The Hooker Advance (Hooker, Okla.), Vol. 9, No. 19, Ed. 1 Friday, June 14, 1912 Page: 2 of 8
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SAPOO
FLAME
—
by LOUIS JOSEPH VANC
ILLUSTRAT10NS^/BY ^
ELLSWORJB^OUNG^^
COPTRICHT1909 by LOUIS-^JOSEPH VANCE.
6O LIKE HIM.
8YNOPSIS.
The story opens at Monte Carlo with
Col. Terence O'Rourke, a military free
lance and something of a gambler, in his
hotel. Leaning on the balcony he sees a
beautiful girl who suddenly enters the
?Ievator and passes from sight. At the
gaming table O'Rourke notices two men
watching him. One is the Hon. Bertie
Glynn while his companion Is Viscount
Des Trebes, a duelist. The viscount tells
him the French government has directed
him 10 O'Rourke as a man who would
undertake a secret mission. At his apart-
.nent, O'Rourke. who had agreed to a..-
dertake the mission, finds a mysterious
letter. The viscount arrives, hands a
sealed package to O'Rourke, who is not
to open it until on the ocean. A pair of
dainty slippers are seen protruding from
under a doorway curtain. The Irishman
finds the owner of the mysterious feet to
be his wife, Beatrix, from whom he had
run away a year previous. They are
reconciled, and opening the letter he finds
that a Rangoon law firm offers him
100,000 pound." for a Ji wel known as the
Pool of Flame and left to him by a dy-
ing friend, but now in keeping of one
named Chambret in Algeria. O'Rourke
worsts the nobleman in a duel. The wife
bids O'Rourke farewell and he promises
to soon return with the reward. He dis-
covers both Olynn and the viscount on
board the ship. As he finds Chambret
there is an attack by bandits and his
friend dies telling O'Rourke that he has
left the Pool of Flame with the governor
general, who at sight of a signet ring
given the colonel will deli er over the
jewel. Arriving at Algeria the Irishman
finds the governor general away. Des
Trebes makes a mysterious appointment,
and tells O'Rourke that he has gained
possession of the jewei bv stealing it. In
a duel O'Rourke masters the viscount,
secures possession of the Pool of Flame
and starts by ship for Rangoon. He finds
the captain to be a smuggler who tries to
steal the jewel. It Is finally secured by
the captain and O'Rourke rsrapes to
land. With the nid of one Danny and
his sweetheart, O'Rourke recovers the
Pool of Flame. On board ship once more,
bound for Rangoon, a mysterious lady
appears. O'Rourke comes upon a lascar
about to attack the lady, who Is a Mrs.
Prynne, and kicks the man Into the hold.
CHAPTER XX.—(Continued.)
Her Bplrit, through her eyes, an-
swered his In a flash. Then cooling,
she looked him over from crown to
tie, weighing him deliberately in the
balance of her knowledge of men.
fie bore the inspection with equanim-
ity, quite sure of himself, as was nat-
ural In the O'Rourke. Provoked, put
on his mettle, he felt himself invin-
cible, and showed It In every line of
bis pose. She could not have wavered
long; Indeed, her decision was quite
manifest. 'ImpulsUely she caught his
two hand° *n her own.
V.'Yes," she cried, "I do believe you!
1 take you at your word—your gener-
ous word, Colonel O'Rourke! I will
trust Implicitly In you. You shall get
me to Bombay by the fifteenth."
"The fifteenth J" he echoed thought-
fully^ "This is the tenth."
"The Panjnab Is scheduled to ar-
rive on the fifteenth. All my plans
depend upon there being no delays."
_ "Five dajs! r "f It shall 1 b§
ma?!agld. Mrs. Prynne. Bombay by
the fifteenth it shall be. or the
O'Rourke will have broken his heart!"
She grew thoughtful. "You are very
good—I've told you that. I believe
that you will accomplish what you
promise. Yet it seems hardly fair to
saddle you with my cares, my perils,
without informing you of their na-
ture—"
"Madam, 'tis not the O'Rourke who j
would ever be prying into your se-
crets. Let's not complicate a simple
situation with explanations."
"But, colonel, there is one thing |
mor«." He paused. "It is a question." •
Ehe continued, "of chartering a ship
at Aden, is it not?"
"I see no other way."
"Then—spare no expense. Colonel
O'Rourke. Remember that I foot the
bill."
"But—er—"
"Or, if you insist, sir. I pay nothing:
Great Britain pays for both of us."
Eh? Yes?" he stammered.
"But see. colonel."
He had before then noted indiffer-
ently that she wore a chain of thin,
fine gold about her neck, its termina-
tion—presumably a locket of some
sort—hidden in the folds of her cor-
sage Now she quietly pulled this
forth, and displayed her pendant, a
little trinket of gold, a running grey-
bound exquisitely modeled.
Stunned, he stared first at the top,
then at the woman. "Ye mean to say
—?" he whispered, doubting.
"On the King's service. Colonel
O'Rourke'"
"A King's courier, madam? You—
a woman!"
"And why not?" she demanded
proudly "The King's messengers dare
many dangers. It's true But In some
of tbem might not a woman serve bel-
ter than a man?"
True enough Yet lis unprece-
dented—At least,
usual I b**1n
Ioscar, for i&atai
"Believe me. (
it liberty to tell
"T«U me tbla
know him If J*
"Trutbfull*." she said, looking htm
to the ey*. 1 would not. I will say
one other word: I had anticipated bis
attack, although 1 had never seen him
"Faith, 'tis yourself that has your
courage with ye. Mrs. Prynne! . . .
But good night, madam! Your serv-
ant!"
"Good night, colonel," she said softly,
and as she watched him swing away
laughed lightly and strangely. Later,
still standing outside her door, she
sighed, and an odd light glowed deep
in her eyes of grayish-green. Sighing
again, and with another low laugh
that rang a thought derisive, as
though she were flouting the man
whose service she accepted so gladly,
she turned and vanished within her
stateroom.
As she did bo. the opposite door—
that of an inside stateroom on the
same gangway—was opened cautious-
ly. A turbaned head peered out, its
eyes glancing swiftly up and down the
corridor. Long since, however, the
excited passengers had been reassur-
ed and had returned to their berths;
the coast was clear.
The lascar stepped noiselessly out,
shut the door without a sound, and
sped swiftly forward: a long, brown
man with an impassive cast of coun-
tenance In which his eyes shone with
a curious light.
As h^ swung into the space at the
foot of the saloon companionway, he
collided violently with an undersized
and excessively red-headed Irishman,
nearly upsetting the latter, to say
nothing of a glass of brandy-and-soda
which he was conveying to a certain
stateroom.
"Phwat the divvle, ye domned nay-
gur! Pwhy d'ye not look where ye're
going?" demanded Danny with some
heat.
The East Indian backed away, bow-
ed profoundy, mumbling something in-
articulate, and sprang up the steps.
Danny looked after him. for a moment
hesitant, then put down the tray and
pursued. He caught the flicker of the
lascar's cummerbund as the latter es-
caped to the deck, and himself arrived
at the forward end of the promenade
just in time to see a white shape dis-
appear into the steerage companion-
way.
"I'd take me oath," said Danny re-
flectively, "thot he'b the naygur thot
came aboard at Suez. 'Tis meself
thot wishes I'd had a bettber peep at
the ugly mug av him. I'm thinking
I'd betther be after tellin' himself."
dersti
most uo-
nd. That
>'Roi
I'm
: 'east would ye
htm again?"
CHAPTER XXI.
Lurching drunkenly into the harbor
known locally as Aden Back Bay. the
Panjnab came to anchor.
O'Rourke, from the lower grating of
the steamship's accommodation lad-
der, signaled to one of the swarm of
hovering dlngbys, and waiting for it to
come in. reviewed the anchored ship-
ping. gathered transiently together In
that spot from the four corners of the
earth, and shook his head desponding-
ly.
A yellow-haired Somali boatman
shot his little craft in to the grating.
O'Rourke dropped upon the stern-seat
and took the tiller. "Post Office pier,"
he said curtly. The dinghy shot away
with dipping, dripping oars, while the
Irishman continued to search among
the vessels for anything that seemed
to promise the speed necessary for his
purpose, and failed to discover one.
" 'Tis hopeless," he conceded bitter-
ly as the boat wove a serpentine wake
in and out among the heaving bulks.
"And, I'm thinking, 'tis the O'Rourke
who will presently be slinking back to
confess he bragged beyond his pow-
ers. The fool that ye are, Terence,
with your big words and your fine
promises, all empty as your purse!
Tis out of patience I am with ye en-
tirely!"
Doubtless he made the very picture
of unhappiness.
So. at least, seemed to think a man
lounging in a dilapidated canvas deck-
chair beneath a dirty awning in the
stern of a distant tramp steamer;
who. raking the shoreward bound with
a pair of rusty binoculars, bad chanced
to focus upon O'Rourke
"Looks as if be hadn't a friend In
the world." said the man audibly.
I-ooks as if a letter from home with
cash draft 'ud about fill his little bill."
He grunted in pleased appreciation
of his own subtle wit. A short man
he waa. stout, very much at home In
grimy pajamas and nothing else, with
eyes small, blue. Informed with twin-
kling humor and set in a florid coun-
tenance bristling wtth a three daya'
growth of grayish beard
He swung the glass** again upon
O'Rourke. and. "Hell!" he exclaimed,
sitting up with stimulated Interest.
"Well, by links!" said the stoat man.
Who'd athunk It?"
He not up with evident haste and
waddled forward to the bridge, where
be came upoo what he evidently need-
ed la bis business: a huge and bat-
• r*d megaphone Applying this to
bl« Ug* and filling bis lungs he bel-
lowed with a right good will, and his
hail, not unlike the roaring of an
amiable bull, awoke Aden's echoes:
"O-o-Rourke!" ,
"Good morning," murmured the Irsh-
man, lifting his head to stare about
him with . Incredulous curiosity.
"Who's that barking at me?"
The pajama'd person continuing to
shout at the top of his voice, by dint
of earnest staring the Irishman event-
ually located the source of the up-
roar. "Now who the divvle might ye
be?" he wondered. "Ananias, me
friend"—to the boatman—"row to the
steamer yonder where the noise comes
from."
Whereupon the stout man, seeing
the boat alter its course, put aside the
megaphone. And again peace brooded
over Aden.
On nearer approach to the tramp.
O'Rourke's smile broadened to a
pleased grin, and airily he waved a
hand to the man with the voice.
"Jimmy Quick!" he observed with
unfeigned delight. "Faith, I begin to
believe that me luck holds, after all!"
From the bottom step of the tramp's
ladder he tossed a coin to the boat-
man. then mounted to the deck. In-
continently the stout man fell heavily
upon his neck with symptoms of ex-
treme joy. A lull succeeding his first
transports, he wiped his eyes, beamed
upon his guest and suggested insinuat-
ingly: "Drink?"
"Brevity's ever the soul of your
wit, captain." said O'Rourke. "I will."
And he meekly followed Quick's bare
heels forward to the officer's quarters
beneath the bridge.
Having set him in a chair. Quick,
still a-gurgle, wandered off. unearth-
ed a bottle, beamed upon his visitor,
asked a dozen questions in as many
breaths and, without waiting for an I
answer, waddled ofT again to return j
with a brace of dripping soda-water
bottles. "Schweppe's," he said, pat- j
ting their rotund forms tenderly;
"and the last in our lockera—all in
your honor, colonel."
"So?" commented O'Rourke. "Hard
up, is it? 'Tis not the O'Rourke who j
head, relieved by ragged patches of
gray hair about the temples, apolo-
getically Into the cabin door.
"The top of the day to ye, Dravos!"
said O'Rourke loudly, for little Dravos
was partially deaf. "And how are the
engines?"
The engineer carefully hitched up
his trousers and regarded the wander-
er with temperate geniality.
"Good afternoon. Colonel O'Rourke,"
he replied, clipping his words mincing-
ly. "Very nicely, * thank you."
He shook hands, sat down on the edge
of a berth with the manner of one_
who fears he intrudes, and glanced
searchingly at Quick. "If you're go-
ing to serve the drinks, cap'n," he
snapped acidly, "hump yourself!"
He accepted his glass with a dis-
passionate air and drank hastily after
a short nod to the guest, as one who
sacrifices his personal inclinations to
the laws of hospitality. But from his
after-glow of benevolence, O'Rourke
concluded that the drink had not been
unweliome.
"What brings you here?" demanded
Quick in a subdued roar.
"I've a job for ye, if so be it ye're
not otherwise engaged—and if ye can
do it."
Quick slapped a huge thigh delight-
edly. "I knew it—could have sworn
to it!"
"Can do anything." asserted Dravos
with asperity.
" 'Tis merely a question of speed,"
explained the Irishman. "Can ye make
Bombay in four days—be the fif-
teenth?"
"Dravos," roared Quick, "how much
speed can you get out of those
damned engines?"
"Twenty knots," snapped Dravoa.
"When can you sail?"
"To-night," said Dravos.
"If," stipulated Quick, "I can piek
up a crew in Aden."
" 'Tis settled then."
"We'll need a bit of money In ad-
vance."
"Ye shall have It. within reason."
Dravos rose and sidled towards the
door, a faraway look in his pale eyes.
Mahone, to Danny's intense dlpmay.
O'Rourke took upon himself the du-
ties of first officer under Captain
Quick. The Irishman cared little for
the sea, knew less of a first officer's
duties; but it was patent that Quick
could not stand every watch, and
O'Rourke was not to be daunted by
any such slight matter as nautical in-
experience.
In the knowledge that they were
safely off at last there was poignant
relief to the wanderer, as he stood by
Quick's side, on the bridge, with mid-
night imminent and the ship still and
peaceful. "Ill stand the night watch-
es," the captafn announced. "By
morning we'll be far enough out for
you to take hold without spraining the
art of seamanship. G'dnlght."
"Thank ye," said OTtourke. In fact,
he had long been sensible that he was
very drowsy; the night wind in bis
face had something to do with that.
"Good night," he returned, and went
down the ladder to the deck.
At its foot he paused, turning curi-
ously; it seemed that surely there
must be some serious trouble afoot in
the crew. The Irishman could see In
the glimmer of the forecastle lantern
a confused blur of naked, shining,
brown bodies and limbs, apparently
inextricably locked. A scream rang
shrill and there followed the sound of
a heavy fall.
Overhead, on the bridge. Quick waa
roaring himself hoarse, without effect
The sounds of shuffling, of blows,
harsh breathing, stifled cries, contin-
ued. A knot of the contestants swept,
whirling, aft, toward the superstruct-
ure. Something shot singing through
the air; the wind of it fanned
O'Rourke's cheek.
With an unconscious, surprised oath,
O'Rourke stepped aside, his hand go-
ing toward his revolver. The missile
struck a stanchion, glanced and fell
clattering into the scuppers. Revolver
in hand, he went forward to the rail
overlooking the struggling rabble on
the deck below. But they seemed in-
tent only on their private differences,
and Quick's roars were bringing them
to their senses. Gradually the tumult
subsided, the contestants separating
and slinking forward to their quarters.
"It may have been chance,"
O'Rourke conceded a bit doubtfully.
He swung about and moved aft bIow-
lv, examining the deck intently. In a
moment or two he stopped and picked
up a long, thin-bladed knife, double-
edged and keen as a razor. The point
was broken, having doubtless been
snapped off at the moment of contact
with the deck-house. O'Rourke turned
it over soberly.
"Faith. I don't like to think it waa
intentional—but me head would have
been split had it come two inches to
the left."
He returned to the bridge, calling
Quick aside. "You're armed?"
"Certainly—always armed when I'm
dealing with these devils. Why?"
O'Rourke showed him the knife.
Quick laughed at his theory. "Noth-
ing in it," he was pleased to believe.
ChoRy—'That photograph Dolly took
of me turned out to be a perfect blank
—did she tell you about it?
Daisy—Yes; she told me it was a
perfect likeness!
BABY'S ECZEMA AND BOILS
"My son waa about three weeks old
when I noticed a breaking-out on hi®
cheeks, from which a watery sub-
stance oozed. A short time after, his
arms, shoulders and breast broke out
also, and in a few day* became a solid
scab. I became alarmed, and called
our family physician who at once pro-
nounced the disease eczema. The lit-
tle fellow was under treatment for
about three months. By the end of
that time, he seemed no better. I be-
came discouraged. I dropped the doc-
tor's treatment, and commenced the-
use of Cuticura Soap and Ointment,
and in a few days noticed a marked,
change. The eruption on his cheek#
was almost healed, and his shoulders,
arms and breast were decidedly bet-
ter. When he was about seven months
old, all trace of the eczema was gone.
"During his teething period, his
head and face were broken out in
boils which I cured with Cuticura
Soap and Ointment. Surely he must
have been a great BufTerer. During
the time of teething and from the time
I dropped the doctor's treatment, I
used the Cuticura Soap and Cuticura
Ointment, nothing else, and when two
years old. he was the picture of health.
His complexion was soft and beauti-
ful, and his head a mass of silky curls.
I had been afraid that he would never
be well, and 1 feel that I owe a great
deal to the Cuticura Remedies."
(Signed) Mrs. Mary W. Ramsey, 224
E. Jackson St., Colorado Springs, CoW
Sept. 24, 1910. Although Cuticurai
Soap and Ointment are sold by drug-
gists and dealers everywhere, a sam-
ple of each, wrlth 32-page book, will b
mailed free on application to "Cuti-
cura," Dept. L, Boston.
Simplest Way of All.
The following story the Saturday-
Evening Post says is told of Col.
George W. Goethals, who at the time
it took place was an instructor in en-
gineering at West Point.
One day, in a recitation, he gave out
this question to a class of cadets:
"The post flagpole, sixty feet high,
has fallen down. You are ordered by
your commanding officer to put it up
again. Yon have under your command
a sergeant and ten privates of the en-
gineer corps. How would you get the
pole back Into place?"
Each cadet, after long consideration
and much figuring over the derricks,
blocks, tackle and so on, evolved a
different method.
"No," said Goethals, "you are all
wrong. You would simply say: 'Ser-
geant, put up that flagpole!'"
Judged by the Wires.
Hostess (to her little guest)—So
you don't burn gas up at your house
at all?
Dorothy—Oh, no. Indeed; every bit
of light we use is pact by telegraph.
With an Unconscious. Surprised Oath, O'Rourke Stepped Aside.
would be wishing ye 111. captain. Jear.
but. faith, meself's not sorry to hear
I that word this day. I'm thinking me
j luck is sound, after all."
Quick had again vanished. Present-
ly O'Rourke heard bis mighty voice
I booming down an engine-roam ventila
tor. "Dravoa! Dravos. you loafer!
Come up and see a atrsnge fight "
He came back, still vibrant with an
elephantine sort of Joy. "O'Rourke."
be panted mopping a damp brow with
the aleeve of his Jacket, "you're a
good sight for sore eye* Never did
we me«t up with you yet but there
came a run of luck."
- TU good bearing." aald O'Rourke.
1 smiling
1 A alight tittle man slipped a bald
"You strike the bargain. Quick," he
aald; "111 have a look around the
engine-room."
"Rlght-O. Bobby. . . . Youraelf
alone. I s'pose. O'Rourke?"
"And three others. Danny—"
"Yes, yes."
"And two 1adi* s; an Engllshwom
an and ber maid."
CHAPTER XXII.
By nine o'clock the Ranee lay with
steam up. ready to weigh anchor
It Is no praise to DraTos to state
that hla engines ware In admirable
coodlUoa. Such waa their Invariable
state. FDr an assistant be Impreeaed
into service nonw other than Danny
CHAPTER XXIII.
The day came out of the East with
a windy swagger; as Quick bad fore-
told, a series of thunderstorms swept
the sea before dawn, so that it, like '
the sky. seemed newly washed, clean
and brilliant.
O'Rourke relieved Quick at four
bells of the morning watch and kept
the deck for the remainder of the day,
his meals being brought to him on
the bridge. His duties were simple
enough, requiring tittle more than a
display of the habit of authority
which sat so well on his broad shonr-
ders. It was no great trick to keep I
the crew In order: they went about
their work peaceably enough and
showed no signs of desiring to renew
their disputations. Otherwise he had
to keep an eye upon the helmsman
and see that he held the Ranee to the
course prescribed by Quick; and that:
was nothing dlfllcun to a man of av- i
erage Intelligence. Naught but deep
water lay between them and Bombay,
so long as a direct course was shaped
and maintained.
As the sunlit watches wore out and
j nothing untoward took place, j
O'Rourke's grim apprehensiona dissi-
pated Into shadows. He began to be-
I llevc with Quick that the affair of th«
I winged knife was merely a hapcbance,
1 accident, quite unpremeditated.
I Below decks, Dravos and Danny
were standing watcb-and-watch. with
clockwork regularity, wbere the for
mer'a beloved engines were Justifying
bis confidence and prtds in them and
clicking off their twenty knots with-
out a bitch.
(TO BE COXTIXrKD l
Tnelr Happiness.
"How about that newly-married
deaf mute couple next door to you?
Do they seem happy?" "Unspeak-
ably."—Boston Transcript
Bew ire of Spring's sudden chantrs; k«*p
Garfield Tea ai hand. Drink hot ou retiring.
There may be crumbs of comfort in
knowing that some people cast their
bread upon the water.
Fourteen per cent of the egg is al-
bumen
Wisdom.
Always think twice before yot
! vpoak once and tbea be sure that yoi
t talk to yourself —
DoYouMelp
For your poor, tired
stomach ?
For your lazy and
sluggish liver ?
For your weak and
constipated bowels ?
For your general run-
down condition ?
Then by all means-
try
HOSTETTER'S
STOMACH
BITTERS
IT DOES THE WORK
AT ALL DRl'GGISTS
t-
r
>
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Hiebert, A. L. The Hooker Advance (Hooker, Okla.), Vol. 9, No. 19, Ed. 1 Friday, June 14, 1912, newspaper, June 14, 1912; Hooker, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc272401/m1/2/: accessed April 25, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.