i&POOL
feIOUIS JOSEPH VANC
ILLUSTRATIONSBY
ELLSWOROTYOTJNG
COPYRICHTI909 6y OUJIOSEPH VANE.
L
8YNOPSIS.
Tlio story opens nt Monte Carlo with
Cot. Terenco O'Rourko, n inltltitry freo
Innce and HomothlnR ot a gambler, In tits
hotel. IxmnlnB on ttio balcony ho sees a
I.enullfuJ Rlrl who suddenly enters tho
elevator and passes from stent.
CHAPTER II.
Aftor thnt bitter disappointment his
Interest In his personal appearnnco
dwindled to tho negligible In a black
temper with hlmseir (whom nlono ho
blamed for tho decoptlon to which
ho had' fallen too facile a victim) ho
searched blindly forafrosh tie. found
it Bomehow, nnd knotted It round his
collar in the most haphazard fashion
imaginable. Then he shrugged a drc83
coat upon his shoulders and marched
forth to dine.
In this humor ho propelled himself
with determination Into tho public res
taurant of the establishment, and, ob
livious to tho alluro of many pairs of
bright eyes that brightened all too
Teadlly to challenge his, Insisted upon
a table nil to himself, and dined in soli
tary grandeur, comporting himself
openly .as a morose and misunderstood
person, and to his waiter with a man
nor so near rude that tho lattor be
gan almost to respect him.
After some time ho was dlsgustod to
discover that ho felt bettor. An im
pulso toward analysis led him to probe
tho psychology of tho change, with tho
result that he Inld tho blamo for It at
tho door or tho nock of a half-bottlo
of excellent burgundy. So he ordorcd
another, and, resolutely dismissing
from his mind tho woman who had
no right whatever to bo ablo to sing
a certain song tho way sho bad, Bet
his wits to work on tho rlddlo of To
morrow. To a man whose trade wns fighting,
tho world JuBt then was a most dis
tressful place, too pencoful entirely.
Over his coffoo tho adventurer nod
ded in despair and frowned in dls
gust; then rousing, ho summoned tho
wulter and paid his reckoning with a
Hecrot grin nt himself, n flfty-frnno
noto and a gesture- which splendidly
obliterated altogether every traco of
suspicion that ho intended to ttiko
back any part of tho change duo him.
Trimming and lighting n clgnr, ho
rovlowed tho restaurant with a list
less oyo which discovered no one of
his acquaintance; therefore, with
neither hasto nor waste ot tlmo, ho
rosq and botook hlmsolf to tho Casino
that 1b, to tho one place where ono
may fool certnln ot oncounterlug, soon
er or later, everybody who is anybody
within the bounds of tho principality.
This night, moro particularly than
on tiny preceding it, now that ho had
mado up his mind to seek betterment
ot hla fortunes olsewhero. ho played
heodlOBsly, llttlo concornod with tho
fato of what money ho had about him.
Ho had sfct aside a reserve fund sufil-
clont to snttlo his hotel bill and carry
him n considerable distance Into the
unknown which ho wns resolved to
beard, and was rcBlgnod to lose
the remainder. It waB a tonet of hla
creed of fatalism that chance seldom
favored hlu when ho had money In
Ills pockets; tho tide of his affairs
must be at Ita loweBt obb pro.. It turn
ed, His policy then was obvious
cblldlslilj plain: ho must fling to tho
wnda all that which ho had.
Now nevor was there a man wh
played to loso who didn't win his
point. Colonel O'ltourko's case cau be1
cltod as no exception to this rulo 121
bow .to elbow on ono sldo with an art
loss pld ladjr from Torre Hnute, who
llsked her mlnlmums with the fero
clous. Jealousy of a miser raoklne an
unsecured loan, on the other with an
intent little Austrian gambler nbBorb
d In tho worklugB ot his "system,"
tho adventurer scattered gold upon
tho nuraborod and lllumlnnted grid
iron ns unconcernedly as though he
ha4 b,oen matching shillings, and saw
the coins gathered inby tho greedy
raku as often as tho little ivory ball
ceased to chntter on tho wheel.
For tho better pnrt of an hour this
continued. And tho llttlo group ot
Bycophauts which had gathered be
hind his chair to watch his play In
sensibly dissipated. A whisper ran
through tho ranks of tho hnbltues thnt
tho luck of tho mad Irishman had turn
ed; and forthwith ho ceased to bo an
object ot intorest. Only the little
Jiustrlnu, having risked tho numbor
of stakes prescribed by his system for
ono eveniug'B play, put away his note
book and penoll and, surrendering his
placo to another, lingered behind
O'ltourko's chnlr.
At length, Inexpressibly bored and
too impntlont to defer the Inovltablo
by niggardly wagers, O'Rourko ran
ciacked his ppekots and placed the pro
ceedsseveral hundred francs I am
aa ignorant of the amount ns he was
Indifferent to it upon tho red.
. There fell a lull, tho croupier hold
ing the wheel to'pormlt nn unbaked
cub of Chicago millions to cover tho
2
j- fc f -- 1 1 I I 1 " . "fc. T
cloth with stakes too numerous for
his ball-dovclopcd intelligence tokeop
count of; and tho ndventuror shitted
In his seat, rovlowlng the assemblage.
For some moments, through tho mys
terious working of that sixth sense
which men are pleased vaguely to do
nomlnato Intuition, ho had been sub
consciously nwaro of being the object
of some person's flxod regard, thnt
somebody wns not only watching, but
weighing him. Ho sought the sourco
ot this sensation And, for a llttlo time,
sought It unsuccessfully. Annoyed,
ho persisted. Ho heard tho croupier's
mechanical "Rein no va plus," follow
ed by tho whirring of tho whoel, but
cared so little that ho would not turn
to watch the outcome, (inly an ex
clamation of the Austrian's appraised
him of the fnct that red had won. He
glanced listlessly round to see tho
money doubled, and lot it rest, turn.
Ing hack to his survoy of tho throng.
A moment later his attention becamo
fixed upon two men who stood in tho
doorwny, looking townrd him. Again
tho who-il buzzed, tho ball clattered and
was still. Tho word rouge among oth
ers In tho announcement told him that
again he had won; this time, however,
ho did not turn, but, frowning in
speculation, stared back at tho two.
Stared? Indeed and ho did Just
that. If It was Impert!nont,,Buro and
wero they not staring at him? And
who should gainsay an O'Rourko tho
right to Btaro at anybody, bo ho king
or commoner? Furthermore, who
might theso men bo, and what their
Interest In, himself?
Tho ono wns tall and Blonder, sat
urnine; nn elegant, owing as much to
tho art of IiIb tailor and upholsterer
as to his own Indisputable, natlvo dis
tinction; n Frenchman at least of a
typo unquestionably Gallic. Ills faco
was veny pale, his fine, pointed mus
tacho very precise, Jaw squnro. foro
bond high, eyes deep and dark be
neath brows heavy, lovel and black,
manner markod by a roposo almost
threatening In Its impassibility.
His cotnpnnlon was shorter of stat
uro, a younger mnn by at least ten
years, rather stout nnd very nervous,
with a fresh .red face marred by hall
marks of dissipation; British, every
inch of him.
"Thnt, I'm . thinking," muBcd
O'Rourko, "will bo tho Honorablo
Bertie Glynn. Faith, ho looks tho
part, at leant; 'tis Just thnt kind In
bred, underbred, without brains or real
stamina that would run through a
hnlt-mllllon sterling Insldo a year."
Hut tho other? t
"Monsieur," tho llttlo Austrian stam
mered excitedly In his ear, "for you tho
red had doubled a fourth tlmo."
"Thank yo," ropllod O'Rourko with
out moving. '"Twill turn up sovon,
this- nln."
fled.
But the other? O'Rourko continued
to probo his memory. Something in
tho man's personality was curiously
reminiscent, . . . Of n sudden ho
remembered. Tho Frenchman had
beon pointed out to him. years ago, In
Paris, as a principal In a Boulevard
scandal which hnd tormlnnted In a
duol a roal duel, In which- ho .had
been victorious. Ho was accustomed
tp anticipate such an outcomo of his
affair of honor, however; that was
why ho had been named to O'Rourko;
Dos TreboM (that was tho name; the
Vlscomto deB Trobos) was a duelist of
International dlsreputo.
"Monsieur," tho ngltatcd voice flut
tered In his oar, "you huvo von yet
again for tho sixth tlmo!"
"Lot It Btand for tho soventh, mon
11ml."
Why should Des Trebos bo watch
ing him so openly, so pointedly? As
ho watched ho bocamo nwnro that
these two, the Frenchman and tho
Englishman, wero not nlono; detached
though their attltudo was, they Wori
evidently of a party of ladles and gen
tlemen whoso gay, chattorlng group
formqd tholr background.
"MonBlour, tho seventh turnj"
"Yes, yos."
"Roln no va plus," cronked tho
croupier,
Ono ot the ladles turned to speak to
tho Honornhlo Mr. Glynn. Smiling,
ho nodded, and ottered her an arm.
Sho lingered, nddresslng Des Trobes.
Tho latter bowed, lifted his shouldors
and laughed lightly, plnlnly excusing
himself, A general movomont took
placo In tbo party It began to disin
tegrate, men nnd women pairing off,
nil moving ut lelsuro toward tho lobby.
Des Trobos alone remained. O'Rourko
could boo that tho porsonnol ot the
gathering was largely British. He
recognized Lady Plinllmmou. whoso
yacht (ho had hoard cnsually) had ar
rived in tho harbor that'morining. Evi
dently this was her party. Anothor
womau'B figuro caught his attention;
her back was turned, but sho had an
air, a graceful set of the shoulders, an
yS?S e TSfr- . -- I w 1 LI
1 v-f
Individual prldo and spirit In tho polso
of hor head, that O'Rourko could have
sworn ho knew. Ho was conscious
that ho flushed suddenly, that his
heart was pounding. Ho mado as if to
rise and follow, but was prcvonted.nl
most forced back by a hand which tho
Austrian In his fovcrlBh interest had
unconsciously placed on tho Irish
man's shoulder.
"Monsieur, tnonsleurl" ho gasped,
his eyes, protruding, fixed upon tho
whcol. Bends of sweat glistened on
his forehead. Ho trembled as though
IiIb own fortunes hung on tho change.
Impressed, O'Rourko could not for
boar to linger, to cast n reluctant
glnnco at the table.
Tho slzo of his pllo ot gold and
notes on tho red was a somewhat
startling sight to him'. His breath
Btopped In his throat. The Ivory sphere
was rattling over tho compartments
to Its predestined plnce. What If he
wero to win? O'Rourko began to cal
culato mentully how much he had at
stako, how much ho might win if hiB
careless prediction that red would turn
up the seventh time should como true
lost his bearings in a maze of intri
cate computation nnd was on the
point of abandoning tho problem when
black wan called.
"Great God!" panted tho Austrian,
withdrawing his hand.
O'Rourko rose. "The fortunes of
wnr, mo friend," said ho with a laugh
so unforced thnt tt sounded unnatu
ral. Ho strode away hastily, search
ing tho throng In tho lobby for her
with whom his mind was occupied to
tho exclusion of all else.
Tho system-gambler followed hlmi
with a stnro of Incredulous nmazo-"
mont. "What n man!", said he
'to himself, if half aloud. A second
later ho added: "What admirable act
ing!" But ho was mistaken. Thero was
nothing assumeil In O'Rourke's nlr ot
apathy. Ho was actually quite Indif
ferent and already preoccupied with
hla now Interest tho pursuit of the
woman whoso unexpected nppearanco
In Monto Carlo seemed likely to upset
all his calculations. The anils of the
barquo ot his fortunes hnd all his
Ufo long been trimmed to tho winds
of Chance; he was nccustomed to see
ing them fall flat and flapping, empty,
Just when n venturo seemed most
propitious. Tho loss ot tho money
was nothing; the initial amount had
been little enough In nil conscience,
though tho major part of all that ho
possessed; but to him tho woinnn was
everything tho world and all.
And now she wns cone, hnd disap
peared with her companions! In that
Instant in which he hnd turned from
her to tho table, sho had mado her es
cape, Ho cursed roundly the weakness
that had lost her to him, and passing
rapidly through the lobby, left tho
Casino, pausing beforo tho entrance
to look right nnd left.
Thoro waB no sign ot what ho
sought; tho pnrty had vanished. And
who should sny whither?
"Damnation!" ho grumbled.
"Monsieur," a voice intruded at hiB
sldo.
"Ho turned with a start, annoyed.
"Well?" ho demanded curtly, recogniz
ing Do Trobos.
Tho Frenchman bowed. "I have tho
honor to address Monsieur lo Colonel
O'Rourko?"
Reflecting thnt the man might af
ford htm tho information ho sought,
O'Rourko unbent. "I am he, Monsieur
des Trobes."
Surprised, tho latter lifted his eye
brows, showing even white ,eth In a
deprecatory smile. "You know me,
monsieur?"
"By sight and reputation only, mon
sieur." "I am honored."
"No mcro than mosolf, If tt comes to
that."
Tho ilcomto Inughod "Then I may
prosumo to ask tho favor of a word
with you?"
"Aro yo not hnvlng It, monsieur?"
"Truo . . . But In prlvpte?"
"Ono momout. Yo can do mo a
favor, If yo will. Afterwards"
"I am chnrmed." v
"'Tis not much I'll be nsklng yo
merely n question or two. ' Now thnt
gentlomnn yo wore talking with awhile
bnck: Isn't he tho Honorablo Bertie
Olynn?"
"Tho Bnmo, monsieur."
"And tho lady who , Bpoko to
him?"
"Madamo Smyth-IIorrott, I believe;
1 know her only Bllghtly."
"Then yo aro not of their pnrty?"
"Party?" Dos Trobes appearod per
plexed. "What party?"
"Why, Lady Pltnllmmou's, of
course."
"I have not tho honor of thnt lady's
acquaintance, monsieur,"
"Oh, ye havo not? But Mr. Glynn?"
"Ib hero with mo, monsieur a fly
ing trip. Wo ran down from Porta but
yesterday. Our meeting with Madamo
Smyth-Herrlott was qulto accidental."
"Oh, tho dlvvlol" Bald O'Rourko be
neath his breath. Plainly ho might
expect nothing moro helpful from this
man; ho had Jumped prematurely at a
bnscless conclusion, it seemed. And
by now it was much too lato to think
of further pursuit. "Thnt Is all I
wished to know, monsieur," ho admit
ted lamely. "There was a lady In tho
group whom I thought I recognized.
I wished to And her, nnd fancied ye
might perhaps direct me. Yo didn't
by nny chnnco happen to hear Mrs
bmyth-Herrlot say where, sho was go
ing with Mr. Glynn?"
, "Unhappily, no, monsieur."
"Very well thon. What can I have
tho happiness to Bervo yo In?"
Tho Frenchman hesitated briefly.
"This Is a trlflo public," ho suggest
ed. ''Will you not bo kind enough to
walk with mo a llttlo dlstanco, while
wo converse?"
"Gladly, monsieur."
Des Trebes produced a cigarette case,
and together, smoking, tho two turned
their backs upon tho casino nnd wan
dered oft along tho paths of the ter
raced gardens. Ever descending, they
carao at length to the secluded, llttlo
lighted and less frequented portions of
the grounds which border the water
front, and presently sat sldo by sldo
upon a bench, looking out over the
harbor. Then and then only did Des
Trebes approach his subject some
thing which ho had until now studious
ly avoided, distracting tho not over
patient Irishman by a falling Are of
banalities.
"1 dare say, Colonel O'Rourke," he
"I Have the Honor to Address
suggested abandoning his mother
touguo for excellent English "I dare
say you aro wondering "
"I am thnt."
"I foared so. But It wa3 essential
that wo should speak In privacy."
"Yes?"
"But before I proceed, may I. put you
a question or two bordering, perhaps,
upon Importlncncc, yet not so con
ceived?" "What n long-winded beggar!"
O'Rourko commented mentally. "As
for that," said ho aloud, " 'tis impos
sible for mo to calculato tho Imperti
nence until 'tis put to me. Eh?"
"Bellove me, sir, I am anxious only
to avoid Indiscretion. It Is tho ques
tion of your Identity alone. I desire
only to bo assured that you aro tho
Colonol O'lVourko I take you to be."
"My faith! And who else would 1
bo, uow?"
"Thero's tho baro possibility that
two ot the Bnmo namo might exist."
"Tis so bnro thnt 'tis fairly Indo
cont." chuckled the Irishman. "But Are
away."
"l am not mistaken in assuming
that I addresa tho Colonel Terence
O'Rourko who was at ono tlmo a party
to le petit Lemercle's mad Empire du
Sahara project and who Inter mar
ried Lcmarcicr's widow, Madamo la
Prlncesso do Grnndlleu?"
O'Rourko took a long breath and
looked his questioner up and down.
"Yo have a very pretty tasto In the
mntters of impertinences," ho said
gravely. "However, let that pass. I'm
tho 'same man."
"A thousand pnrdons. Caution in
matters such' as thlB " A shrug com
pleted tho thought most eloquently.
"You can give mo proofs of your iden
tity, thon?"
"Proofs!" O'Rourko got to his feet.
"Believe mo, monsieur, yo havo all tho
proof I'm willing to glvo ye, and that's
my last word." If yo And it insufficient,
why, then"
"Pardon I" Des Trebes Interrupted,
rising. "I nra myself moro than con
tent. But the Government of Franco "
"Tho Government of Franco I"
O'Rourko whiBtled.
''Is moro exacting than I. It knows
a certnln Colonel O'Rourko nnd him
nlono docs it need."
"Tho dlvvlo it does! And what will
It bo wanting with mo?"
"I enn say nt present no moro than
that I represent Government In an
nffalr demanding secrecy nnd dispatch.
I havo n certain diplomatic mission to
dischnrgo, and shall lmvo need, mon
sieur, of n man strong, bold, venture
some, willing to undertake a long and
perhaps perilous Journey." Had Des
Trebes been Inspired ho could havo
formulated no speech better calculated
to Intrigue tho Irishman; the merest
echo of Its import would have fired
his hearer's fancy. Ho ndded: "And 1
nm authorized to retain for that pur
pose, should I bo fortunate enough to
And him unengaged, a certain Colonel
Terenco O'Rourke."
"Say no more, monsieur. 'Tis
enough. 'Secrecy dispatch a long
and perilous Journey!' Faith I'm Just
your man!"
"You have no other business of tho
moment?"
"None whatever."
"Thon I nm indeed fortunate. And
now, I presume, you will no longer
object to satisfying me as to your iden
tity." "Not in tho least. Although, to-be
candid, monsieur, I'm not in the hab
it of carrying mo Bertllllon recprd
about mo. But it ye'll have tho good
nes to accompany mo to the Orient,
over there, I'll put your mind at ease
beforo yo. can say knlfo."
Des Trebes nodded. "I should bo
delighted, but unfortunately" ho
snapped the case of his watch "I
havo an appointment with a confrere.
May we fix a time In half an hour,
Monsieur Le Colonel O'Rourke."
say when it will be convenient fo.
you to have me call nt' tho Orient?"
"In half an hour? I'll await ye
then, monsieur."
"Pardon, then, my hnsto. I am late.
I must be off."
The man's hand touched O'Rourke's
in the most brief ot clasps, singularly
Arm and cold. Tho Irishman pondered
the sensation for some moments after
Des Trebes' hurrying figure hnd van
ished In shadows.
"I don't Ilka it." ho averred; "'tis
a bad sign a hand that's nnturall
cold. I never yet touched one like it
that belonged to a man ye could trust.
I misdoubt he's sound nt the core,
Des Trebes. . . . But then, what's
tho odds? Can I not tako care of mo
solf? And since 'tis tho Government
of Franco I'm trentlng with, and hlm
solf only the medium that puts alto
gether a different complexion on the
matter."
Ho spent tho ensuing halt-hour loi
tering in tho more populous portion
of the grounds, smoking ns ho stroll
ed, his eyes keen to scrutinize ench
woman who enmo his way. But he dis
covered none resembling her whom h
had seen In tho Casino.
(TO I1E CONTINUED.)
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"That man seems to be greatly de
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"Yes. Ho must live In some town
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"I lot my houso furnished, nnd
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Calculation.
"Going to mako garden?"
"I dunno," replied the man who al
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t
Oh, Learned Judge.
A California Judge decided that
there Is no judicial authority to keep
a man from making lovo to his wife,
although it could stop his boating her.
The rcmarkablo causo of this remark
able decision was that a woman in
Los Angeles had applied for an injunc
tion to restrain her husband from In
sisting on. being attentive to her. Thte
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ized that only a Solomon could bo
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Inconsistencies of womankind.
KNOWS NOW
Doctor Was Tooled by His Own Casa
For a Time.
It's easy to understand ha-w, ordi
nary peoplo ge,t fooled by coffio when
doctors themnolvos sometlmo'j foreat
tho facts.
A physician Bpeaks of his own expe
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did not exactly believe it was injuring
me although I had palpitation of tho
heart every day. (Tea contains caf
felne the same drug found in coffoo
and is Just as harmful as coffee.)
"Finally ono day a sevora and al
most fatal atack of heart trouble
frightened mo nnd I gave up both tea
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since that tlmo I havo had absolutely
no heart palpitation except on ono or
two occnslons vhen I tried a small
(nnnntlfv if nnffan u-hlnti .n.ion .....i.
Irritation and preved to mo I nust let
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"When wo began using Postum It
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but now wo put it. llttlo bit or but
ter in tho pot when boiling and nllow
tho Postum to boll full 15 minutes
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"I have advised n great many of
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Mnny thousands of physicians uso
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