The T
of the
By- ArtKur D.
Howden Smith
W. N. T*. S. rv. ?
C"j?vriirht 1??". by Br*-ntnno"s. Inc.
C 'jiyruht 1923. The RitlK.-w.iy <;??.
SYNOPSIS
II n New York, Hugh Clusby.
h World war veteran, re
, .V- a story ?f a treasure in
tuntlnople in the existence Dt
h his uncle, Lord Chesby.
iv believes. A cablegram
iifs- Hugh of his uncle's sail*
f"r New York. At the J?>ct:
ii li and his* chum. Jack Nash
? i ft "Hi Wat kins, Lord Ches
?3 \:t!et, that the old gentleman
:? rt with a stranger, purport
p: to be a friend of Hugh A
i i-Fterious telephone message
:>s Hugh tlvt his" uncle is in
a hospital, dying, victim of an
n- nssin. Before his death he
hbles of the treasure, and tells
r ]????*? he was stabbed by "Tdu
ii." With Lord Chesby's body,
Hugh and Jack sail for Hngland.
in London Hugh and Jack meet
their war buddy, Nikka Zarcnlco.
f: mous gypsy violinist, and pore
o\ ? r sinne old documents seem
:r _ y having a bearing on the
?:?asure and its location. A bid
ii'-n room, referred to as the
" i "ri< r's Vent," is frequently men
tioned. Montey Ililyer, man of
li.ulv reputation, but owner of a
? :>-hboring estate, calls on Hugh
:th a party of friends, mostH
1 reigners. One of them. iro
di:--?-d as "Signor Teodoreschi,"
an Italian, makes a distinctly un
favorable impression on Jack.
CHAPTER III? Continued
? 5 ?
"That is a gorgeous fireplace," said
the countess.
"Ah, yes," he agreed, with his ab
surdly broad pronunciation. "llather
a <;u int verse there, too, I see. How
doos it run?"
lie picked it out slowly, with some
from the Russian girl.
IPlirmtr tl|attf yr {luppitit
(?l|itrtljmaiiur
ffiimjiiir Erkr 51 jib &mil'g
rnntrntr
Srr tmikrnrb up tjr IXIiinnhiunf
Stnitr
Aub trobbr yr Prior's Unit.
"Lvucod odd! What dues l! all
"I tiuren' the slightest idea," V
sa!-i. "Nor has anybody else."
Our conversation had attracted the
attention of the others, and Mrs. Hil
yer drew Nikka and the count in front
of Hie chimney-piece.
You don't suppose there could be
s<?r: ?? secret meaning to those words,
do j ou?M she asked.
"I wish you'd pick it out for me," i
countered.
That war h query I had often put
to myself.
"A key to something else, you know."
" went o . "Our ancestors were
. i of that sort of thing. They loved
mystery, and life wasn't a*- safe in
tli uays as it is in ours.*'
' it's perfectly thrilling,*' cried the
countess. "This is Just the kind of
r ? mi to house some wonderful secret
? <>r perhaps a tragedy.'*
i felt something behind me, and
turned mv head. The Italian had left
the table In the center of the room
and moved up to the fringe of our
group. His green eyes. flaring with an
uncanny vital force, were Intent upon
the rhyme on the overmantel.
"Humph," I thought to myself, "you
may not be able to speak English, but
you appear u be able to read it."
He growled something in an under
tone to Mrs. Llilyer and she nodded.
"Fascinating as your room is. I am
fraid we must leave you. Lord Ches
by." she called over to Hugh. "Signor
IVodoreschi had just reminded me we
have to put him on the London train
before we drive home.'*
"1*11 have your motors called up,
returned Tugh impassively, as he and
Hilyer joined the ^st of us.
ne rang and gave the necessary or
ders to NVatkins.
"Don't forget that tip on Krugers*
dorp for the St. Leger,'* I heard llil
yer insist to Hugh "I'm not so sure
about the derby. You aren't taking
?n nny hunters, are you? I've ? "
"Ey the way,** Hugh interrupted. "I
meant to ask you: did any of your
people see strangers around here the
morning of my uncle's funeral?"
i was amazed at the sudden silence
that gripped the room. The Italian.
Teodoreschi, already in the doorway
after a curt nod of farewell, stopped
dead end stared hard at Hugh.
"You see,'* Hugh continued, "1 heard
one of your cars was seen on the Lon
don road In back of the park, and
I'm anxious to know whether any
strangers were seen that morning,
especially strangers on foot."
"Not that we've beard of,'* respond
Mrs, Hilyer, promptly. "Ail of as
were at flit* funeral. And if ilie serv
mils had not iced anything queer. I'm
sure they would have reported it to
me."
"Thanks." said Hugh. "Would it h.
f'Utii troiimc tuu io inquire
of the. , Just I he same?"
"Not at all D'you mind telling u?
what happened?"
The whole company <-r? ?\v ? ! ? ?! closer
"Oh. gtothing much." answered Hugh
deliberately, "except we had reason ;
to suppose the house had been
tend."
"Great Scott!" ( rotested llllyer
"That's a go! We've never had any
thing like that before in the couoty." 1
"Did 70U lose anything. Lord Ches- !
hy?" inquired Hilml Key.
4,I think not."
The Countess Sandra Vassillievna j
permitted an artistic shudder to undu- |
late her figure.
"Rozhe mot, Maude!" she cried. ''Do 1
you bring us into your rural L-Ingland j
to risk death from burglars? i prefer
the Bolshevist?."
Several people laughed.
"All the same It's no joke." an
swered Mrs. Ililyer. "Thanks for the
I Was Amazed at the Sudden Silence
That Gripped the Room.
warning. Lord Cheshy. We'll lot the
do 43 loose around the home after this
at night."
reodoreselii, still standing in the
dt orway, rasped a single sentence, and
p; ssed out. 'fhe others lloeked after
hi .a like hounds over whom the hunts
m in cracks his whip. Mrs. Hi Iyer and
the countess vaved a last good-by, and
Watkins closed the door after them.
Nikka and 1 looked at one another,
and burst ouf laughing, Hugh, with a
ruuiTlod curse, threw ap the . earesi
window.
?'Let's have some fresh air." he said.
"That scoundrel Montey Hilyer makes
me feel dirty "
"They were a queer crowd," I ad
mitted. "That countess wasn't had
looking, though. I think she was try
ing to pump me."
"Well, Hilyer didn't ask me an.v
questions, I'm hou .d to say," returned
Hugh. "lie was loo busy with his
beastly gambling anecdotes, and
crooked dope. What did you make out
of them, Nikka?"
Nikka lit a cigarette before he re
plied.
think they are a party of polite
thieves," he answered at last. "At
least, son. j of ihem. The Italian gave
me the shakes."
"Who was the Hey person?" Inquired
Hugh.
Nikka's lip curled.
"That fellaheen cur I 1 know tl.e breed.
They live by grafl and worse. If we
go to Paris I think I shall make In
quiries about some of them. I know
persons at the prefecture of police who
ought to have their dossiers."
"How did they get on the subject of
that verse of Lady Jane's?" demanded
Hugh.
"It was the countess and Mrs. Ilil
yer," I explained. "They saw it, and
insisted on reading some hidden mean
ing into It."
As I spoke 1 looked up again a'
the overmantel where the Gothic char
acters showed dimly in the light from
the smoldering logs and the rays of
the sunset. I conned over the four
lines deliberately. "Ye Prior's Vent."
The last three words seemed to Jumr
out at me. "Some secret meaning.
. . . A key to something else, you
know." Mrs. Ililyer's phrases re-echoed
In rny brain. 1 studied the rhyme a
second time.
"Hugh." 1 said suddenly, "d'you hap
pen to h: v?? with yon the copy of thai
other verse of I.adx Jaite'-V'"
|?rutiu|?fiu !i from iii> pin: k etuuvkj
without speaking. I spread the copy
before me.
Putte down? ve Anclount r ?M. 1
ln Dcccrii. Scviiiviiv uruiiur.
R.. 1 1 mv.- t u k Sybil.
Vox liymm - who doth Enrt-n u..
N->r tr? ate Hvs l^fforte tend ir
And In the twinkling ot an eyels'i
tiie cipher leaped out before tne. 1
did not ronton it out. It just ?anie j
me ? when I saw the VK in the next lo
the last line. I think
*Tve got it." I shouted, and I sprang
up and danced across the hearth, wax
Ing the paper in my hand. "I've
it: The key! The cipher! The trea.
? " Rut even as I started U say that
1 thought better of it.
"No, that's going too far." I panted,
breaking off in my mad dance. "I've
got something, but how much it means
is another matter."
Hugh pulled me down beside them
?*Talk sense. Jack.'* lie ordered.
"Show us your--"
"HoreH I shoved the copy of l.ad>
Jane's doggerel in front of him and
Nikka. ''Now watch!"
1 took a pencil and drew it throu^n
all except the first letters of the first
and last words in each line So:
DhHo dowao yo An*i<mnl r>4.k4
In o*4***hs
Reiwv, O-yo myi'lii'k SyWr
The result, of course, was:
V r
I o
II S
V K
N t
?Trior's Vent !" gasped Nikka. "1I?
has found something!"
And Ills eyes, too, souirht the verst
carxed on the overmantel.
"Up there, too! It can mean only
one thing."
?'That the secret to the location of
the treasure is in the Prior's vent,"
amended Nikka.
Hugh, who had been in a brown
study, aroused himself, and peered at
the mass of the fireplace.
| "I'm not trying to belittle Jack's
j discovery." he said slowly, "but you
chaps must remember that xve don't
! know where or what the Trior's vent
! is."
| "Except that you may take It for
certain it Is In this room,*' replied
; Nikka.
"And that perhaps the fireplace has
? something to do with it," I suggested,
riugh shook his head.
"No. no. Jack, that won't wash. You.
yourself, have measured that chimney
area, and xve all agreed there wasn't
space inside it for a secret chamber.
!f 1 thought there was, I'd tear li
down."
"Hold ??n," counseled Nikkn. "Easy
does it. l or the first time we've got
something to go upon. Let's jhew it
over for a while, and see what xve can
make out of it."
We chewed It over until bedtime
without reaching any decision.
CHAPTER IV
The Prior's Vent
Ii was a long time before I wont to
sleep. Lady Jane's cipher and its in
conclusive information kept buzzing
through rn.v head. But at last I dozed
off and dreamed of fat monks who
popped out of a round hole !n a
courtyard in endless succession until
one of their number, stouter than the
rest, became wedded in the opening
He babbled profanely in Latin, and I
starred to go to his aid ? and waked
up.
The night was very dark, and there
was not even a hint of starshine to
light the room. I rolled over, and shut
my eyes, and promptly sat up in bed.
I thought I had heard a strange sound.
What it was 1 couid not say. It was
very faint, a gentle burring rip.
1 swung out of bed. reached for a
candle, thought better of It, and
crossed to the door communicating
with Hugh's room. It was ajar, and
as I poked my head In, I could hear
his gentle breathing. Nikka's room,
beyond his. was quiet Outside of us
three, only Wntkins slept In that part
of the house.
My tirst Instinct was to laugh at
myself, but 1 opened the door froro
my room Into the bail and listened
there. At first I heard nothing. Then
it seemed to me that 1 detected a
creak,..; ns if subdued footfalls
I could not ,,utli (ne uneasiness
r,^:,b '.^s',(l ? started to cull
Mull niKi \ikka. stopped win, mv
!'""" r:"sp" '? "nock ?n Xikka's r.
?'??= " !??: ?:?;;! iKatc :! r?
'or nothing hut m.v fauci.s
, Af'"r twin s further hesitation
crept .low, .stairs ?lt rlltr.1IK.e
i?r.?pmi; niv wav in the pitch dark
m-v Keeling re that! ever like H
"" ' looked into the dining room
r'""" ' hurt I '1st stepped
back into the hall when a chink ?f
? Shi sh.,ne out ?( the short passage
fr"?> "?? hull Into the gun
"".m It til. kere.l ,iw:ii. ami returned.
? Islilhg now thai I hud taken the
automatic tha, ,a> uu t|le |ubte ^
' '"-v 1 s,"'e l?lo the gunroom
passage. 1 he door the gunroom was
ajar. I.u; not sufficiently to permit me
I <lr.'w It cautiously
toward me. Hp chink of light was
more pronounced. < t.rief mutter or
voices, hoarse und retrained, reached
?a.v ears As the era. * widened. I ad
justed t?, eye to the .c.-lJc? and
peered In.
The gunroom was a pool ol nlmd
ows. save only in front of the tin
place. where a single ra.v of Ugh:
played upon H preposterous llgure
cp "" fhe nianiel-shelf. The light
came from an electric torch In the
hand of ? second figure outlined
against the dying coals of the woo,]
lire on tl.c hearth. The.v mutnhled hack
?'??ch other, and now I
caught once more the faint noise iik?
the prolonged ripping of IOIIgh ,.|otb
which had attracted my attention up
stairs.
Hie light flashed on steel, and I
realized that the ligure on the mantel
Sftelf was working with a small saw on
the panel of the overmantel contain
Ing l a.lv lanes verse As I watched
he suspended his jm.rls and harked
Impatiently at his assistant. The rav
of light ouiverid and shifted upward,
l or a Heeling section of a second It
traversed the figure on the mantel
, , locussed momentarily on
his head and shoulders.
I gasp.d. The ligure was I'mfessor
leotloreschi. the Italian chemist who
had a.companled the Hllyers party In
my amazement my hand tightened" In
mlunturll. Its grip on the door, which
swung out past me with a load grtian
Another I, cam of light Hashed frun the
shadow close by. focussed on me and
snapped 01T.
"America nsky I" cried a man's voice.
I heard him leap through the Utter
of furniture, and dimly saw nlm tlin ?
his lurch at me. It crashed against
the floor, and 1 snatched up a choir
Stooped low and lashed at his legs. Ue
tumbled in a heap.
Hugh I Xikkal" I shouted at tfeo
top of my lungs.
I had my hands full on the InstaW
Ihe man who had llung the torch
a! me was already scrambling to hu
feet. The gorilla-like Italian had
jumped from the mantel-shelf with tin
alert energy of a big cat. lie and tha
man who had been helping him down
were now dodging toward me.
"Xe tirez pas!" hissed Teodoreschl
in throaty accents that were vagueli
familiar 'Perce/.. Attetidez, Serge
Vlada! 1'ercezl I'olgnardezl"
The Italian's helper reached me Urst.
l saw his knife In his hand. an1
?ruck out with my list. lieing a knif?
tighter, ii was what he least expected
and he went over. I ran behind the
large center table, and as the Italian
and the other man closed In. I reared
it on end und toppled It at them. They
Jumped apart, and l found opportunity
to heave another 'hair at the chap
I had just knocked down.
Hut I was In for a had time. Teodores
chl was on me like ?> human Juggernaut.
He swept aside m? blows as thou-h
they were harmless, folded me In his
great a.nis and tossed me from him
I spun across the hearth Into the lire-'
place, and brought up on all-fours In
the ashes.
Every tooth In my head wui .rred
by the crash, but I hnd no time to
think of pain I heard the guttural
snarl of the gorilla-man behind me
and looked up to see bis knife descend
ing Ii a stab that was aimed Inside
my collarbone. Desperate, I tlirew my
self backward against his legs, and he
fell on tLe couch. Yet he was np
again n an Instant, and chopping ?,
me, with foam dripping from Us lln?
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Don't Ask Us.
Another of life's many unsolved mys
teries Is why a motb always choose*
to dine at the most conspicuous place
In an article of apparel ? Louisville
Times.
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