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YLAM 1 FS WOUIS y JIJOSEPHlVAM ILLUSTRATTONSB-Y CPRICHT 1909 6LOlf 1001 OSPH SYNC PSIS. CHAPTER I.-TI:! story opens at :Monte Carlo with Ct 1. Terence O'Rourke in his hotel. O'Rou -ke, a mnilitary free lance and somethin; of a gambler. is dressing for appearance in the restaurant below when the sound of a girlish voice -singing attracts his attention. Leaning out on the balcony he sees a beautiful ..girl who suddenly disappears. He rushes to the corridor to see a neatly gowned -form -enter 'the elevator and pass from 'ight. CHAPTER II.-O'Rourke's mind Is filled with thoughts of the girl, and when he goes to the gaming table he allows his remarkable winnings to accumulate it differently. 'He notices two .men watch ing him. One is the Hon. Bertie Glynn, while his companion is Viscount Des Trebes, a noted duelist. When O'Rourke .leavey -the table the viscount tells him he represents the French government and that -he has been directed to O'Rourke as .a man who would undertake a secret -mission. CHAPTER III.-At his room O'Rourke, who had agreed to undertake the mission. awaits the viscount. O'Rourke 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 pers are seen protruding from under a doorway curtain and the viscount charges -O'Rourke with -having a spy secreted -there. CHAPTER IV.-When the Irishmar .goes -to his room he finds there the owxn er of the mysterious feet. It is his wife, -Beatrix, from whom he had, run away a -year previous. They are reconciled. and opening the letter he had received. he -finds that a law firm in Rangoon, India, offers him 100.000 pounds for an Tndian jewel known as the Pool of Flame and 'left to him by a dying friend. O'Rourke tells his wife that it is in the keeping of a friend named Chambret in Algeria. CHAPTER V.--O'Rourke is forced to -tgh a duel with'the viscount. The -brag '-gart 'nobleman is worsted in the combat and acts the poltroon. CHAPTER VI.-The loyal wife bids O'Rourke farewell and he prpmises to soon return with the reward offered for the Pool of Flame. He discovers both Gh-nn and the viscoun' on board the -shin which takes him tc Algeria. CiAPTER VII.-Chambret has left Al geria and O'Rourke has t', gain a mili tary detachment going acr ,ss the desert -to reach his friend. As he finds the latter - there is an attack by :-andlts and Chambret is shot. CHAPTER VIII.-Chambret dies telling O'Rourke that he has left t: e Pool of *Flame with the governor general of Al -geria. He gives the colonel a si.<met ring at the sight of which he says the official -will deliver over 'the jewel. C A PTER IX.-O'Rourke is at-acked -by -Glynn and the viscount who rr.'sacki his hi-gage, but he worsts them 6': the -confirt. CrRAJTER X.-Vhen he arrives at Al geria the Irishman 'finds the gov--rnor -gen eral away. He receives a note fromr 'Ves Trebes making a mysterious ap)oint -ment CHAPTER .XI.-The viscount tells -O'Rourke that he has gained possessiot -of the jewel -by stealing it from the safe -of the governor general. He does "ot, -however, 'know who has offered the re -ward for -it. He suggests a duel with -rapiers. the victor -to get that informatior sand -the .jewel. 'CHAPTER XIT.--In the duel O'Rourke -masters his adversary and secures pos wsession o-f -the 'Pool of Flame. CHAPTER XHII. - The efforts of O'Rourke are -now directed toward speed -ily getting -to Rane'non with the jewel anghe starts_by ship. -CHAPTER TIV.-Ne finds -the captaih - of the vessel to be a smuggler who tries 'to steal the jewel1 from him. CHAPTER XV.--The jewel is finally se .eured by the shifs captai-n and O'Rourke -escapes to land. CHAPTER XVI.-With the -aid of one D)an<y -a-nd his sweetheart, -O'Rourke re covers the Pool of Flame. CHAPTER XVII. - -O'-Rourke agaft forms his plans to pursue his journey te Rangoon. CHAPTER XVIII.-On board ship once more a mysterious lady appears who pur ales and interests the Irishman. CHAPTER XIX.-O'Rourke comes up on a lasdar about to attack the lady, --who is a Mrs. Prynne. He kicks the man into the hold. CHAPTER XX.-Mrs. Prynne claims she is en route for India on a mission for tu ' CHAPTER XXI.-The ship captain is offered money to increase the speed ol the vessel toward its destination. CHAPTER XXII.-There are suspicious occurrences on board, and a lascar seems to be watching O'Rourke and Mrs. Prynne. ~CHAPTER XXIII.-The woman tells 01 some one prowling about the cabin and trying the door of her stateroom. CHAPTER XXI V.-O'Rourke is at tacked by the lascar, who secures the Pool of Flame. the captain is shot and the lascar jumps Into the sea. 'bNAPTER XXV.-Tlie ship arrives in port, and O'Rourke learns that Mrs Prynne has preceded him ashore. CHAPTER XXVI. - Danny hanan O'Rourke the Poo! of Flame which he has stolen from Mrs. Prynne. It is the real jewel, the one lost at sea being a counterfeit. CHAPTER XXVII.-O'Poi. ke goes to Calcutta determining to gu~ rid of the jewel and out of the country. CHAPTER XXVIII.-He discovers Des Trebes disguised and now knows that Mrs. Prynne was an accomplice of the nobleman. CHAPTER XXTX.-Finally he gets to the lawyer who has offered the reward. CHAPTER XXX.--He delivers the jewel and the lawyer pays over the money. CHAPTER XXXI.-Going to the rest dence off t- lawyer on invitation. O'Rourke finds him murdered. CHAPTER XXXII.-Dcs Trebes, who was probably attacked by the mn who robbed the lawyer of the jewel, is Courd dying. ' Without delay, then, the Irishman grasped the man beneath the armpits. and, lifting him bodily to the veranda. dragged him into the library. Not un til he placed him in the middle of the floor, beneath the blare of the lamp light, did O'Rourke have an oppor tunity to observe his features. But -now as he dropped to his knees beside the body, his wondering cry testified to immediate recognition. -Th'e latest name to be inscribed on the long and blood-stained death-roll of the Pool f Flame was that of PauJ Maurice. Vicomte des TrebeS: or. if there were life enough left in the man to enable him to insist upon his nom de guerre (the w,-nderer reflected grimly) Raoul de liYr-:e. "What next?" we tdi O'Rourke. "What can the mt:ni-:g of it all be With each development the mystery was as;uming more fantastic propor tions, becoming still more impene trable and unsolvable. But he had no leisure in which to ponder it now, if Des Trebes were to be r,'tored. And O'Rcurke worked over the man as tenderly as though they had been life long friends, with skillful fingers es timating th- nature ana extent of his wounds, with sound knowledge of rough and -ready surgery doing all that could be done to -bring him back to consciousness. At last Des Trebes sighed feebly; a spot of color, febrile, fickle, evanes cent, dyed his cheeks; his breath rat tied harshly in his gullet; his eyelids twitched and opened wide. He glared. blankly at. the face above. "Des Trebes!" cried O'Rourke. "Des Trebes!" His voice quickened the intelligence of that moribund brain. A flash of recognition lighted the staring eyes. The lips moved without sound. "Des Trebes!" "Ah, yes . . the Irish man . ." The whisper was barely articulate O'Rourke put to his lips a cup of brandy diluted with a little water. !Drink," he pleaded, "and try to tell me what's happened to ye. Who gave. ye these wounds? Try to speak." "But . . . no . . . I shall not teil." "But-good God, man! ye've been murdered!" The white lips moved again; the adventurer bent his ear low to them. ' ."We . . . have both . . . lost ...but you ... your wife . "My wife!" In a frenzy O'Rourke resumed his efforts to strengthen the dying man with spirits and water, but D.es Tre bes, with a final effort, obstinately shut his teeth, moving his head im-. perceptibly from side to side in toker of his stubborn refusal. So he died, implacable. In death the chiselled features remained set in a smile sardonic and triumphant' Dying, he gave no comfort to his foe. . . For a little time longer O'Rourke knelt at Des Trebes' side, watching and wondering. Eventually he sighed* Iheavily, shook his head, shrugged his 'shoulders and rose. And, rising, he: perceived for the first time that he was no longer alone with the dead in tha.t place. Kneeling in silence by the vicomte's side he had till then been hidden from the inner doorway to the room by the drapery of the center table. And evi dently it was this circumstance which had emboldened a man to slip in froir the main hall and approach Sypher's desk at the back of the room. As O'Rourke appeared he was con scious first of something moving ir the room-a movement caught vaguely Ifrom the corner of his eyes. Then he heard a stifled cry of fright. He had already his revolver in his hand, so in stant had been the obedience of his brain and body to the admonition o1 instinct. He swung about with the weapon poised, crying: "Stop!" The other man was apparently tr'ying to escape by the door to the bail, but was much too far from it to escape the threat ened bullet. A jet of fire spurted from Ihis hand. O'Rourke heard a crash Iand clatter of broken window-glass be Ibind him. Without delay or conscious Iaim he fired and saw, still indistinctly through pungent wreaths of smoke. the figure reel and collapse upon* itself. The man had hardly fallen ere IO'Rourke stood over him, with a foot firm upon one arm, while he bent and wrenched a revclver from relaxing fin gers. Then, stepping back, he took stock of the murderous-minded in Itruder, and saw at his feet, writhing.! coughing and spitting, a Chinese coolie-a type of the lowest class, his face a set yellow .mask, stolid, un emotional, brutalized. Even then it betrayed little feeling; only the slant set black eyes burr.ed with unquench able hatred as they glared up at the conqueror.... .. ORourke's bullet had penetrated the man's chest; and as he squirmed and groaned througt his sharpened teeth of a rat, a crim son stain spread on the bosom of his Icoarse white blouse. been added to the mystery with nc effect other than to render it more opaque and dense than before. The telephone, its raucous voice now long since stilled, came into his mind, and he was minded to leave the room and find it, to summon aid. Before he could move, however, a Ifootfall on the veranda startled him, and his ears were ringing with a com mand couched in terse, curt English: CHAPTER XXXIII. to --: th A man stood in one of the windows, . te his figure conspicuous against the hi nig:t cool white linen of a semi- re m:ita:-; cut, his extended right hand gc tr.in'::g a levolver on the Irishman's m hc.:. C< "Faith!" cried O'Rourke with genu- W inc re~ief, "you're more welcome than ui a owfall in Hades. Good evening to ye, and many of them." c2 "MTHa.?.s up!" ii] "With all the pleasure in the world." a O'I:ourke elevated his hands. "I've w two revolvers on inc person," he vol- m 'rered amiably; "Lefore ye go any in -r'her ye'l! be wanting to take 'em' ai ny from me, I'm not doubting." "~:o:u what I see. I quite believe I " '-. 1."agreed the Englishman. with- s< E'a rig his unprejudiced attitude. r2 .el nts, keep your hands where 01 r the time being. . . . f e this mean?" m "Teli me yourself and I'll make ye bi a handsome present," returned the k O'Rourke composedly. "I've been ad dling me wits over it for the last ti thirty minutes, but neither rhyme nor reason can I read into it. But, see now: would ye mind relieving me of the arsenal I've been telling ye about, that I may rest me arms without fear of being punctured?" The other laughed shortly and en- p tered the room---a clean-limbed, p sturdy, well set-up boy of four or five and-twenty, or thereabouts. He pos sessed, aside from an emphatic and capable manner. good looks enhanced by a wide good-humored mouth. "You might help me out a bit, you know," said the boy briskly. "You've a been so free with your information that I don't doubt you will place me still further under obligation to you by turning your back and depositing our weapons on that table. Of course. [ needn't bore you. by remarks upon :he folly of false moves." "'Twould be quite superfluous," re plied O'Rourke, obeying with a fair -nd easy grace. "There now. What else may be your pleasure?" "Move back three paces and stand Atill." a "Right-O, me lord." O'Rourke executed the prescribed evolution and, at rest, heard footsteps . behind him; a thought later he felt 13 the Englishman's hands rapidly going .t - '> tl> /A [aced him.c -"Ynood apparey old the Windows thus far," he said. "Now what'dyou I know about this?" He waved a hand round the room. "Be careful whatr you say. I may as well. inform you! ['in Couch, lieutenant sub-chief of police for this district." "Saint Patrick would be no more svecome," declared O'Rourke. "I was an the point of trying to get' ye by telephone when ye saved me the trou ble. How the divvle did ye happen to drop in so opportunely?" "I was coming up-stream in the po ice launch, on the night tour of in spection, and stopped at the landing just below this-the grounds here run :lown to the river, you know-to tele phone back to headquarters on busi ess. The exchange operator suggest id I look in here and see if everything was all right-said he'd been unable to get any response since nightfall. . .Now?" Carefully and concisely O'Rourke wove the events of the day into a traight narrative, starting with the lelivery to Sypher of the Pool of Flame, touching briefly upon Des Tre bes' part-so far as he understood it -and concluding with the death of the coolie. The sub-chief of police eyed him throughout with gravely concentrated interest, nodding his anderstanding. "I see," he said slowly. "You make t clear enough. Moreover, you've ~onvinced me. I didn't really believe rom the first you'd had any hand in this ghastly mess, but I -couldn't take 3hances, of course. You're at liberty to take up these pistols as soon as 9ou please; in fact, I advise you to do o immediately. From what's taken place already, you may have need of 'em within the next ten seconds... .Now for this coo.lie. If he's able to speak, I'll get some information out of "'Tis too far gone he is, I'm fear ing." "We'll soon find out." The English man bent over the man, who was now iery quiet, but, by the constant flick-: er of his cunning eyes, still conscious. A hasty 'examination told the investi gator all he needed to know about the nature of the wound. "He'll not last Long," said Lieutenant Couch, and be gan to converse with the local ver nacular of Pidgir-English, about one word in ten of whicn wna intelligible O'Rourke. As he continued to speak e coolie's scowl darkened and he in rrupted with a negative motion of s head. The sub-chief repeated his marks with emphasis. For reply he >t a monosyllable that sounded, as uch as anything else, like an oath. >uch looked up. "He says he wants ater, and I suspect he won't speak itil he gets it. Can you-?" O'Rourke fetched the half-empty Lrafe and Couch put it to the coolie's ps, permitting him to drink as much he liked. But as soon as the bottle . as removed the fellow shut his outh like a trap and refused a word answer to the lieutenant's demands 2d persuasions. "Stubborn brute." growled Couch. Vfost of these animals here belong to me devlish tong or other, and they'd tther die than say anything touching i the business of the society or af .cting the interests of a brother ember. But I think I know a way tcf ring him to reason. Hand me that aife. please." Wondering, O'Rourke tendered him te weapon that had brought death to ypher. The lieutenant wiped it cal usly on a corner of the coolie's louse and held the keen shining Lade before his eyes, accompanying te action with a few emphatic rases. A curious expression. com >unded of sullen fury and abject pan fright, showed in the Chinaman's Ves, and his lips were as if by magic asealed. However reluctant, he be in to chatter and spoke at length. elivering himself of a long state ent which Couch punctured now and gain with pertinent, leading ques ons. At length, throwing aside the knife, 3 jumped up, strong excitement burn ig in his eyes. "I've got enough from im," he said rapidly. "I'll explain Lter. You'll help-of course; your ife's involved as well as Miss Pyn ?nt. But I don't think you need fear; e'l1 be in time. Are you ready? . . Half a minute; I've got to use iat telephone." He ran out into the hall, rang up ad shouted a number into the re iver, and for a few moments spoke ipidly in a Burmese dialect. 'Rourke gathered that he was speak kg with a native subordinate at the lice headquarters in Rangoon. Couch swung back into the study. .ot those revolvers, sir? Then come Long; we'll have to run for it. For inately our launch is handy; other -ise . . ." He sprang across the veranda and own to the lawn, O'Rourke pelting Eter him. S(TO BE_CONTINUED.) (OTICE OF ASSIGNM1ENT AN~D MEETING OF CREDITORS. Notice is hereby given that Mrs. mna V. Hair, on February 14th, 12, made an assignment to me for t benefit of her creditors. There ill be a meeting of the creditors of te said party In my o2ffice on Friday, ebruary 23rd, 1912. at 11 o'clock a. .., -for the purpose of electing an gent for creditors and transacting fly other business that may properli ome he,fore said mTeeting. . J. E. Hunter, Ls M:1guee of Mr3. Eramia V. Hair. -16-2t. asthma! Asthma! OPHAM'S ASTHMA REMEDY Lves instant relief and an absolute cure all cases of Asthma. Bronchitis. and [ay Fever. 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