Show f J CHAPTER I 1 concerning yue laou and the aln I 1 know nothing more than ion shall know I 1 am miserably anxious lo 10 clear the matter up perhaps what I 1 write may save the united states govern ment gonei and perhaps it may arouse the scientific world to action at any rate it will put an end to the terrible suspense of two people certainty is better than suspense the government dares to disregard the warning and refuses to send a thoroughly equipped expedition at once tho people of the state may take swift vengeance on the whole regions and leave a blackened devastated waste where today to day forest and flower ing meadow land border the lake in the cardinal woods you already know part of the stor the new york papers have been full of alleged details this much is true barels caught the shiner red handed or rather elbow handed for his pockets and boots and dirty fists were stuffed with lumps ot gold I 1 say gold advisedly you may call it what you please you also know how darria was but unless I 1 begin at the beginning of my own experiences vou will be none the wiser after all on the ad of august of this present year I 1 was standing in tiffany s chatting with george godfrey ot the designing department on the glass coun ter between us lay a colled serpent an exquisite specimen of chiseled gold I 1 no replied godfrey to my ques 1 alon it isn t my work I 1 wish it was why man its a masterpiece Whose 91 I 1 asked now I 1 should be very glad to know also said godfrey we bought it from an old jay who says he lives in the country somewhere about the cardinal woods near starlit lake I 1 believe lake of the I 1 suggested some call it starlit lake it s ill the same well my rustle reuben says that he represents the sculptor of this snake for all practical and bus ness purposes lie got bis price too we hope hell bring us something more we have sold this already to the metropolitan museum I 1 was leaning idly on the glass case watching the keen eyes 0 the artist in precious as he stooped over the gold serpent A masterpiece he muttered to himself fondling the glittering coll look at the textural tex but I 1 was not looking at the serpent something was moving crawling out of godfreyh godfreys God freys coat pocket the pocket nearest me something soft and yellow with crab like legs all covered with coarse yellow hair what in heavens name said I 1 have you got in your pockets its crawling out its trying to creep up your coat godfrey he turned quickly and dragged the creature out with his left hand I 1 shrank back as he held the re object dangling before me and he laughed and placed it on the counter did you ever see anything like thata he demanded no I 1 truthfully and I 1 hope I 1 never stall again wiit la ita 1 I dont know ask them at the natural bilston they cant tell you the la all at aea too it Is I 1 believe the connect ing link between urchin a spider and the devil it looks venomous but I 1 can t find either fangs or mouth Is it blind these things may be eyes but they look as it they were painted A japanese sculptor might have produced euch an impossible beast but it is hard to believe thit god did it looks unfinished too I 1 have a mad idea that this creature Is only one 0 the parts of some larger and more grotesque organism it looks so lonely so hopelessly dependent so cursed ly unfinished I 1 ni going to use it as a model if I 1 dont out japanese the jape my name isn t godfrey the creature was moving slowly the aglaee case towards me I 1 drew back godfrey I 1 said I 1 would execute a man who executed any such work aa you propose what do ou want to perpetuate such a reptile fora I 1 can stand the japanese grotesque but I 1 baat stand that spider ife a crab crab or spider or blind worm ugh what do you want to do it fora its a nightmare its unclean I 1 hated the anink it baethe first living creature that I 1 had ever bated for time I 1 had noticed a damp acrid odor in the and godfrey bald it came from the reptile then kill it and bur it I 1 aid and by th way where dl tt 6 1 I dont know that cither laughed godfrey 1 I found it clinging to the box that thi egold serpent was bi ought in 1 suppose iny old reuben Is re II 11 the are the lurk ing places for things like this said I 1 I 1 am coir that I 1 am going to the cardinal godfrey for the shooting 1 u with barels and pierpont pont aay don t you kill that creature go off on your shooting trip and let alone laughed godfrey 1 shuddered at the crab and bade godfrey good by until december that night pierpont pont barris and I 1 sat chatting in the smoking car ot the quebec express when the long train pulled out of the grand central de pot old david had gone forward with the dogs joor things they hated to tide in the baggage car but the quebec northern road provides no sportsmen s cars and david and tle three gordon setters were in for an uncomfortable night except for pierpont rier pont darras and myself the car was empty barris trim stout ruddy and bronzed sat drum ming on the window ledge puffing a short fragrant pipe his gun case lay beside him on the floor when I 1 have white hair and years of discretion saad pierpont pont languid y not flirt with pretty serving maids will you roy no said I 1 looking at barris you mean the maid with the cap in the pullman car said pierpont pont yes said pierpont I 1 smiled for I 1 had seen it also barris twisted his crisp gray mus lache and dawned yawned you children had better be tod adling off to bed he said that lady s maid Is a member of the secret ser vice oh said pierpont pont one of 5 our colleagues 9 you might present us you know I 1 said the journey Is monotonous 1 bill pierpont said bar choll gold wai an element when I 1 went to school said J it has not been an element for two eald ban Is and except gen prof la grange and my self ou two youngsters are the only people except one in the world who know it known it do you mean to say that gold Is a composite said pierpont slowly I 1 do la grange has made it lie produced a scale of pure gold day be fore yesterday that nugget was man gold could harris be joking was this a colossal hoax I 1 looked at pierpont lie muttered something about that set aling the silver question and turned his head to barels but there was that in barels face which forbade jesting and pierpont and I 1 sat silently ponder ing dont ask me how it s made said barris quietly I 1 don t know but I 1 do know that somewhere in the re blon of the cardinal woods there ia a gang of people who do know bow gold isaide and who make it you under stand the danger this Is to every ciet llred nation its got to be stopped of course Dru romond and I 1 have derided that I 1 nm the roan to stop it wherever and whoever these people are these gold makers they must be chught every one of them caught or shot or shot repeated pierpont who was owner ot the cross cut gold mine and found his income too small prof li grange will ot course be prudent science need not know things that would the world little willy said darras laughing your income Is sate 1 I suppose said I 1 some flaw in the nugget gae prof la grange the ftp exactly he cut the flaw out be fore sending the nugget to be tested except for pierpont pont barels and myself the car was empty danis dan Is had drawn a telegram from his pocket and as he sat turning it oer and over between his fingers he smiled after a moment or two he handed it to pierpont pont who read it with slightly raised eyebrows its rot I 1 suppose its cipher he said I 1 see it s signed by gen drum mond chief ot the govern ment secret service said barels something interesting I 1 inquired lighting a cigarette something so interesting replied barels that I 1 m going to look into jt myself nd break up our shooting trio vo do ou want to hear about it do sou billy es replied that immaculate young man karris rubbed the amber mouth piece ot his pipe on 1 handkerchief cleared the stem with a bit of wire puffed once or twice ind irined back in hia chair pierpont pont he do you re member that evening at the united club when gen miles gen drummond Di ummond and I 1 were examining that gold nugget that capt fahad had on examined it also I 1 believe I 1 did said pierpont pont as it gold ached barels drum ming on the window it was replied pierpont pont I 1 saw it too said J of course jt was gold prof IA oringe saw it also said 1 he paid it was gold after a pierpont pont asked what tests had been made the usual teats replied baarle the united states mint ie satisfied that it ie gold so is every jeweler who has seen it but it fe not gold and yet it Is gold pierpont pont and I 1 exchanged glance iso said I 1 for harris usual coup de theatre what wan the nug geta practically it wae pure gold but aid harris enjoying the situation la tensely really it wae not gold pont what ta gold cold an element a metal he worked on the flaw and separates separ atee gold into its three elements lie Is a great man said pierpont but he hlll be the greatest man in the world if he can keep his discovery to himself who said barris prof la grange prof li grange was shot through the heart efto hours ago replied barris slowly TO CONTINUED |