Show I 1 A L STORY the pool P ef flame fla AM a ja f f w by LOUIS LOULS JOSEPH josepn VANCE 4 by ellsworth yount copyright CApy right lew by LOUIS joseph taace VA 0 ce SYNOPSIS the etory story hopeni nt monte cirlo with col I 1 0 ro rourke u rk a military nry free lincci aca and something ac 0 a carimer in his hold leaning on the balcony lie see aces a beautiful pirl girl who suddenly enters the tile devator ie ator and parses from eight night at the amini table 0 rourke noticed two men at ching him one la Is the hon lion bertle glynn his companion in viscount ilynn DM es a duelist the tells him hirn the I 1 rench french government has directed him to 0 rourke as a man who would I 1 secret mission at its apart ment mho iho had agreed ceil to undertake the mission finds a mysterious letter the viscount arrives hands ft it sealed package to who Is not to on o n it until on the ocean A pair of dainty slippers are seen protruding from under a doorway dooray curtain the irishman n finds the owner of the tile mister lous feet it to be his wife beatrix from whom he had had un run awal awa a year previous they an reconciled and and opening the letter he lie finds that hat a rangoon law firm offers him pounds pounds tor for a jewel known as the pool 0 of and left to him by a it dy ins ing friend but now in keeping of one amod ambret Ch in algeria tho the nobleman in a duel duet the wife bids Ollo OIto urke farewell fa and he promises to soon return with ith the reward ho ile dis coers both glynn and the viscount on board the ship As he finds chamaret Ch ambret there 1 Is an attack by bandits and his friend frit mi dies telling that he has left the pool of flame with the governor beneral en eral who at sight of a bisnet signet ring alien en the colonel will III deliver over the rel jewel arriving at algeria the irishman anda ads the governor general aw away ay des make makes a FL mysterious appointment and tells OIto urke that he has ras pained possession os session of the jewel by stealing it t in a duel mas masters t era the viscount secures possession of tho the pool of biame and starts by shin tor rangoon he lie finds the captein to 0 o be a muggier smuggler who tries to steal tea the jewel it Is finally secured by the captain and escapes to land inith the tle aid of one danny and hia his sweetheart awe se etheart recovers the pool of flame on board ship once more bound for rangoon Ran coon a mysterious lady appears CHAPTER the wanderer bad had come upon mrs but once since he be bad had boarded the that morning himself early astir because of his vague misgivings he be had discovered her on the hurricane deck of the liner an inconspicuous slight figure in the shad ow of a lifeboat life boat leaning upon the rail rall and gazing with be he fancied troubled eyes eyu out and across the waste below ismaela 1 though ebe she must have been con of nearing footsteps she bad not stirred and be he bad had passed on gaining but a fugitive glimpse ot of a profile sweetly serious serious nor had she appeared either at breakfast or junca eon A circumstance which lod ad him to surmise that she did not court observation an idiosyncrasy which seemed passing strange in a woman so fair he ile told himself mat she wore an air of watchfulness of vague ague expectancy as though she like himself feared some untoward mishap that ahe had the manner of one definitely apprehensive constantly on guard against lome an unforeseen peril now ho he asked himself what could it bo be what threatened her and hy by he lie dimly promised himself the pleasure of her acquaintance relying 7 in the rapid intimacy that springs up between strangers on an a long voyage with lah a still more indefinite intention of f putting himself at hr service in atly ny cause that she might be pleased to name provisionally she must not ir interfere with his plans for reaching la in ninety days that night he be was hoping to find the lady at dinner but though the hips company was small be he failed to seb au her in the saloon at either the captain the chief officers or the doctors table nor so far as he could determine was she taking the air on deck was it possible then that he be bad had been right that she had bad a reason equally as compelling as bis his own for secluding herself or cr was it simply and infinitely more probably that mrs ira was indisposed an enervated victim of excessive heat beat the latter conjecture proved apparently parent ly tho the right one mrs failing to appear during the two fol lowing 10 ing days while the was mocking rocking down the red sea channel and nd grew interested enough he had little else to occupy ha his mind for a duller voyage he be bad cover never known to give donny danny permission to pursue bis his inquiries with an lion n however crohl bItIng too laufasa an expenditure of the boys wealth of affection af whereupon danny returned with the information that the min tress of cecile tho the maid woe as suffer ing from beat exhaustion this U wa a entirely rear Ollo urke accepts the demolition of his tits airy casiles of laughed at himself in part was successful in putting the woman out of 0 mind doubtless in fit time ho he would so altogether had not the tile lad ind choren to take the air tho lie night thai that the hannab negotiated the straits ol 01 bab et of Alon feb fur on that spine night nake wakeful ful as minded to alt tilt up and biatch the lights of perlin island hanve into view in a deck chair on the starboard side well uell cloaked in the shadow of ibo the df bpck ck above watch ed the one by on theatther etther 41 quiet 2 ulet o 0 t jh antt r awn au stretch and I 1 slip lip be 13 ottoo my ho lie suffered a dreamy ce ee lo 10 rove where it would greedy of the nights nIght ll superb illusion pour four bells two chimed upon hie his consciousness like a physical shock he lie verified the hour by his vatch and reluctantly enough agreed that it was as timo time be lie got himself to bej lie ile half rose from rom his chair then sank stink back with mth an inaudible catch ot of his bypath without warning arning the tile ap lip partition pari tion of a white hile clad woman oman had invaded the promenade deck for an instant he hardly credited his ees then with nith a nod of recognition be identified mrs unquestionably unconscious of bis his Pre eprefence Fence in the shadow she fell to pacing to and fro now and again she stopped and with ith chin cradled in her small hands elbows on the rail watched the ampro aching dins cliffs of arabia then with perhaps a sigh ro re turned to her linel constitutional partly because be he had no wish mish to startle her partly because he was glad to watch atch unobserved ho he had a rare co eo for beauty the the wanderer sat on without moving stirred only by active curiosity the strangeness of her appearance appe aranco upon ulion deck at such an hour fascinated his imagination no less than her person held hold his eo ee he ile gave himself over to vain and u illation why he wondered on dered should hould asbe keep to her cabin the gre gr ter part of the evening only to take the tile air anen hen nono none might be supposed to observe her why if not 1 to escape such ober observation va then ho he told himself he be roust must bo be right in his supposition that she bad had something to fear someone to avoid void what or whom what was as it all what the mystery that as ne lie watched her seemed to grow to sling cling about her like some formless im palpable garment events conspired to vead the man into the warp and woof of her affairs more ban than ho he could grasp the reason for his sudden action bo he found himself a afoot foot and dashing aft at top speed out but an instant gone mrs had passed him unmolested and wrapped in her splendid isolation and hen then from the after part oe or the deck be had heard beard a slight and guarded cry of distress and a small scuffling sound in two breatha be he was by her side and found her struggling desperately in the arms of a lascar a deck band on the steamer at first the strangeness of the business bustness so amazed OKo ORo urLo that be he paused and held his band hand briefly rooted in action for although it was as apparent that she had been caught off her guard wholly unprepared against assault and hir she struggled fiercely to break the lascars bold hold the worn an still uttered no cry A single scream would have brought her aid a d yet she held her tongue the two tuo the omans womans slight white figure and the lascars gaunt and sin in ewy one strained and fought swaying silently in the shadows tensely with ta t effect affect of a fragment of some disordered r nightmare but then as the lascar seemed about to overpower bis his victim electrified sprang upon the mans back with one strong arm deftly he embraced tho the fellow au elbow beneath his chin forcing bis his bead head up and back with the other band hand none too gently tore away an arm encircling the woman then wrenching the two mo apart he be sent a knee crashing into the small of the lascars back all but breaking him in two and so flung him sprawling into the scuppers without a word the man slid upon bis his abo shoulders a full half dozen feet while urho a bad had a momentary glimpse of bis his face in the dark skinned and sinister of expression with its white glaring eyeballs oye balls then in one bound be was on nis feet again and springing mackto back to the lit attack tack and as he came on a jagged gleam of moonlight ran like lightning down the sinuous stations and formidable length of a kris krill most deadly of knives tell fell back a pace or two hie his own hands were empty be bad nothing but naked fists and high courage I 1 t pit against the lascar and bis ilia krie kris keenly alert he tie threw 11 into a pose of defence but bad had forgotten the woman it was wag enough that be he bad made possible her bar escape rape and be bad b no thought oilier hen than vibe hc had fled it was therefore with as much so as relief that be he caught the dimmer glimmer of her tier white figure n she thrust he bop r self soft before him and sow saw be the lascar tiring bring up ip the middle of a 11 leap tile his alo e not an inch from the mazile of an all anny army of respect coin compelling polling caliber sl SI bo be bearil heard her tier 1 cherr and incisive Inci slie if it low of tone to tie drop thai knife kril lc the iris shivered ered upon tho the deck ralth rat th mur inured tho the irish and what manner of woman oman Is this now tho tile laseer alood stood as rigid as though carven out of stone long gaunt legs shining softly brown broun beneath hie his cool dazzling white cummerbund the upper naif half of his body lost in tho the shadow of tho the deck a gray blur standing lor for bis his turban orone ORo arle c stepped forward with a quick movement kicking the kris over board and would hove have seized the fellow but that the woman intervened sho she said decisively decla ielY if it ou please no P bewildered ORo urko hesitated 1 I beg your pardon bo he eald said in con fusion she did not reply directly her at was as all tor for tho the lascar whom hom her revolver volVer ro still covered to him I 1 gol lot eho she said sharply with a sig signell nill cant motion of the weapon tho the lascar stepped back with ith a bin sin gle wriggle losing himself in the dense shadows Ollo urko urke fairly gasped amazement at the tile woman oman who on her part retreated slowly until her bar back touched the railing she remained very ery quint and thoroughly mistress of herself to tie braying agitation only by slightly quickened breathing and cold pallor her tier eyes racked the deck on either hand it was as plain that sho she bad no faith in the lascar perhaps apprehended bis his return yet her splendid control of her nerves evoked the irish man open admiration faltha Fal ral thI he cried breaking he the tense silence itis Us yourself shames rae madam with the courage of yet sho she hashed flashed him a glance and laughed slightly thank you ehe she returned im sure I 1 dont know where here I 1 should be now but for ou twos nothing at all but yell mo me for or suggesting that yo ye I 1 have made a mistake rol stale madam A mistake she echoed and then thoughtfully no I 1 call it that erupted sharply and her bar look wae was curious and intent 1 I tie faith I 1 stammered ho ile folt felt hie his face burn A me alot told mo me be confessed miserably tie a hit bit of flirtation hes been having with tilt our mald cecile I 1 believe madam random ah 3 es bho she scorned un account aby rel loved you then aro Colonel Ono urko llo bowed Ter enro Ollo urke amdam and at your serece serl sen ice ce believe no 11 1 nm am very bind glad she said sl oTly being him deliberately that since I 1 had to be aided it cabie through one ot of whom I 1 have hoard heard so much 4 faith alth mrs mra 1 and I 1 thank you a second time very heartily 1 she offered him her hand und and broiled smiled be bewitchingly orts embarrassing me ina e are be pro protested faith to be thanked twice mice for so slight a ser pervical vical I 1 can con 0 jonir clr wish that I 1 might do more it ie Is possible she eald cold apparent ly not in the least displeased by his presumption it Is possible that I 1 may take you at our nord ord colonel Ollo urko in her eyes intent hie his he fancied that he recognized an amused flicker with perhaps a trace of deep cr or emotion the kindling interest of a oman in a strong man with whose signals ho he was as not unfamiliar pride and his conceit stirred in tits breast atwould be the delight of roc me alfe he told her in an eca ecstasy cc tasy dont bo b too sure I 1 warn arn you colonel her manner was now arch her smile entirely charming it might bo be no light service I 1 should require of you yo ye ask one too heavy out but tie weary eary ye are mrs airs Pry nue bo he inquired solicitous very there was in fact an in definite modulation of weariness eart ness in her voice im only a woman ebe she said faintly with ith a little gesture of deprecation and my waya ways are hedged about with grave perils ITIs the Ollo ORo urko would gladly bravo brave them all for ye madam bo he declared gallantly command mo what yo ye will she lifted her gaze to bis his coloring dellaely there in the moon ho he looked into her curiously bewitching eyes and saw there thore an appeal and a strange little tender smile her bead head was so near his shoulder that be was aware of the vague alluring perfume 7 k C found her struggling desperately n the arms of a lasca letting him bim go I 1 mean neither ot of us I 1 believe could well identify him when ye report this outrage to the captain whom wilt will ye accuse 1 I 1 shall accuse no one she eald sald quietly tor for I 1 shant report the affair ye will not be he crie cried d astounded indeed lo deed I 1 am ani quite sincere I 1 shall do nothing whatever about it it Is moreover a favor which I 1 shall ask of or you to say nothing of the matter to anyone hesitated unwilling to be aleve that he had heard beard aright believe belleve me ne she was baying saying earn cesily 1 I have good tor for making a request so unaccountable to you but but mrs 1 1 oh you know me then she inter of her hair bair her scarlet lips parted parte and be became suddenly denly aware re that it behooved him to bold him himself I 1 well in band baud it were an easy ma mat ter to imagine himself swept off bla big feet into a it whirl of infatuation with a little encouragement and ho he was not unsophisticated enough to fall to 0 see that encouragement would h not ot be lacking if it he chose to recognize it 11 faith he told himself im think ing atwould be wiser for me to take to me heels and run before ho lie was spared the ignominious necessity of flight in two breaths they showed two very different pictures now they stood alono alone on the dead white deck alone with the night the sea the stars the |