MePOOh by LOUIS JOSEPH jjsjilßl SYNOPSIS. The story opens at Monte Carlo with Col. Terence O'Rourke, a military free lance and something of a gambler, In his hotel. Leaning on the balcony he sees a beautiful girl who suddenly enters the elevator and passes from sight. At the gaming table O'Rourke notices two men watching him. One is the Hon. Bertie Glynn, while his companion Is Viscount lies Trebes, a duelist. The viscount tells him the French government has directed him to O'Rourke as a man who would undertake a secret mission. At his apart ment, O'Rourke, who had agreed to un dertake the mission, finds a mysterious letter. The viscount arrives, hands a sealed package to O'Rourke, who is not to open it until on the ocean. A pair of dainty slippers are seen protruding from under a doorway curtain. The Irishman flnrls the owner of the mysterious feet to be his wife, Beatrix, from whom he had run away a year previous. They are reconciled, and opening the letter he finds that a Rangoon law firm offers him 10i),000 pounds for a Jewel known as the Pool of Flame and left to him by a dy ing friend, but now In keeping of one named Chambret In Algeria. O'Rourke worsts the nobleman in a duel. The wife lids O'Rourke farewell and lie promises o soon return with the reward. He dls ovefs both Glynn and the viscount on oard the ship. As he finds Chambret lere is an attack by bandits and his ritnd dies telling O'Rourke that he has eft the Pool of Flame with the governor general, who at sight of a signet ring given the colonel will deliver over the Jewel. Arriving at Algeria the Irishman finds the governor general away. Des Trebes makes a mysterious appointment, and tells O'Rourke that he has gained possession of the Jewel by stealing It. In a duel O'Rourke masters the viscount, secures possession of the Pool of Flame and slurts by ship for Rangoon. He finds the captain to be a smuggler who tries to steal the Jewel. It is finally secured by the captain and O'Rourke escapes to land. With the aid of one Danny and his sweetheart, O'Rourke recovers the Pool of Flame. On board ship once more, bound for Rangoon, a mysterious lady appears. O'Rourke comes upon a lascar about to attack the lady, who Is a Mrs. Prynne, and kicks the man Into the hold. Mrs. Prynne claims she Is en route for Indiana on a mission for the king. O'Rourke is attacked by the lascar. CHAPTER XXlV.—(Continued.) She came directly to the adventurer, ■without so much as a glance for the group of lascars or the grim evidences of tragedy upon the deck. O'Rourke shut his teeth with exasperation. Whatever he decided to telieve of the Berang, whether his judgment said of the man, "Guilty," or "Not Guilty," he dared risk nothing with the woman present. He could not tell what hell of murder and mutiny he might not let loose upon the Ranee, did he make one ill-advised or hasty move. Alone, be could have faced the situation with equanimity; with the woman by his side, he felt as though handcuffed. "You are hurt. Colonel O'Rourke?" "A mere scratch, madam—an inch of skin shaved off me arm. Be good enough to return to the saloon, waken Danny and send him to me." She ignored the curtness of his tone, even as she ignored his wish. "What has happened?" she demanded, rang ing herself by his side. "Who is that —there on the deck?" »Her voice ris ing a note, foreboded hysteria. "Quick —stabbed. I didn't want ye to see. A lascar ran amok, cut down the captain, was killed himself—kind ness," the irrepressible humorist broke out," of our little brown brother, the serang." His eyes never left the latter; not an instant did he take his attention from the cluster of dark figures; he was more than every ready to defend himself should they make any overt move, deeming his attention distract ed. "What will you do?" "How can I say? Do ye, for the love of God, get below and leave me to deal with these fiends in me own fashion." "Which," she returned equably, "is precisely what I shall not do." "If that's the case," he said brus quely, "have the kindness .o hand me the revolver by the captain's side, and —ye might see if the poor fellow still lives." He heard a quick rustle of skirts and the woman's hand closed over his, pressing into his palm the weapon he had desired. As promptly, without further words, she turned to Quick. The adventurer deliberated briefly, whiltj she bent over the captain, mak ing a hurried examination. "He is badly wounded," O'Rourke heard her say, as he arrived at his decision, "but not dead." "Praise God for that! ... I must ask ye, madam, to back me up. It is necessary to clear the decks. Are ye ready?" He saw, out of the tail of his eye, that she had sprung to her feet. "Now, ye curs," he thundered, with a menacing pistol in either hand, "get forward, the lot of ye. Move, ye blackguards!" They went expeditiously, crowding between the deck-house and the rail, huddling together as if for mutual pro tection. The serang was the last to move, and went reluctantly, or seemed to. Yet that was no time to judge him for a miuor fault. O'llourke herded the pack before him, watched them Kcifunble down the ladder to the fore- Aeck. fchea backed to the spot where the woman stood above the captain. His arm was paining him somewhat, with the irritating, slinging ache that such wounds produce, and he thrust one revolver into his pocket, clasping a hand above the hurt. In a flash realization of his loss came to him; he clutched the rail with a cry. The Pool of Flame, his sacred trust, was gone! His eyes searched the deck wildly, but found no trace of the round leather bag with Its preci ous burden. Despair gripped dis heart in a clutch of Ice, and for a space the ship reeled about him. . . . He found himself gazing blankly In to the woman's solicitous eyes. "What is it? What Is it?" he heard her voice repeating breathlessly. He knew that his own lips moved for some seconds without sound as he strove to answer her. The words, when they came, should have been quite unintelligible to her; he realized this almost as soon as he had uttered them: "The Pool of Flame!" Then he stumbled forward, crying aloud for the serang. Half-way to the ladder he halted; that individual's head and shoulders were lifting above the level of the deck. O'Rourke cov ered him and called him aft as he again retreated to the scene of the tragedy. Had he been in a condition to think coherently, he might have acted more prudently. But maddened, he was able to grasp but one fact; that the Pool of Flame was gone and must be recovered at whatever hazard. The lascar came with what might have seemed suspicious alacrity, con sidering the fact that he was coerced, that O'Rourke held him at the pistol's point. Gaunt and sombre in the moonlight, moving noiselessly in his bare feet, head up and arms swinging MODKft Flung the Pool of Flame With All His Might. limp, he advanced without a pause un til about six feet from the Irishman; at which distance O'Rourke, collect ing his wits, found voice enough to bid the fellow, "Stop!" The serang halted, Impassive, un moved. "The sahib has called," he said In an even voice. "I am come. What is the sahib's will with me?" His words, together with his half indolent, half-defiant, wholly contemp tuous bearing, supplied the one thing needful to restore to the adventurer his self-control. O'llourke Orew him self up, master of self once more, and looked the lascar in the eye. "You stand," he said slowly, choos ing his words, "on the edge of the grave. Do you comprehend that, dog?" "Aye, sahib!" "1 have called ye, then, to demand back that which is mine, the leather bag which ye stole when ye slew your brother, pretending falsely it was he who had slain the captain. I counsel ye, speak truth and render back to me that which ye Have stolen." The serang stiffened, his eyes glist ening in the moonlight. "Sahib!" he cried as If in supplication. "No wards, dog!" cried O'Rourke sternly. "Do as I bid ye, or abide the result of disobedience!" "The sahib," said the serang slow ly, "is full of eyes and wisdom. He sees what no man would believe he could see. lam content." He bowed his head with curious submissiveness, stretching forth his palms as if in token oi surrender. O'Rourke caught at his breath. He had scarcely hoped for this; he had merely called the serang aft as the leader of the lascars, hoping to fright en him into revealing whichever of his comrades had stolen the great ruby—if he knew. "Ye have, then, the leather bag?" he demanded, exultation in his voice. "Aye, sahib; or, if not that, 1 have that which was therein." "The stone?" "Aye, sahib." "Then give It me." "I am the sahib's slave." The se rang flashed a strango smile at the revolver In O'Kourke's hand. His at titude puzzled O'Hourke; he would hardly have believed this of the man; rather he could have conceived of him as denying the theft to the last and fighting like an unchained fiend to re tain his booty. His present pose was out of character, or the Irishman mis judged him. Out of character or no, it was com fortable. The serang, with head bent, was fumbling in the folds of his sash; O'Rourke thought him over long about it, yet was inclined to give him time in view of his abject surrender. At length, still smiling oddly, the man lifted his eyes and stretched forth a hand tight closed. "The sa- hib," he said gently, "shall see that his servant spoke truth. Let this weigh with the Bahib for mercy. Be hold!" The brown fingers unclosed and in the hollow of his palm trembled that which seemed a ball of crystalized rose fire, the stone that man has named the Pool of Flame. O'Rourke uttered a low cry of satisfaction, stup ping forward to snatch up the jewel. Simultaneously he was aware of a quick gasp from the direction of Uie woman, followed, ere he could account for them, by two pistol shots. The adventurer groaned, pitching forward blindly, one side of his head, from the ear to the temple, a-quiver with an agony as if a white-hot Iron had seared, him there. He stretched forth an arm aimlessly and gripped an iron stanchion, stopping his fall, and hung there for what seemed an eon, sea and skies swimming blood-red be fore his eyes, in his ears a thunder ous rushing as of mighty waters. By a supreme effort of will he kept himself half-erect, clinging to the rail, und oseued hi* ejes. So briefly had pain blinded him that it was patent barely a second had elapsed since the firing OL the shots. To his left a stricken lascar was still in the act of falling; before him Mrs. Prynne stood motionless, her face a mask of horror, revolver still poised; to the right the serang, drawing a kris, was smiling sardonically, his eyes fixed upon the woman who had set at naught his plans. O'Rourke tried to call a warning to her, for it was plain that she was ap palled by what she had done, heedless of all but the man she had killed; but it was as if the bullet that creased his temple had temporarily paralyzed him; his tongue clave to the roof of his mouth and he could neither move nor speak. Powerless (he believed), he watched the serang gather himself together, like some gaunt cat, and spring; in two strides he would have been upon the woman and the night had been crowned with its most pitiful crime. Yet in midair, O'Rourke saw the man falter and fall back, dropping the kris and clutching frantically at noth ing. Stupidly the adventurer saw the smoke trickling from the muzzle of his own revolver and knew that, some how, he had managed to pull the trig ger. His heart leapt in his breast, so keen was his gratitude. Trembling in every limb, h$ essayed a second time to fire and put a final period to the 6erang's career. But his shot went wide and the cylinder jammed so that the hammer would not rise a second time. With an oath he let go the rail and attempted to bridge the distance be-ween himself and the lascar, who was now at a considera ble distance reeling away toward the rail. But his overtaxed strength, sapped by loss of blood, failed him; and mal ice infused new vigor into the serang, new power to accomplish his final fiendish act. Grinning with anguish, the man leapt away from O'Rourke, staggered and, jerking back his arm, flung the Pool of Flame from him with all his might. O'Rourke paused, petrified with de spair. The great stone, glinting in the moonlight like the very heart of fire, described a long and flaming arc and . . . the sea leapt up with a hiss to welcome It and it was gone. A bitter cry broke from the Irish man's lips; he made for the man, whom he would gladly have killed with his bare hands. But again he failed. The lascar, perhaps guessing his intention, was at the last too quick for him. By a supreme effort the gaunt se rang seized the rail, lifted himself up on it, and dropped over the side, fol lowing that to win which he had gir en Ills life. CHAPTER XXV. Mrs. Prynne, roused out of her semi stupor by O'Bourke's cry, with some return of her habitual clearness of thought, stepped to the compauionway and called for her maid. O'Rourke passed a hand over his eyes, and brought it away black with blood, but was no more than half aware of this. Dazed and heart-brok en, he stared blankly round the sham bles that was the deck, then, recover ing slightly, saw Cecile join her mis tress, and realized that, whatever his personal grief, pain and despair, he must play the part of the O'Rourke. So he turned and staggered down into 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 of the drama on deck than had Danny. O'Rourke caught the boy with hands that gripped his shoulders cruelly, and shook him awake, then meAodically booted him up the steps to the deck. Once there, Danny came to his prop er senses and fell with a will to the tasks O'Rourke set for him. With Ce cile he lifted the unconscious captain and bore him down to his berth, then left him to the ministrations of mis tress and maid and returned to throw overboard the last corpse, that of the lascar whom the serang had set to slay the adventurer from behind. O'Rourke himself proceeded to the bridge, where he found the helmsman still at the wheel, soberly keeping the vessel on her course. The circum stance at the time surprised him; but it afterwards was developed by dint of cross-examination of the remainder of the crew that the serang had spe cially exempted Quick and Dravos from the general massacre, they being held necessary to the navigation of the ship. He had likewise put strict injuctions on the ' pan not to de sert the wheel. \ jr the tide of tattle, whether for or against blk brethren. The stabbing of Quick seemed to have been accidental, or necessary under circumstances unfore seen. As a matter of fact, the remainder of the lascars were thoroughly cowed and proved unbelievably docile for the balance of the trip. Thus it was that the voyage of the Ranee from Aden to Bombay was pushed through without further fatal ity. To the Irishman, however, must go more than half the credit; for for ty-eight hours he never left the bridge nor once closed his eyes in slumber. It was not indeed until the Ranee, on the stroke of the hour, the evening of the fifteenth day of June, walked smartly into Bombay harbor, the in ternational code signal "NJ" Mutter ing from her peak, rounded Colabra and dropped anchor off the point; not until Danny and Dravos, free at length from their toil in the broiling engine room, came on deck to relieve him, that O'Rourke collapsed—stumbled down the bridge ladder and lurched drunkenly down the saloon compan iouway. His head humming with sleep, his brain bemused with fatigue and pain, his eyes heavy, he brushed by Mrs. Prynne without seeing her or even hearing her low cry of pity and solicitude; and so entering the first stateroom that he came to, threw him self, already asleep, into the berth. As he did so a loaded revolver dropped from his numb fingers. . . CHAPTER XXVI. It was night when O'Rourke awoke; he found himself staring wide-eyed at the celling of the stateroom, upon which rippled wavering lines of light reflected through the porthole by the waters without. His mind for the time was a blank; he was merely con scious that he was rested and very thirsty, and that the ship was mo tionless. Then In a blinding flash memory returned to him. He rosei curiously light-headed and strangely weak, pushed open the door and stepped in to the saloon. U was lighted, if poorly, by a smoky kerosene lamp dependent from a beam above the center-table, and wore a hol low, dingy air of desolation for all that Danny slept there, his vivid head pillowed on arms crossed before him ou the table. The ship was utterly sk lent, and the O'Rourke's sensitive in~ stinct told him that it was tenanted only by himself and the servant. He clapped a hand on Danny's shoulder and shook him into wakeful ness. The boy leapt to his feet with a cry and, seizing O'Rourke's band, be gan to sob upon it —a touching but disconcerting performance, to the last degree exasperating to a man thirst ing and famished. O'Rourke, as gently as he could, dis* engaged his hand and thrust Danny away, at the same time indicating in no uncertain tones that he preferred meat and drink to emotional crisis. Provided with a duty, Danny's senti mental nature was diverted; he bust led away and returned with an excel lent cold meal—sandwiches, a salad, cheese, and other edibles upon a tray graced likewise by a bottle of cham pagne. And you are to believe that the master fell to and wolfed it all, to the last crumb and the last drop. A new man, refreshed, he demanded a pipe, and, with his head cocked on oue side and something of his old hu mor twinkling in his eye, what time it was not clouded with bewilderment and concern at the answers he re ceived, cross-examined his valet. "How long," was his first question, "will I have slept now, Danny ye divvle?" "Wan complete round av the clock, yer honor." "Where are we?" "At anchor, sor, off the Fort In Bom bay harbor." fc Umm-hm. I'm by way of remem bering something of that. What of the captain?" "Raymoved, yer honor, to a horse pittle ushore, sor, to con-valesce. At laste, I'm thinking thot's the word the doctor used, sor." O'Rourke pulled at his cigar, re garded regretfully the empty glass be fore him, and with some visible reluct> ance put the question that, more than 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 no'lce, sor, this minute. Faix, didn't I Bee? No more and the anchor was down, sor, and yersilf did to the worrld in yer berth, sor, thin thim two does be after hallin' a boat and intendiu' togo ashore, widout so much as a fare-ye well, and me meanin' the most hon orable intintions in the world toward the maid—" "Have your intentions ever been aught else toward any woman ye ever won a smile from, spalpeen?" "Aw, now, yer honor—" (TO BIS CONTINUED.) Just Dying to Do It. Servant—No, the vicar is not In just now. Is there any message? Old Woman (cheerfully)— Well, tell him that Martha Higglns would like to be buried at two o'clock tomorrow afternoon!— London Opinion. BACKACHE AND ACHING JOINTS Together Tell of Bed Kidneys. "Every Picture Much pain i^UsaStonT masks as rheu- Tfr matism is due to to their failure to drive off urlo M>ll ' \ tf acid thoroughly. ache, too; with jjSI some kidney 1( r BjV EilM disorders, get L U -iS. | Doan's Kidney have cured iS^" 1 1- thousands. A Main* Case S. C. Verrill, Old Town, Me., aayst M I was confined to bed two years and the doctors did not know what ailed me. My back pained Intensely and kidney secretions were very Irregular. The doc tor said I would never walk again. After taking Doan's Kidney Pills I rapid ly Improved, until once more In good health. I cannot express my gratitude." Get Doan's at any Drug Store, 50c. a Box Doan's K puiS y Pimples ' blackheads and oily skin may b# quickly overcome by the frequent use of Glenn's Sulphur Soap ■ a Sold by HilTa Hair and Wbiglier Djrsw druggists. biscfc er brews, 50c. THICK, SWOLLEN GLANDS that make a horse Wheeze, m Hoar, hare Think Mind or Choke-down, can be re moved with I'VMTflilii /ajj also any Bunch or Swelling. No J blister, no hair rone, and borse kept at work. giperbot tie. delirered. llook 3 K free. AIISORIIINK, JR., llnlinent for mankind. Reduces Goitre, Tumors, Wens, Painful, Knotted Varicose Veins, Ulcere. 11.00 and W.OO a bottle al dealers or delivered. Book with testimonials free. W. F.YOUNG, P. D. F.,3loTemple St., Springfield, Maat. A mail has no use for a woman who attempts to convince him that he U wrong and succeeds In doing It. Appropriate. "We call that girl 'Juarez.' ** "Why?" "She's been captured six times al ready this season." No Chance. Officer —What's the trouble here? Mrs. Roney—There's no trouble! Me ould man started into try and make some, but be found he could not io it! PROOF. Hlgion—He"^" pretty high author* lty on appendicitis, isn't he? Digson—High! Well, I should say 80. Why. he charges S7OO for each op» eration he performs. THIRTEEN YEARS Unlucky Number for Dakota Woman. The question whether the number "13" is really more unlucky than any other number has never been entirely settled. A So. Dak. ■woman, after thirteen years of misery from drinking coffee, found a way to break the "unlucky spell." Tea is just as Injurious as cof fee because it contains caffeine, th« drug in coffee. She writes: "For thirteen years I have been a nervous wreck from drinking coffee. My liver, stomach, heart —in fact, my whole system being actually poisoned by It. "Last year I was confined to my bed for six months. Finally it dawned on me that coffee caused the trouble. Then I began using Postum Instead of coffee, but with little faith, as my mind was In such a condition that I hardly knew what to do next. "Extreme nervousnes and failing eyesight caused me to lose all courage. In about two weeks after I quit coffee end began to use Postum I was able to read and my head felt clear. I am improving all tho time and I will be a strong, well woman yet. "I have fooled more than one person with a delicious cup of Postum. Mrs. S. wanted to know where I bought my fine coffee. I told her my grocer had it and when she found out it was Pos tum she has used it ever since, and her nerves are building up fine. "My brain is strong, my nerves steady, my appetite good, and best of all, I enjoy such sound, pleasant sleep." Name given by Postum Co., Battle Creek, Mich. Get the little book In pkgs., "The Kond to Wellville." "There's a reason." fiver rend the nhnve letter? A new out* appear* from time to time. They are fteauUie, true, und full ui Uummm later 9
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers