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kyLOUIS JOSEPH VA] COPYRICET9" by LOUI OSEPH SYNC PSIS. CHAPTER I.-Tn' story opens a Monte Carlo with C 1. Terence O'Rourki in his hotel. O'Rou -ke, a military fre, lance and sornethin; of a gambler. i; dressing for appeara:ice in the restauran below when the sou;id of a girlish voic singing attracts his attention.' Leanin out on the balcony he sees a beautifu girl who suddenly disappears. He rushe to the corridor to see a neatly gowne< form enter the elevator and pass fron sight. CHAPTER II.-O'Rourke's mind i flled with thoughts of the girl, and whei he goes to the gaming table he allows hi; remarkable winnings to accumulate in differently. He notices two men watch ing him. One in the Hoa. Bertie Glynn while his companion is Viscount De, Trebes, a noted dueliat. When O'Rourk, leaves the table the viscount tells him h represents the French government an< that he has been directed to O'Rourke a a man who would undertake a secre mission. CHAPTER IIL.-At his room O'Rourke who had agreed to undertake the mission awaits the viscount. O'Rourke finds mysterious letter in his apartment. Thi viscount arrives, hands a sealed packag, to O'Rourke, who is not to open it unti on the ocean. He says the French gov ernment will pay O'Rourke 25,000 franc for his services. A pair of dainty slip pers are seen protruding from under - doorway curtain and the viscount charge O'Rourke with having a spy secreted there. CHAPTER IV.-When the Irishmal goes to his room he finds there the own er of the mysterious feet. It is his wife Beatrix, from whom he had run away ; year previous. They are reconciled. an \opening the letter he had received. he finds that a law firm in Rangoon, Inria offers him 100.000 pounds for an India 4ewel known as the Pool of Flame ant Qft to him by a dying friend. 'O'Rourk tUs his wife that it is in the kep?n; t -friend named Chambret in Algeria. APTER V.-,-O'Rourke is forced t, fI,. a duel with the viscount. The brag -&t nobleman 's worsted in the comba and acts the poltroon. CHAPTER VI.-The loyal wife bid O'Rourke farewell and he promises t soon return with the reward offered fo the Pool of Flame. He discovers bot Glynn and the viscount on board th shiD which takes him to Algeria. CHAPTER VII.LChambret has left Al geria and O'Rourke has to gain a mill tary detachment going across the deser to reach his friend. As he finds the latte there is an attacl by bandits an1 Chambret Is shot. CHAPTER VIII.-Chambret dies tellina O'Rourke that he has left the Pool c Flame with the governor general of Al geria. He gives the colonel a signet rini at the sight of which he says the officia will deliver over the jewel. CHAPTER IX.-O0'Rourke is attacke< by Glynn and the viscount who ransac1 his luggage, but he worsts them In th~ 'conflict. CHAPTER X.-When he arrives at Al geria the Irishman finds the governo general away. He receives a note frox Des Trebes making a mysterious appoi ment. CHAPTER XI.-The viscount tell O'Rourke that he has gained possesslo: of the jewel by stealinr it from the saf of the governor general. He does noi however, know who ha. offered the ri ward for It. He suggests a duel wit: raplers. the victor to get that informatio: and .the .jewel. IHAPTER XII.-In the duel O'Rourt masters his adversary and seures pos session of the Pool of Flame. CHAPTER X1IH. - The efforts c O'Rourke are now directed toward speed tly getting to Ranroon with the Jewi andhe starts by ship. CEAPTEL rN-.-R fnds the emptal: of the vessel to be a smu 1 ~ who tri to steal the jewel from CHAPTER XY.-The jewel Is finally se e ured by the shifb captain ad O'Rourk escapes to land. CH.APTER XVI.-WIth the aid of on Danny and his sweetheart, O'Rourke re covers the Pool of Flame. CHAPTER XVHI. - O'Rourke agal: forms his plans to pursue his joumney t Rangoon. CHAPTER XVIII.-On board ship onc more a mysterious lady appears who puw zies and Interests the Irishman. CHAPTER XIX.-O'Rourke comes up on a lascar about to attack the lady *who is a Mrs. Prynne. He kicks th' man Into the hold. CHAPTER XX.-Mrs. Prynne claim she Is en route for India on a missioi far tu 1. CHAPTER XXI.-The ship captain I2 offered money to increase the speed c the vessel toward Its destination. CHAPTER XXIH.-There are suspicioui occurrences on board, and a lascar seem: to be watching O'Rourke and Mrs Prynne. CHAPTER XXIII.-The woman tells c some one prowling about the cabin an< trying the door of her stateroom. CHAPTER XXIV.-O'Rourke Is at tacked by the lascar, who secures th< Pool of Flame, the captain is shot an: the lascar jumps Into tne sea. CHAPTER XXV. Mrs. Prynne, roused out of her semi stupor by O'Rourke's cry, with som< return of her habitual clearness o: thought, stepped to the companionwa: and called for her maid. O'Rourke passed a hand over his eyes, and brought it away black wit] blood, but was no more than hal: aware of this. Dazed and heart-brok en, he stared blankly round the sham bles that was the deck, then, recover ing slightly, saw Cecie join her mis. tress, and realized that, whatever his personal grief, pain and despair, he must play the jpart of the O'Rourke. So he turned and staggered down inte the saloon. Danny was in his berth, sleeping the childlike and loglike sleep that was ever his. Dravos, below, his ears deaf ened by the mighty chant of his en. gines, had been no more conscious o; the drama on deck than had Danny O'Rourke caught the bc with hand: that gripped his shoulders cruelly, and sehook him awake, then methodically ibooted him up the steps to the deck Once there, Danny came to his prop ler senses and fell with a will to thi ~tasks O'Rourke set for him. With Ce #1il ha lifted the unconscious captaiI left him to the ministrations of mi tress and maid and returned to thro overboard the last corpse, that of tl a lascar whom the serang had set 1 t slay the adventurer from behind. O'Rourke himself proceeded to ti 1 bridge, where he found the helmsms still at the wheel, soberly keeping ti 2 vessel on her course. The circuz stance at the time surprised him; bi s it afterwards was developed by dii 1 of cross-examination of the remaindi - of the crew that the serang had s - cially exempted Quick and Dravc a from the general massaere, they beir I held necessary to the navigation i i the ship. He had likewise put strii t Injuctions on the helmsman not to d sert the wheel, whatever the tide < battle, whether for or against h brethren. The stabbing of Q'-z< L seemed to have been accidental, necessary under circumstances unfor 1 seen. As a matter of fact, the remaind< - of the lascars were thoroughly cowE and proved unbelievably docile for tl I balance of the trip. Thus it was that the voyage of ti Ranee from Aden to Bombay w, pushed through without further fate ity. To the Irishman, however, mu go more than half the credit; for fo ty-eight hours he never left the brids nor once closed his eyes in slumber. e It was not indeed until the Rane on the stroke.of the hour, the eveni: of the fifteenth day of June, walki smartly into Bombay harbor, the i t ternational code signal "NJ" flutte ing from her peak, rounded Colabi s3 and dropped anchor off the point; ni r until Danny and Drgvos, free at leng r1 h from their toil in the broiling engin ' room, came on deck to relieve hir - that O'Rourke collapsed-stumblE down the bridge ladder and lurchF t drunkenly down the saloon compa ionway. His head humming wit sleep, his brain bemused with fatigi Sand pain, his eyes heavy, he brushi by Mrs. Prynne without seeing her< even hearing her low cry of pity at .solicitude; and so entering the fir; stateroom that he came to, threw hir Sself, already asleep, into the berth. e As he did so a loaded revolva dropped from his numb fingers. .. CHAPTER XXVI. It was night when O'Rourke awokt i he found himself staring wide-eyed e the ceiling of the stateroom, upc :which rippled wavering lines of lig! h reflected through the porthole by di D waters without. 'His mind for tU time was a blank; he was merely co: ~scious that he was rested and ye: thirsty, and that the ship was mn I tionless. ,jThen in a bMeding flash memo: returned to him. He rose, curious n light-headed and strangely wea Spushed open the door and stepped i to the saloon. * It was lighted, fit poorly, by a smoli kerosene lamp dependent from a bea: 4 Iabove the center-table, and wore a hc *low, dingy air of desolation for a that Danny slept there, his vivid hea o pillowed on arms crossed before hi: oR the table. The ship was utterlyE a lent, and the O'Rourke's sensitive i: -stinct told him that it was tenante only by himself and the servant. . He clapped a hand on ?-m.ny ashoulder and shook him into wakeft aness. The boy leapt to his feet wit z a cry and, seizing O'Rourke's hand, b gan to sob upon it-a touching bi *disconcerting performance, to the la: degree exasperating to a man thirs I ing and famished. ''O'Rourke, as gently as he could, di engaged his hand and thrust Darn I away, at the same time indicatingi no uncertain tones that he preferre meat and drink to emotional crisi SProvided with a duty, Danny's sent 3 mental nature was diverted; he bus led away and returned with an exce lent cold meal-sandwiches, a salai cheese, and other edibles upon a tra graced likewise by a bottle of char pagne. And you are to believe the Sthe master fell to and wolfed it al to the last crumb and the last dro] A new man, refreshed, he demande a pipe, and, with his head cocked c Qne side and something of bis old h1 Smor twinkling in his eye, what tin it was not clouded with bewildermer Iand concern at the answers he rt ceived, cross-examined his valet. "How long," was his first questio: I"will I have slept now, Danny y divvle?" "Wan complete round av the clocJ yer honor." "Where are we?'' "At anchor, sor, off the Fort in Bor bay harbor." "Umm-hm. I'm by way of remen bering something of that. Whatc the captain?" "Raymoved, yer honor, to a hors< pittle ashore, sor, to can-valesce. A~ Slaste, I'm thinking thot's the wor the doctor used, sor." O'Rourke pulled at his cigar, re garded regretfully the empty glass be fore him, and with some visible reluc -ance nnt the questirn that, more tha aught else, he had wished to put ever since he had eaten. "And Mrs. Prynne?" "Aw, yer honor!" "What's the matter, Danny?" "Sure, sor, and axin' yer pardon for spakin' so, and manin' no manner of disrayspict whatsoever-" "What the divvle, Danny!" Danny dreW himself up with an air, bristling indignation. "Sure, and 'tis meself never seen the loike av thim wimmin for rank ingratichude, sor. And afther all thot meself had said to thot black-eyed Frinch vixen-" "Danny!" "No, sor, not wan word av ut will I widdror, not if yer honor discharges me wid me usual month's notice, sor, this minute. Faix, didn't I see? No s more and the anchor was down, sor, w m.nd yersiif did to the worrld in yer e berth, sor, thin thim two does be after o hailin' a boat and intendin' to go ashore, widout so much as a fare-ye Le well, and me meanin' the most hon "n orable intintions in the world toward te the maid-" a "Have your intentions ever been it aught else toward any woman ye ever it won a smile from, spaipeen?" er "Aw, now, yer honor-" e- "Get on . with your story. What )s about Mrs. Prynne?" demanded 4 O'Rourke, eyeing his servant curiously 1 and trying to fathom his but half-dis ct guised and wholly awkward air of self e- esteem. Plainly the boy thought r highly of himself because of some Is thing he had accomplished, some ex 'k ploit of prowess or stroke of diplo >r macy as yet undisclosed. e "Yissor. . . . I was tellin' ye it seemed to me the height of maneness she was displayin', ma'nin' this same d Mrs. Prynne, whin 'twas mesilf knew, e none betther, how much ye've laid out on her account and. hersilf not e waitin' to settle up wid ye-" Is "What business was that of yours?" Ll-' -t "'Twas none, sor. But yersilf had keeled over and was did to ivrythirg, and what am I for if not to look out e for ye at such times? . . . . So I'm afther sthoppin' thim two just as they would be lavin' their staterooms, 1 and sz'I, 'Missus Prynne,' sziI, 'me masther's compliment, and he'd like a worrd wid yees before y.'r; gone en tirely.' And 'What's this?' sz'she wid a fine show of surprise-the dayceyt h ful huzzy !-though I'm watchin' her e.and thinkin' she was frightened about somethin', from the white turn av the face av her. Sz'she: "Tis in the d divvle's own hurry I am the minute,' or' worrds to the same iffict. Sz'she: h And phwat will he be wantin' av me?' 'A momint's conversation wid ye,' dsz'I. And sz'she: TIve no time. Let me pass.' TIll be doing,' sz'I, 'nawthin' id like thot,' for be now I'm thinkin' st there's somethin' deeper behint her .fluster and flurry thin a mere desire to bilk ye-p'rhaps 'twas this thing in etoo-ishum I've heard ye mintion. And) the next minit I'm sure av ut, for she goes white as snow in the face and the eyes of her begins to burn like cold grazie fire and she screams to Ce cile for help and is afther whipping tout a gun to blow me out av her way wid; but 'tis mesilf thot's be way it av bein' too quick for her andi takin tthe pistol away; and be the mercy av 16 the Saints Misther Dravos hears the nshindy and hop. down just in time to -'snatch another gun out of the hand av o. that same O,alle, and he grabs the )gurl and turns her into a stateroom .and shuts the dura on her and-" Ly "And," interrupted O'Rourke In s. kblack rage, rising and tu.rning back his a sleeves-"And now I'm going to give Iye the father and mother of all :thrashings, yo Insolent puppy! How in dare ye lay hands on a lady--" 1. "Ow, murther!" chattered the boy, .1 leaping away. "Be aisy, yer honor, td and hear me out, for 'tis thin ye'll not ml be blamin' me, but if ye do I'll take dthe batin' widout a worrd, sor." -"Very well," assented O'Rourke om iinously. "But be quick about it, for I'm mistrustful of ye altogether. Get 'sI on, ye whelp!" 11' Danny placed the table between :h them with considerable expedition. e"Aw, listhen now," he pleaded. "While it Misther Dravos was 'tendin' to Cecile, st1 this Missis Prynne was scrappin' like ta wildcat, scratching and bitin', and 'tis all I can do to kape her .by wrap s- pin' me arms tight about her and hold in' her so, and I'm makin' a grab at n! her waist whin be accident like what ddo I catch hold av but something un s. dernathe as big as a hin's egg-a l' stone she's carryin' round her neck, t the same as yer honor did wid the 1Pool as Flame; and be the feel av ut. dut's the same entirely; and thin I'm 7sure 'tis the same and thot some scul Sduggery's be way av havin' been put t upon ye." ~, "What the dlvvle!" P- "Wan momint more. . .. No'w din fightin' wid me the collar av her n (waist has come unfastened and me l' self can see the string av ribbon that's .e hiolding the thing there. So I sez tc it mesilf, sz'I, ''Tis strange enough tcI 3- bear investigatin',' sz'I, 'an' I'll be takin' a chanst at this if the masther la do be afther flayin' me alive. So I -e calls Misther Dravos and gets him to hould her fast yhile I takes out me a' knife and cuts Cot ribbon and pulls the thing out widout any immodesty 1whatever; and there on thot ribbon Is l'a chamois-case, all sewed up, and I'm rippin' it open an' finding-this!" "God in Heaven!" cried O'Rourke, Sstupefied and agape; for Danny, hay ing worked up to his climax, had dra-1 m'iatically whipped from his pocket andt cast upon the table between them the SPool of Flame. He looked up, blind to the glee and Striumph in Danny's face. S"How did ye come be this?" he de m ianded, speaking slowly and steadily, as one who, having drunk more than ennnugh, listens tn his own enunciation to d"tect in it the slur that liqt brings. "I mean-I mean-how coi ye have taken this from the wom: when it lay all the time at the bottc of the sea-six hundred 'miles a more behind us?" "Ask Misther Dravos if ye do I beldte me, sor. How would I be b, in' it at all, widout I got it like I' told ye? . . . 'Tis the real Pool Flame ye're handlin'; that's su T'other one--the stone the sera flung into the say, sor, was a count fnit." "How do ye know that?" 'Aisly enough, yer honor; be putt the maid Cecile on the witness star 'Twas this way: I tuk the stone fr( Missus Prynne and Misther Drav and mesilf lccked her in her cab Thin aftber talkin' things over we : Cecile out and be dint av threats a persuashians, got her to tell what s knew." "Go o.i." "She sez thot Frinchman ye k back there in Algiers, sor, is at t bottom av it all, only he's not did 1 cause ye didn't make a clane job ut, but lift him wid the laste susph ion av the breath av life in the bo av him." "I was afraid of that," nodd O'Rourke. "The next time we me Des Trebes and I, there'll be no m take about it." "She sez thot befure he fought w ye he'd taken measuremints av t stone and made a wax mould av 1 "God in Heaven!" Cried O'Rourk( so thot whin he failed to kill yers and had got his strength back, he. wi to ars nd adnimiasuna cah Tin-thy'v bee Owatch Ca'sHoot faied to kill thes andy had gthes dostt bck, e. n stnefgther esaed from thet IPela 'Twaos axisore an' hmae tih upa atohey,s he akes dayivers Pthnest to partinhi and he mip cshn intheyarain hee wnstn' yeackl all the tPool asFlamey an h heCan' Hole ote to ruby the sto away and he stoe Soitwa liee k Athner ye escapedmfrom thet salc heigoes andhthe and mesouhe ao ther hoel and theysames the sra atherom getnghsoa. adth" tho becautsee. kBut ye'w butom afraidg? yeafrdid Ce1 il him t "he culn't noeacoubto yeim all, war, hae stot Soebbea the nati1 intoangoonthadfromehim tot wind nthe fact thate sone wogabom back and. an gang amthe seou stale ut.m She."sMsusPyn erShe acount aort for thim acoverd sae hdot, bbe the seem to knon prett coehowi gueor, n th all tat ftt,tande'was o ema bak thnt ah geang go thet mits eru 'ht abcout Dteswa Tes d thermad sad" btteyse "No'l re thynihe'd boteed yef Pris, so." "And what 'ev ye done with the t' of them, Mrs. Prynne and the mai Are they still locked up safely?" "Divvle a bit, yer honor. 'Twas I possible to kape them so, Dravos sa wid Missus Prynne threatening to y bloody murther out av the poort a kick up such a row thot the authc ties wud be down on us-If we did let her go. Besides, we'd got what wanted out av her, and pwhat-was t use av holdin' her anny longer?" "So ye let them go?" "Yissor." "I could kill ye for it," se O'Rourke, "and Dravos, too; I there's a deal of matters I'd like be inquiring into with the lady ti blessed minute. But, Danny b( there's nothing in the world I ca: forgive ye now, for what ye've do for me, and 'twill be a strange thi if I don't serve ye handsomely wh I come into a fortune. . ~. . NC don't be standin' there like a ninz but be off with ye and pack me thin before I lift me hand to ye. 'Tis haste we arewith Des Trebes all and Mrs. Prynne on the loose; al there'll be no such thing as rest f either of us until we reach Rangoor CHAPTER XXVii. "Danny . . ." said O'Rour: without looking up from the occui tion which had engrossed his atte tion for the last three hours; and f the first time in that period he spo] audibly, making an end to the mui bled confabulation he had been ho] tg with himself . Murrv's Guide, or Bradshaw, an Indian railway guide, id several steamship folders and a large an colored map of the Indian empire. >m "What day's this day, Danny?" I nd Danny thought laboriously. "'Twas this morn' we lift th' Ranee, sor? E Lot . . . Thin yestiddy was Wednes iv- day." ve "And today Thursday, be logical of progress of reasoning, eh?" re. "Aw, yiss, sor." ng "And what's the time?" er- Danny consulted O'Rourke's watch ' on the bureau. "A quarter av twilve." "Then bestir yourself, ye lazy good in' for-nothing, and pack up me things." 1 Ld. "Aw!" cried Danny, expcstulant. m "Our train' leaves at two. Ye have t os an hour and a half." ' in. "Aw, but yer honor, is ut no ALst at < et all we'll iver be havin' ?" t ad "Ye can rest on the train," said b.e O'Rourke. "I've just ten days left in which to reach Rangcon, where I've an! appointment to keep with a lady, Dan ilt ny, to wit, Madame O'Rourke. D'ye i be mind her, and do ye blame me, Dan- 1 av Danny became suddenly extraordin- t ie- arily busy. "Why did ye not say as :y much to begin with, yer honor?" he complained. "As if I wouldn't work I ed me hands to the stumps av ,t, thim. . . . [s- "'Tis now Thursday noon," con tinued O'Rourke thoughtfully. "The id two o'clock train's scheduled to ' .. de us in Calcutta at ten Saturday night. it, At eight Sunday morning a steamer E [eaves Diamond Harbor for Rangoon, M_ scheduled for a fair-weather passage a of three days. That'll leave us a lit.. t tle leeway, barring accidents. But we've no time to waste." "But how'll we be catching thot f steamer at Di'mind Harbor, sor? How far's that from Calcutta, now, an' will there be thrains at that hour av the night?" "That's to be dealt with as it turns up, Danny. There's only forty miles f between the two places, and if there's no train, we'll charter a motor-car or a boat down the Hughli. . . ." The latter expedient O'Rourke final ly adopted, although he could have af forded a comfortable night in a ho tel at Calcutta, had he deemed it wise. But in the fifty-six hours of unmitigat ed sweltering that he and Danny en dured in their flight across India he had leisure to think matters over very i carefully, with the result that, all 1 things considered, he felt justified in C assuming the world to be in league against him and in shaping his course accordingly. Therefore it were un- l II wise to permit himself to be seen and I nt recognized in Calcutta, or even to lin ut ger on the soil of India an instant 4 pe longer than absolutely necessary. e. Within an hour, then, of his arrival t or at Howrah, he had, by dint of per n-sistence and rupees, succeeded in hir-< tie ing a launch to take him from the ter- 4 L' Iminus by water to the steamer at Dia-1 te mond harbor--1 w. CHAPTER XXVIlI. 17 At a small hour of the morning they 1 a made Diamond Harbor in pitch dark- I a- ness and' without misadventure were < DII successful in causing themselves to be'< Wn transhipped, bag and baggage, to the1 I' twinscrew stea.mship Poonah, which if i'essel rode at anchor in midstream. 1 ke Toward eight o'clock of the white-. ed hot forenoon that followed, O'Rourke, i ne in the shadow of a long-boat on the i rd Poonah's promenade deck, stood fin- 1 ma ishing a matutinal cigar and watching n.arrowly a tender ferry out, a final e boatload of passengers from the east 7 ern river bank. Slowly the tender forged toward the at steamer's 5id0; and as it drew near, es ORourk. forgot to smoke and bent mi over the rail to inspect with unremit I' ting interest those upon Its decks. to The forward deck of the tender held v- his regard but briefly; those who is- waited there, eyeing impassively the ed towering flanks of the liner, were one or and all of the east, of races, creeds at and types too numerous to catalogue. 4 These the adventurer might not read, Lii save individually upon personal con tact. If trouble was to come from uid them, collectively or individually, he would not know until the blow had in fallen. On the other hand, he might be able to hazard shrewd surmises as wto the potential animus inherent in d i any one of the Europeans who wer .to be his fellow passengers. r m-* The latter were a mere handful; id, half a dozen commercial travelers 9E from London, Paris, Berlin, their av nd cations evident beyond dispute; a sal ri- low English missionary with his with-: i'1 ered wife, sombre figures in the stark n sunlight, a red-faced deputy-sub-some he thing-or-other of the Indian govern ment, complacent in white drill and new pith helmet with a gay puggaree; a lone English girl, and a Frenchman. Ii The two latter held the Irishman's or! attention; the girl because, even at a Ie distance, her slim white-clad figure ti! and well-poised head seemed singu ylarly fresh and attractive; the man' i't because-well, because O'Rourke was~ asusceptible to premonitions. 1g He was a tall man and broad, the as Frenchman-well-made, well-groomed, iw carrying himself with an indefinable yair of distinction. His face was rath-1 gi or pale jand therefore notable in that i1 - concourse of dark skins), its features Fe strongly modeled, the mouth and chin 14 masked by a neatly trimmed and~ D pointed beard and mustache.I .'O'Rourke could not have said that! he had ever seen the man before; yet~ there was this and that about him' which struck a spark of reminiscencef M from his memory. A suspicion flashed a through his mind which he put aiside n. with disdain, as absurd and far-fetch ) ed. On the other hand. . . . He CE knit his brows in- puzzlement. n The very fixity of his regard drew dthe eyes of its object upwards. They S m n %nvr:1eu, n.Qwri:g cJr' m ':hich there was not to he deected he least hint of reccgnition, and >assed onward casually, indifferently, gnoring the impertinence. The tender's passengers began to mumble up the gang-plank to a lower icck of the liner; and O'Rourke, with sober face, went below, taking some :are to avoid contact with the incom rg crc--. He found Danny was in his state -oon, engaged with some details of -erair to the adventurer's wardrobe. O'Rourke remained for a brief space tanding in the middle of the cabin, risibly abstracted. Then abruptly ome whimsical consideration seemed o resolve his dubiety-as lightning vill clear sultry, brooding air; a smile leepened the corners of his mouth, he flicker in his eye merged magically nto a twinkle, the shrug of his broad houlders conveyed an impression of asting care to the winds. "Danny, lad," he remarked reflect vely, throwing himself ungracefully ipon the cushioned transom opposite o his berth. "Danny, ye wouldn't lie o me, would ye now?" "Aw-w!" reproved Danny. "Shure, ,er honor knows ut isn't in me at all." knd to himself; "Phat the divvle tow?" "Then tell me, Danny, truthfully; lid ye ever see a ghost?" "Aw-w!"-seeing cause to take the iuery as a jdke. "A ghost that had grown a beard ince it had become a ghost, Danny?" "Aw-aw-w!"-still willing to be mused, if "himself" chose to be face ious. "Because," continued O'Rourke with slight frown, "I have, and that not ive minutes since." I "Aw?" "Wance I ieft a man for dead, Dan ty, with a clean sword-thrust through he body of him-a misbegotten black ,uard he was; but I killed him in fair ight, sword to sword, and no fa ,or. . . . And this bright and eautiful morning, lo and behold ye! vho should come tripping up the gang dank but his ghost, as lively as ye lease, and with a neat new beard!" "Aw-w?"-incredulously. O'Rourke frowned impatiently. "Des 'rebes," he explained. "Stop it, ye parrot! Stop it, I say! ave ye no word In' the dark lexicon f your ignorance other than 'Aw-aw'? let up, ye omadhaun, and take me re pects to the purser and "ask him >lease will he show ye the passen er-list." The valet left with circumspect ala rity. Alone, O'Rourke rose and turned houghtfully to a revolver that made conspicuous black spot on the white ~ounterpane of the berth, with nerv us, strong fingers unlimbering .the eapon and taking account of the rass dials of the cartridges that ~estled -snug in its six-chambered ~ylinder. The machine was in perfect ~ondition; O'Rourke snapped the >reech shut and thrust it in his pock ~t. Then he sat down to think, sub ~onsciously aware from noises with >ut that the tender had swung df aind he anchor was being tripped. 'I Could the resemblance b a aceiden al? It seemed hardly possible. The es Trebes he had known had been a ;ype distinct, so clear and aloof from he general Frenchman that not een he addition of a beard to his phyuier iomy could have proven a thorough lisguise. And it seemed reasoable mough to assume that, Mrs. Pyans laing failed in her undertaking, Des1 d II 3'Rourke Could Not Have Said Thai He Had Ever Seen the Man Before. Irebes would resume his office as ao. ive head of their conspiracy. If iit were indeed he whom O'Rourke had4 ust seen, there was every chance im iginable that the final chapter in the istory of the Irishman's connectiomn, ith the Pool of Flame would provej m eventful one. "Maybe not," admitted O'Rourk~ 'maybe I deceive meself. But Frm ersuaded I'll do well to keep both me yes open until the day I'm rid of the lamned thing!" At this functure Danny's knock toot dm to the door. "Mongsere Raoul de Ryeres," announced the valet breah.' essly: "'tis thot the purser says hia iame is, yer honour." "Yes," assented O'Rourke dubon y. "But perhaps the purser's mists, en-misinformed." S(TO BE CONINUED.) WHICH STRSB PILLS PIs in Red and Gold cf1W bxes, sedled with Blue Ribboa. Et 5 - r's t.e . B.sfetA7 ReHardV