Show oso I s ac aa Mc gac r 1 I I II John Solomon Incognito I 15 I By H. H B BEDFORD JONES BEDFORD JONES i Copyright II by It R. Bedford jones I 2 A DEVIL Aline Alln Lavergn Laverne own owns Cypremort Cypremort Cypre Cypre- mort a plantation In the Louisiana J ayou you She leave leaves the manage manag- ant to John an an old retainer and faithful but not a good rood business bulou man mane aa a. Ah Lee the Manchu who Is I. trying to help Aline AUne explains to the mysterious John Solomon Allne's Allne uncle David Macarty Macari and his bis lion eon Felix under pretense pretence of looking after atter her Interests plot to get control of the plantation On One of ot their schemes Is I. to dam the bayou and Md thus dry up her rice fields field Then they try to got get rid of l Philbrick Aline Allne suspects suspect the tha and consults Jack Jae Fortier a young lawyer kwyer who takes take her cue case He lie finds find a big fight light on his hand hands for fort forthe forthe t the be Macarty are ail aU powerful They try to bribe him off olt Then rhen they have him beaten beten up but he Is II rescued by John Solomon TheMa The Ma Macarty arty drop open hostilities and ancl Invite FortIer and nd Aline Allne to go 10 on their yacht the Water Water sprite to Inspect the plantation Solomon has hat secured the Job lob of toward steward Aline Alina gets get a telegram from Philbrick Phil Phil- brick saying that he Is Ii going away for a while and h. h has left the plantation In charge chrle of Captain Wrexham The Tb starts 03 on her hundred hundred mil mlle voyage Quay Quartermaster Quartermaster of found dead ded on deck with second mat mates mate Knife In his hl back Captain Wrex bam ham entertained at Cypremort Takes Taku charge and nd pockets pocket contents contenta of If sate safe charged with Sheriff searches for tor him him Macarty attempts to bribe Wrexham Wrexham Wrex Wrex- ham to betray Mine Aline Lavergne Laverene Wrexham blows up the dam Ah AhLee AhLee AhLee Lee and Wrexham ancient foes foell loin hand hands hand II The Macarty steal Iteal Wrexham's Wrexham schooner Wrexham falls In love with a picture lie Ire and Philbrick leave the plantation with Fortier In charge CHAPTER XIII XIII Continued 10 10 He lIe did IId not know lIe He guessed guessed he he knew nothing Perhaps he sled lied to me about not knowing I know The eyes of Ah Lee Iee turned to the face of Solomon Upon that expressionless lIon less visage Isole they rested In a species of fit horror borror Near by n a candle lantern fumed nn and 1 smoked It Jt made the black blackeye blackeyes eyes eye i grow clow like han ban yu jade You Ton know said the Manchu I know Ah Lee Iee caught his breath A spasm of pain shook his face And I know know of of you rou he said a n catch ratch of pain In his Inflexible voice I 1 have ho known of you for many years before ever we met They say that the devils serve you you No I said ald Solomon Its me rue as serves No matter mottEr Promise me one thing 1 I That you ou will protect her Solomon looked nt at the dying man and nodded Ills His eyes widened For ForIn Foran Forn In an n Instant they held a singular glow of off f feeling lIng of emotion of expression Yes Er father was me friend that's why Im I'm ere Years and years I ago go I 1 Im werry verry well Indeed Indeed- I In Port Said It tt was We done some business together But nut you avent anent no notion t o cl what them are to do None Felix Macarty was wag here yesterday yes yes- but I could learn nothing Hen Hen- Is his chief man Petit man Petit Jean What Is fa the reason What do they seek eek from her A lOA fortune said Solomon reflex lively But Hut the girl Is Ia poor I That Is to say lilY she ahe has hal little money money- money tO Yes Yell but er father ad a fortuneE fortune E was Will of ot It tt for me In trust trait as ow I might need It tt some someday someday someday day and call for It Them ere names yon mentioned mentioned- Ah Lee lifted a warning linger finger I hear bear steps John Solomon sat eat In silence Presently Pres Pres- Presently he produced pipe and tobacco and Ind nd began begun to smoke He lie had bad been on the point of explaining what was meant by those three names the names the Qu Queen n of Sheba Gemini Sea Ah lee I who had checked that explanation nation matlon was WIlS destined never to hear It As AI Solomon drew v a match across Ills bis sole lole and held It to his clay pipe a figure glided gilded Into the hut but and end sat Rat down at one side It was a man dressed In corduroys n a large and ond powerful man whose face was bearded thinly lined ith seams of evil In his Ills hand th the xian Jalan held a n long slightly curved knife Af As he sat lot there legs crossed he began bEan automatically to whet liet the knife back and forth on his boot bout This man was Petit Jean Not dead yet et eh elf 1117 he said looking f at et the Manchu f Not a gob to die neither I said Mid Solomon ch cheerfully At these words a ghastly grimace was for an Instant visible II on the contorted face f f Ah At I Lee l e. e The Manchu's lips opened am enl ni he spoke Ills voice olce Will was now no longer the Amp same It was clear dear but faint falot Money lonE In the trunk yonder You ou will vIII pay my men OIEn 7 Six coolies Two Arabs Aroha good men who know arrack Tt-ii Tt will attend to lo this I 11 wild said Solomon There was wa a li slight ht Then Solomon glanced II at I Vl III Jean You was a a for tor arc me air Ir k My Yeti Yen Petit Jean Hennepin replied in lit rated art 1 English which defies deft r lD Yes Yen Ive I've Just bad had word w A. w w a u a w w w w w from David Duld Macarty Macart It shows hows your four story was true Youre You're o nee one e of ot ul Its It's all right That That's werry kind of you yon sir said Solomon The message also said saidI and the outlaw fastened upon Solomon a steady regard that your evidence e ud hang Thompson for tor killin my mr brother Oros Michel I That so sor eor Solomon nodded bats why Pro rm ere sir Mr Macarty e didn't want that ere era Thom Thompson son to ang aug Neither do I I. I L said Petit Jean and fell silent In la those three words Inthe Inthe In la lathe the Blow slow whetting of ot that knife lay ley a dreadful significance Suddenly the outlaw glanced up When they ther discover who Michel was Thompson will wID be set lIet free Then hell he'll come after you lOll Solomon 1 I But nut d dont don't nt you WOrT worry Til take care are o 0 you Werry kind o 0 you OU I calls It said Solomon with a nod Werry Wem kind of ot you sir air I 1 says I Again silence The candle guttered In n Its glass and flamed higher Solomons Solomon's Solomon's Solomons Solo Solo- mons mon's pipe sucked empty he knocked i It t out and leaned forward looking at atAh atAh atAh Ah Lee Leo Then he rose and took the lantern and held It to the face tace of ot the Manchu Mancha Something In the pose of Solomon something In la th the way he be stood there and gazed gated caused Petit Jean to rise and Join him They Thel both boat stared at the sick man But Dut Ah All Lee was no longer sick The voice was fled The Jade Jade- like Ilk eyes were filmed over A wheezy sigh escaped the lips of ot Solomon He De blew out the lantern and went out of the hut Walking stiffly he toll followed owed a curving path from the hut and this path brought hIm to an nn opening at the edge of ot the bayou Here he be stood gazing at atthe the scene before him him flarIng flaring smoky torches of pine knots lighting the vats the tha w working flitting figures of naked men vanishing and appearing again the sketched suggestion of the swamp and ond forest behind Behind Solomon came come the figure of Petit Jean Jenn standing standIng stand stand- Ing there with him After a moment Solomon filled his pipe again and lighted It As though the flare of ot the match motch had been a signal signal sig sig- sig nal nOl a dark figure glided gilded to him one him oua of ot the two Arab overseers lIe He addressed ad ad- dressed dressel Solomon respectfully In Arabic Has JIas my father Suleiman an any orders orders orders or- or or or- ders No returned Solomon In the same tongue lie He Is dead There Is nothIng nothing noth noth- ing to be done now I shall pay off the coolies tomorrow and they may malY depart de de- part port Tell them so It shall be done as ordered was the response N And let Suleiman be satisfied that I and yonder Hassan who Is also the son of ot my father are awaiting his commands The man departed Petit Jean touched the arm of ot Solomon he say That the stuff ud be drawn off tomorrow tomorrow to to- tomorrow morrow said Solomon And that I I r 1 t I He Addressed Sol Solomon mon Respectfully the coolies wouldn't work no more n now now w that Ah Ab Lee was dead Theyra They're a a a oln to quit Why did John Solomon lie to this g man CHAPTER XIV David Macarty and his hta son Ion we were re sitting In the library of the Macarty y house on Cypremort Island while th the e yacht swung to her moorings In th the e bayou Father and son Ion did not get on an antoo any y too well Felix felt that his father r was too cautious too picayune as h be he e expressed It David felt that his so son n was Will too Impetuous too headstrong As AI the two sat eat together In the dar darold dark k old library the afternoon heat hung bun g heavy heur on the air outside but tt It ItJI warmth did not penetrate the bouse hous e David Macarty held beld a paper in hl his hla s hand upon which was wu an as abruptly abrupt y broken paragraph of ot writing Ht Hed ha had d 1 read this writing a hundred times since I Ithe the death of his bis relative AUnt Altos Lavergnes Lavergne's La La- vergnes vergne's father Here exclaimed Felix boldIn holding out ht his bl hand Lets Letl have another look loot His father gave ga him the he paper Felix spread It t out frowned over It The writing which hid had been written by br Lavergne an hour before his death read t My Ill dear Aline t In confiding to you youa a great an aa Immense treasure treasur I do so with the Injunction that It be held asa as asa asa a sacred trust It does doea not belong to tome tome tome me me but to a friend whose name you will find Inside the larger box rioL In the smaller box are the the Gemini Gemini the Queen and the S Sea moon Three of ot these are pearls probably the finest ever taken from the Gulf Gult of ot Aden when I brought them home their customs valuation was t ten n. n thousand dollars each and this was man many years ears ego ago The Queen of Sheba Is a n diamond of ot still greater value alue In the box larger are are are- Felix Macarty looked up uttered a curse urge and ond crumpled the paper In fa his hand and Here Herel I exclaimed his father star star- tied ed You Yon young fool be careful careful- Felix turned on him with a snarl his dark ark eyes ees smoldering What good is It to us Not a hint In n It of ot where the stuff is placed I Its It's bound to be In the library somewhere We tVa know from the way you pumped line Allne that she knows nothing of ot It It- It therefore her father hid it It Well quit being ing cautious I I I tell you weve we've got gotto gotto to get down to business and do It quIck I Building that cursed dam has cost ost too much money That's what we get et with your slow and cautious ways Failure allure I 1 IThe IThe The gr grave gre e features of ot David ld Macarty Ma- Ma carty looked disturbed I know weve we've failed my roy boy he said MId weakly But nut why From unforeseen nn- nn foreseen fore ore cen een accidents accIdent that's all That confounded Wrexham ruined all nil our plans Now we are back bock where we started from from to Oh Oil see ore we snapped the younger man What about that man FortIer eh Hes He's wise Nonsense 1 I Aline AUne herself suspects nothing nothing- Felix FEUX Macarty broke Into Into n a torrent or of profanity Open your eyes I he Ie cried out savagely Cant I read behind all the story youve you've maundered along with The he girl Is 1111 wise WIM to us So Is Fortier- Fortier her ber er lawyer Youve You've fiddled away the time Ime playing your own sort of game und and Ive I've backed It ft up Now that's done with understand Youve You've failed Your game has failed Can you den deny It t 7 David Macarty fingered his lips His m. complacency WO was shattered riven rhen No he responded at length No I cant can't So far It has failed Nevertheless Never Never- I I backed you yon Intervened his hll son Ion coldly Now Im I'm done with your way woy of f playing Pm rm going to- to play my own game understand In my mr own way Either you back bock me or you you dont don't Which l is II tt ft t to be David ld Macarty gazed at his son lion with pleading eyes but met only an Index Ible ble purpose an Iron determination He lie met no affection whatever Do you forget that I am your fa then ther he said donning his usual dig No Not I I flashed the other why Pm Im giving you a chance one and only chance to sit alt In m my game I Im I'm out of yours You'll get no no- where Get behind me and you'll share a fortune fortune fortune-a a whooping fortune You know the kind of ot man Lavergne was Hed He'd never play any picayune game He De had two boxes of jewels and you can bet they ther meant something something some some- thing I Yes or no Yes said laId David Macarty In la a low voice Felix dropped Into lute a chair lighted a cigarette and surveyed his father with a cool appraisal Somehow those smoldering eyes made the elder man wince I shant shan't bother you with details details- you'd only whine a about out em said laId Felix brutally What you'll tee see will be results results re re- that's all alii 1 I I can use you You'll come In handy when its it's a 0 question ot or covering tracks and stepping soft That's That'll where you shine But Hut for the present only two men will know what cards I 1 hold Im I'm one of ot them Th The Theother Theother e other Is Petit leUt Jean n. At the mention of at this name David Macarty lifted his head hend Now be responded re paneled and In his hll voice votes was an ea Unwonted unwonted un Un- wonted earnestness Felix let mu mil tell you for tor the lost last t time time time-I'm Im I'm afraid creature I li liIs He lIe HeIs lIeIs e Is no nD man lIe He U Is a devil I That's Thata what he Is la A devil Theres There's no crime e hed he'd hesitate to commit be has haa DO no nomore more conscience or ethical sense than thana n a wild beast You talk of using me w went ent on the on-the the father with gathering force torce that g ge your whole hole attitude toward every everyone everyone- on one e- e even me your father tather Using me mel I l Have Ilan e you JOu no love for tor me Felix Certainly I 1 have said Felix Macarty Ma carty early with a quiet assurance Sometimes I doubt It It David wa waon was wason s on the offensive now new and end remake remained d there When I found that this Fortier For For- tier was wu employed b by the lId girl I tie all I Petit Jaan Jun on him And with who what i result Non l f f i You probably did it halfway said ald the lion eon son scornfully J Told Jean Teen to laythe lay lar laythe the lawyer tint t You Ton Ih should uld have told him Aim to kill FortIer then and there But Dut that that's not your wa way war David Macarty nodded unhappily ashe as ashe ashe he gazed Into space lila Ills son eon continued continued con con- tinned at once Wrexham Is U out of our way war He lie took his schooner and went went took took that old fool John Philbrick with hIm too toot tool I IThe The Chinaman Ah All Lee Is dying hes he's probably dead now That will end my mr Income for theres there's no nD one I can trust to fill till Ah Lees Lee's place The Job Is la too slow for tor Petit Jean Therefore well we'll have hue to grab those Jewels and do it at once oncel I In spite of ot your kindly advice e the man to do the Job Job or or help with Itis ItIs It U UIs Is Is this same Petit Jean As you rou say |