| Show wy R IAL THE M M by ROBERT W CHAMBERS illustrations by S cop copyright aright G P Put nama ms sons sans CHAPTER I 1 Conc concerning erill ng yue laou and the xin XI n I 1 I 1 know not nothing bing more than you shall know I 1 am miserably anxious to clear the matter up perhaps what I 1 write may save the united states government money and lives perhaps it may arouse the scientific world to action at any rate it will put an end to the terrible cf two people 4 tamy i ii s i better than suspense if the government dares to diere aw gard the warning and refuses to sends send a thoroughly thorough fy equipped expedition at the people of the state may take 0 swift ven vengeance bance on the whole regions and leaa leaver a davas devastated bated wase e where to today day aay forest and flowering all meadow land border the lake lak in am P r you beady already of the p atlie new york papers have been full of alleged details this much la Is true barris caught the he shiner red handed hande A or rather yellowy aided for r his pockets and boots and dirty fists were er e stuffed with lum lumps ap pp of gold I 1 say gold advisedly Y you ou may call it what h at you please you also know how barris was vas but unless I 1 bagin at the be beginning begioni ginni ng of my own experiences you will be none the wiser after all on the ad of august of this present year 1 I was wad standing in tiff anys chat ting with george godfrey of the designing department on the glass counter between UG tin lay a coiled serpent an exquisite specimen of chiseled gold no replied godfrey to my question lion it my work I 1 wish it was f why man its a mast masterpiece orplene orple ce whose 9 1 I asked now I 1 should bo be very glad to know ano also said godfrey we bought it from an old jay who says lie he lives in the country country somewhere about d the cardinal woods T near siai starlit lit lake I 1 believe w lake of the stars I 1 suggested some call it starlit take lake its ICs all the same manie well my rustic ruben reuben says that lie he represents the scull sculptor scup tor orthis snake for all practical and b bustness purposes he got his 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 51 watching them the keen eyes of the ibe artist in precious metals as he stooped over the ahe gold serpent nt A masterpiece lie he muttered to himself fondling the glittering coil look at the tel texture ture whew but I 1 was not looking at the serpent moving crawling out of godfreys godfreyh God freys coat pocket the pocket nearest me something soft and yellow with crablike crab like ilke legs all cover covered edwith with chaise coarse yellow hair what in heavens name said 1 have you got iii hi your pocket its cr crawling outa out its trying to creep up tip your our coat godfrey he turned quickly and dragged the creature out with ills left kand hand I 1 shrank back as he held the re T K T 1 s 5 W y 2 S t r r if object dangling before me and he laughed and placed it on the counter coun did you ever see anything like that he demanded no said I 1 truthfully and I 1 hope I 1 never shall again what Is 18 it 1 I dont know ask them at the natural history museum they cant tell you the smithsonian is all at sea too it Is 1 I believe the corin connecting bet link between a sea urchin a spider and the devil it looks venomous but I 1 cant find either fangs or mouth Is it blind these thing be eyes eyd burthey but they look as if they were painted A japanese sculptor might have produced such an impossible beast beaste but it is hard to believe that god did it looks unfinished too I 1 have a mad idea that this creature is only one of the parts of some larger a and more grotesque org organism anesin it looks so lonely so hopelessly dependent so cursedly unfinished im going to use it as a model if I 1 dont donious out japanese javanese the japs my name godfrey the crea creature ture was moving slowly across ca oss the glass case towards me j 1 drew back godfrey I 1 said 1 I would execute a man who executed any such work wor k as you propose what whai do you want to 1 A an n y go off on your shooting trip and let me alone laughed godfrey I 1 shuddered at the crab and bade godfrey goodby good by until december that night pierpont pont barris barria A and nd asat I 1 sat chatting in the smoking chr car of the quebec express when the long train pulled out of the grand central depot old david had bad gone forward with the dogs poor things they hated to ride in the bEig baggage gage car but the quebec bec northern road provides no sportsmens sports mens cars and david and the three gordon setters were in for an all uncomfortable night except excel t for pierpont pont ba barris and myself the car was wa empty barris trim stout ruddy and bronzed sat drumming on the window ledge puffing a short fragrant p pipe his gun nase case lay beside him on the floor when I 1 have white hair and years of discretion said pierpont pont languid d ly ill not flirt with pretty serving maids will wil I 1 you roy no said 1 I looking lookin gat at barris f you mean the emald th maid with the cap in the pullman car caf 4 1 sald said pierpont p pont ont yes said pierpont pont I 1 smiled for foil I 1 had seen it also barris twisted twisted his crisp gray mustache and fawned yawned you children had better be tod lod X vw except for pierpont barris and mys elf the car was empty perpetuate such a reptile for I 1 can i stand the japanese grotesque but I 1 cant stand that spider its a crib crab crab or spider or blindworm blind worm ugh what do you want to do it for its a nightmare its unclean I 1 hated the thing ing it kastlie wast was the lie first living creature that I 1 had ever hated bated for some time I 1 had noticed a damp acrid odor in the air and godfrey said it came f rom from the ille reptile then kill it t an and d bury it I 1 said and by the way whore where did it come from 1 I dont know that either laughed godfrey 1 I found it clinging to the box that this his gold serpent was wag brought in I 1 suppose my old reuben is responsible i if the he cardinal woods are the lurking places for things like this said I 1 1 I am sorry that I 1 am going to the cardinal woods are you ou asked godfrey for the shooting yes with barris and pierpont pont Dont why dont you kill that brea creature ture adling off to bed he said that lad ladys Y 8 maid is a member of the secret service oh said pierpont pont one of your colleagues you might present us you know I 1 said the journey is monotonous barris had bad drawn a telegram from his pocket and as he sat turning it over 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 its signed by gen drummond drummond chief of the government secret service said barris something interesting I 1 inquired lighting a cigarette something lhing so interesting replied barris that im going to look into it myself and break up our shooting trio no do you want to hear about it do you billy P pierpont ier p onto yes replied that immaculate young oung man barris rubbed the amber mouth t anav ail t ad v K piece of his pipe on his his handkerchief cleared the stem with a bit of w wire i re puffed once or twice and leaned b bacal a c in his chair pierpont pont lie said do you re rea member that hat evening at the united states club wh when on gen miles geni Drum drummond and id I 1 wore were exa examining minin g thai that V gold nugget that capt fahad badr had n jj you examined it ft also I 1 believe 1 idad I did said pierpont pont was it gold asked barris d drum ru rn mingon ming on the window it was replied pierpont pont 1 4 I 1 I saw it too said I 1 of course it was vas gold prof la grange saw it also said balul 1 barris lie he said it was gold after a silence cd pierpont pont asked wham tt tests had b been 00 n in made ad e 1 the usual tests replied barels the united stat states mint is satisfied that it Is gold so Is every jewel jeweler er who has haf seen jt it but it Is not gold aud yet yeb lt it Is gold pierpont pont and I 1 exchanged glances now said 1 I for barris banis usual coup do theatre what was the nug it get ia practically it was pure gold but a i t t said barris enjoying the situation in tensely ely allyA re really it was not gold P I 1 e r pont what is gold V gords cords anele an ele ent ii a metal 14 wrong billy pierpont pont said ba ris coolly j jv 1 I gold was an element when I 1 went t to school i said I 1 it I 1 has not been an element for tw two weeks beelis said barels and except gon gen drummond prof la grange and mya my self you two youngsters are the only people except one in the world who know it or have known it do you mean to say that gold issi Is a composite metal said mei 4 V slowly 11 do la grange has made it r he produced a scale of pure gold day be foro yesterdays yesterday that nugget was mani man 1 gold could cou ld barr barris Is be Jold joking joling ng was this a s calos colossal hoax I 1 looked at pier pierpont pont toted UM ng ta aling ng the silver n and turned 1 his head to barels but there was wad that in barris faco face which forbade jesting f and pierpont pont and I 1 sat silently ponder e ing S dont ask me how its made sal barris quietly 1 I doni know butt but ado I 1 do know that somewhere in uie the ref raf glon of th the cardinal woods there Is d a 9 gang an 9 of people w who do know how golt gold is made and who make it you under unde stand the danger this Is to every civilized nallon its got to be stopped of course drummond andi and I 1 have dd de aided that 1 I am the ilie man to sto stop P I 1 it wherever and whoever these people 1 are these gold makers they must b be 1 caught every one of them cau caught t P or shot or shot repeated pierpont rit who was owner of df the cross out gut gold miner and found lils his income too small profi la grange will of course be prudent 4 i iclene science k need not know things that would upset the world 1 little willy said bald barris laughing your income is safe s 1 I suppose said I 1 same some flaw la ali the e nugget gave prof la grange the tha tip exactly he cut the fla flaw W fore foie s sending the nugget to be tested 1 1 r ile he worked on the flaw and sepa separated ratel gold into its three elements ile he is a great man said pierpont ponti but lie he will ia be the greatest man in the world if he can keep his dis discovery covery to himself who M I 1 said barris I 1 jt j dp prof la grange i prof la grange was shot through tale heart two hours agot ago replied bari ris slowly TO io BE CONTINUED |
