stone, the O'Mahoney did, saying that the -time would come when some nativE 1- prince would offer to redeem the Luck of the State as an act of piety and pa i triotism. He prophesied a reward ol L t least fifty thousand pounds. And is ow. it's come-twice over!" if I"And now what can you do?" i 1"Do ?" cried O'Rourke. "Faith, rwhat would I be doing? D'ye realize what this means to me, dear heart? [t means you-independence, a little fortune, the right to claim my wife!" [-Ie drew her to him. "Do? Sure, and t y the first train and boat I'll go to Ageria, find Chambret, get him to give me the stone, take it to Rangoon, .1 slaim the reward, repay Chambret -s d-" a"And what, my paladin?" e"Dar~e ye ask me that, madame? R . . Say, will ye wait for me ?" t, She laughed softly. "Have I not ewaited, Ulysses?" r"Tell me," he demanded, "have ye e alked with anyone about this letter?" "Only to Clara Plinlimmon!" it "Good Lord!" groaned the Irishman. r"-Only to her! Could ye not have e iprinted broadsides, the better to make k the matter public?" 11 "Did I do wrong?" e"'Twas indiscreet-and that's put .ting it mildly, me dear. D'ye know the woman's a wa!l:ng ne'wspaper? toLiw much did ve te!l her? Did 7e show her the letter?" "No." She answered his last ques tion first. "And I told her very little -only about this reward for a ruby [ didn't know you owned. We were wondering where to find you." "And she told no one-or who do rou think?" The woman looked a little fright ned. "She told-she must have told that man-Monsieur des Trebes." "That blackguard!" "He was with us on the yacht, one >f Clara's guests." "She has a pretty taste for com pany-my word! How d'ye know she *old hiri? He asked you about it?" "The letter? Yes. He wanted to know the name of the solicitors and their address. I wouldn't tell him. I -disliked him." "Had ye told Lady Plinlimmon?" No . "Praises be for that!" "Why ?" "Because . . ." O'Rourke paaused, vague suspicions taking shape in his :nind. "Why did he ask about Cham bret?" he demanded. "How could he have learned that the jewel was with aim?" He jumped up and began to pace the floor. His wife rose, grave with conster nation. "What," she faltei'ed-"what makes you think, suspect-?" "Because the fellow lied to me about you this very night. Ye - were with Lady Plinlimmon in the Casino, were re not? Faith, and didn't I see ye? I was in chase of ye when the man stopped me with his rigmarole about representing the French government and having a secret commission for me. Ye heard him just now. . . . And when I asked him was he of your party, he denied knowing Lady Plin limmon. . . . He made a later- ap pointment with me here, to talk things over. I'm thinking he only wanted time to think up a scheme for getting me out of the way. Also, he wanted to find out where Chambret, was. D'ye not see through his little game? To get me away from Monte Carlo by the first morning- train, that we might not meet; to get me on the first Atlantic liner, that I might not Interfere with his plot against Cham bret. For what other reason would he give me sealed orders? Sealed or ders!" O'Rourke laughed curtly, tak She Flung Herself Upon Him, Sob bing. Ing the long envelope from his pocket and tearing it open. "Behold his sealed- orders, if ye please!" He shuffled rapidly through his fin. gers six sheets of folded letter paper, guiltless of a single pen-scratch, crumpled them into a wad and threw it from him. "What more do I need to prove that he's conspiring to steal the Pool of Flame and claim for himself the re ward?9.. ....bankrupt, discred ited, with nothing but his title and his fame as a duelist to give him standing; is it wonderful that he's grasping at any chance to recoup his fortunes?" He took a swift stride to ward the door, halted, turned. "And young Glynn?" he demanded. "Was he with you, and was he thick with this precious rogue of a vicomte?" "They were much together." "Faith, then it's clear as window glass that the two of them, both roke, have figured out this thing be. tween them. . . . Well and good! I want no more than a hint of warn ing. . . . He was interrupted by a knocking. With a start and a muttered exd?ama tion he remembered Van Einem, and stepped to the door and out into a cor ridor, shutting the woman in. Stie remained where he had left her, her pretty brows knitted with thought, for a time abstractedly con scious of a murmur of voices in the hallway. These presently ceased as Ithe speakers moved away. She turned to one of the windows, leaning against its frame and staring at the ominous flicker and flare of sheet-lightning which lent the night a ghastly lumin osity. A cool breeze sprang up, bellying the curtains. The woman expanded to it, reviving in its fresh breath from ~the enervating influence of the even ing's still heat. Her intuitive facul ties began to ~work more vivaciously; she began to divine that which had been mysterious to her ere now. The lightning grew more intense and incessant, the thunder beating the long roll of the charge. A heavy gust of air chill as death made her shiver. She shrank away from the windows, a little awed, wishing for O'Rourke's return, wondering what had made him leave her so abruptly. Then- suddenly she knew. . . . Secorld have screamed with hor I. A simniltaneously the door slammed; ier husban& fiad returned. With a little cry she flung herself upon him, clinging to him, panting, sobbing. "Tell me," she demanded, "what you intend to do? Do you mean to fight him-Des Trebes?" "In the morning," he answered lightly, holding her tight.and comfort ing her. "'Tis unavoidable; I pro. voked his challenge. He was obliged to fight. But don't let that worry ye-" "Oh, my dear, my dear!" She sobbed convulsively pon his breast ' 'Twill be nothing-hardly that; an annoyance-no more. Believe me, dear." "What can you mean-?" "That the man will never consent to weapons worthy the name. He values his precious hide too highly, and he's not going to put himself in the way of being injured when he has the Pool of Flame to steal. Be easy on that score, darling-and have faith in me a little. I'll not let him harm me by so much as a scratch." "Ah, but how can I tell? . Dearest, my dearest, why not give it up-not the duel alone, but ad. this life of roaming and adventure that keeps us apart? Am I not worth a little sacrifice? Is my love not recom pense enough for the loss of your ab solute independence? Listen, dear, I have thought of something; I will riake you independent, I will settle upon you all that I possess. I-" "Faith, and I know ye don't for an instant think I'd dream of accepting that!" "But give it up. What is the world's esteem when you have me to love and honor you?,. Come to me, Ter ence. I neetDL-I need you desper ately. I need the protection of your arm as well as your name. I need my husband!" "I will," he said gently; "sweetheart, I promise ye I will-in ninety days. Give me that respite, give me that time in which to make or break my fortunes. Give me a chance to take the Pool of Flame to Rangoon-nay, meet me there in ninety days. I will come to you as one who has the right to claim his wife; but if I have lo,stw--, still will I come to you, a broken man but your faithful lover-come to you to be healed and comforted. . . . Dear heart of me, give ine this last chance!" With an eldritch shriek and a mighty rushing wind the storm broke over the mainland and a roaring rain came down. Impulsively the Irishman turned off the lights, and, lifting his wife in his arms bore her to an armchair by the window. The storm waned in fury, passed, died in dull distant mutterings. Still she rested in his embrace, her flushed face, wet with tears, pillowed to his cheek, her mouth seeking his. Vague murmurings sounded in the (TO BE CONTINUED.) FoilSALE. 316 acres improvea rarm, six miles rom the railroad. Price $1,500. *160 acres, one mile of Arkadelphlia, improved farm, all cleared, $3,000. 8t6 acres improved farm, two miles of Arkadelphia, $1)500. 560 acres cut over hardwoodland, unimprovea, four miles of Arkadel phia, $4,000. This is all fAne agricul tural land, on easy terms Arkansas Land Company, ARKAN~SAS LAND ,COIPANY, Arkdephia, Ark. T. N. Wilson. 11-28-m. President. IFIRST CLASS REPAIR SHOP. I am running a First Class Repair Shop at 910 West Main Street, New berry, S. C. I repair nearly every thing made of iron or. steel, such as Bicycles, Guns, Locks, Sewing Ma chines, &c. I am also agent for the cerebrated Olds Engines, Corn Shel lers, Feed Grinders, Cream Separa trs, Wood Sawing Outfits and Trac. tion Engines and Ploughs. If you wish an everlasting fence around your yard or cemetery lot, it will pay you to see me,'-as I: am agent , for the Stewart High Grade Iron Fence. Respectfully, J. M.SWINDLER. ANUAL IIEETING OF THE B0A~ID OF HEALTH. The board of health of the town of Newferry will meet in annual session Tuesday, January 2, 1912, at 4 -o'clock p. mn., for the purpose of electing a secretary and h,ealth officer for the Iensuing year, the salary for secretary is ten ($10.00) dollars per month, and - for health officer fifty ($50.00) dollars ner month. All applicants for these Ipositions must send in their applica tion -to the chairman of the board not later than Monday, January 1. S. S. Cunningham, F. D. Mower, M. D. Secr'etary. - Chairman. - Has Millions of Friends. How would you like to number your rends by milions as Bucklenl's Arnica Me dloes? Its astounding cures.in the '~st forty years made them: its the .L a:2 in tne world for sores, ul.