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Show RAMINGiS M JEWEL iff jflL, ROB "BUT W CHAMBERS I """' OlO2"2 GEORGE H.DO&AJ CO-MUAKT HY ROBERT CHAMBERS, BEGIN HERE TODAY. Again the crimson ray of blood appeared In tho tragic history' of the Flaming Jewel, that priceless gnn first ntolen from the royal casket of the COUNTESS OP ESTHONIA by he greut International thief, QUINT ANA, and then stolen from Qulntun.i by MIKE CLINCH Clinch brought the 1 flaming Jewel to his camp In the! I Adirondack where he hoarded it I for the education of his beautiful step-H i UK iii i r. EVE 8TRATER, Qulntana np-I np-I penred to recover the Jewel Also 1 bent on recovering the jewel is JAM ICS DAKKAirH, going under tho i name of HAL SMITH who Intended to restore re-store It to the countess BS.VC escapes from the savago Clutches of Qulntana with a packet which she thought contained thel Jewel, but which contained only two bars of cho olute. This packet is stolen from her by two of Clinch's men who went over to Qulntana. On" i of them, EARL LJEVERETT murders the other. JAKE KLOON, for the false packet Hardly had lyovorett concealed the body In the woods when a hand 'us placed on his shoulder. ' on lib the 8toi CHAPTER II A coward dies many times before Old Man Death really gets him. Tho swimming minutes passed; his imlnd ceased to live for a space Then, as through the swirling wa-j ters of the last dark whirlpool. 0,1 oullcd roar of returning consciousness I filled his being. Somebody was shaking him. shouting shout-ing at him. Suddenly instinct resumed Its function, and ho struggled madly to get away from the edge of the Sink-1 hole fought bin way blindly, through tangled undergrowth toward the hard ridge. No human power could have blocked the fruntle creature thrashing toward solid ground. But there Qulntana held him in his wiry grip. "Fool' Mule! Crazee fellow' What you do. eh? Por why you make jumps like rabbits! Eh? You expec" Quln-tanaV Quln-tanaV Yes? Alois'" J Ixsverett, In a state of collapse, sagged back against an oak tree. Quln-tnna's Quln-tnna's nervous grasp fell from his urms and they swung, dangling. What you do by that pond-hole? Eh? I come and touch you. and, my t-od! one would think I have stab you Such an ass'" Tho sickly greenish hue changed In Levcrett's face as the warmer tide stirred from Its stagnaticm lb-'lifted lb-'lifted his head and tried to look at Qulntana I " Where Jake, Kloon?" demanded the latter At that the weasel wits of the trap-! robber awoke to the Instant crisis. ; Blood and pulso began to jump. He I passed one dirty hand over hid! mouth to mask an twltehlng. "Where my packet, eh''" Inquired Qulntana. 1 "Jake's cot It." Jverrtt't voice' I was growing stronger. His small eyes switched for an Instant toward his rifle, where It stood against a tree behind Qulntana ; "Where Is he, then, this Jake0" repeated Qulntana Impatiently I "He got bogged." I "Bogged? What It that, then?" He got into u sink-hole." "What!" j "That's all I know." said Iverett sullenly. "Hint nnd me was travelln' h-Il-bent to meet up with you Jake, he was for a short cut to Drowned Valley hut 'no,' sez I. "gimme u good hard ridge an a long detoor when there's sink-holes Into the woods ' " "What Is It the talk you talk to me?" asked Qulntanu, whose perplexed per-plexed features bepan to darken. "Where Is It, my packet0" "I m tcllln' you. ain't I?" retorted the other, raising a voice now shrill with tho strain of this new crlr'.s rushing so unexpectedly upon him: "I heard Jake give a holler. 'What the hell's (he trouble?' 1 yells. Then he lets out a boiler. Save me" he Bcreechee, 'I'm into a sink-hole! The Quicksand's got me.' bcs he. So I ,drop my rin.', 1 did -there she stands 'against that birch sapling! and I run down Into them thero plteher-pl plteher-pl 1 nts, " 'Whar be ye!" I yells. Then I listens, and don't hoar nothln' only a klna wallerln' noise an' a slobber like 1 he was gulpln" mud. "Then 1 roller them then sounds and 1 come out i,y that sink-hole. The. water was n-snakin' all over it but Jake he had went down plum out o' sight. T want no use. I cut a sapling an I poke down. I was sick land scared Ilk, so when you come nip over the moss, not makln' no noise,: an" grubbed rn -'iod' I gues you'd! jump, too " Qulntana's dark, tense face was expressionless when LeVerett ven- turerj to look at him Uke most 1 bars he realized tho advisability of looking Ills victim straight In the eyes. This he managed to accomplish, accom-plish, sustaining the cold Intensity of I Qulntana's gaze as lone: as he deemed I It necessary. Then he started to-1 ward his rifle. Qulntana blocked Mis 1 way. I Where my packet?" "Gol ram It! Ain't I told you? Jake had it in his pocket. ' "My packet?" "Yeas, yourn." ' My packet. It Is down 111 thPC sink "ole?" ' You think I'm lyln'?" blustered Leverett, trying to move around Qulntana's extended arm. The arm swerved and clutched him by the Collar of his flannel shirt. "Walt, my frlen'," said Qulntana In a soft voice. ' You shall explain to me some thing before you go." "Explain what! you gol dinged " Qulntana shook him Into speechlessness. uiawi, my irien . 11c roruinar.'i With a terrifying smile. mus" ask you what It was, that gun-shot, i which I le ir while I await at! Wron' Vallee. Kh? Who fire a Igun ? ' "I ain't heard no gun," replied Leverett In a strangled voice. "'You did not shoot? No?" "No! damn It all " "And Jake? He did not fire?" "No. I tell yeh " "Ah' Someone lies. It is not mo. my frlen'. No Let us examine! your rifle " Levertt made a rush for the gun, Qulntana slung him bach against the oak tree and thrust an automatic auto-matic fdstol against his chin. "Han's up, my frlen'." he said gently, " up! high up! or someone will fire another shot you shall never hear. . . . Sol . . . Now I search the other pocket . . So! . . Still no packet! Hah! Not In the pants, either? Ah. bah! Hut wait I Tlens! What Is this you hide inside your shirt "I was jokin'." gasped Leverett; " I was Jest a-goln' to give It to you ' "la that mj packet"" "Yes. It was all In fun; I wan't a-going to steal it " I Wulntana unbuttoned the gray wool shirt, thrust in his hand and I drew forth the packet for which Jake Kloon had died within tha I hour. I Suddenly Leverett'e knees gave. Way and he dropped to the grpund, groveling at Qulntana's feet In an' agony of fright: Don't hurt me," he screamed, I 1" I didn't meant no harm! Jake, I he wanted me to steal it. I tobj hlmj I was honest. I fired a shot to scares j I him, an" he tuk an' run off I wan t I a-goln' to Bteal It off you. so help me (,od' I was lonkln' for you as t;od is my witness " He got Qulntana by one foot Qulntana kicked him aside and; 'backed away. j "Swine." he said, calmly inspecting 1 the whlmporlng creature who had started to crawl toward him. j He hesitated, lifted his automatic, j I then, as though annoyed by Lover-' ett's deafening .shriek, shrugged,' : hesitated, pocketed both pistol and : packet, and turned on his heel. I By the birch sapling he paused and picked up Levcrett's rifle. Something Some-thing left a red smear on his palin as he worked the ejector . It was blood. Qulntana gazed curiously at his soiled hand. Then, ho stopped and picked up the empty cartridge case which had been ejected And, as ho -stooped, he noticed ntore blood on a fallen leaf. I With one foot, daintily as a gainc-j cock scratches, he brushed away the fallen leao-s, r euMng the i.iesa uti- I derneath. I After he had contemplated the crimson trices of murder for a few! ! moments, he turned and looked at I Leverett with faint curiosity. "So " lin said In his leisurely, emo-l tlonless way, "you have fight with my frlen' .lukn fur thee packett. Yes'." IVer amusing." He shrugged his In- i I difference, tossed the rifle to hla ! shoulder and. without another glance! ut the cringing creature on the' ground. walked away toward; Drowned Valli . unhurriedly. (Continued In Our Next Ivue) ivn |