The Treasure of the
Bucoleon
Arthur D. Howden Smith
W. N. U. S4-rvi'-e
pyright 1?23 by Brentano's. Inc. Copyright 1523. The v.ay Co.
i?
;
SYNOPSIS
D w York. U .- h O - ? S y.
r ?-?:! li \Y .rM -A - vet. ? ? r?
rin?T'?- f the ? \ st?- ?? ? f
which his i;ii< !e, I?ord ? "h?--i \ .
firmly tela .. \ r:- -n
r. ' t ;f,. s H irh . f his u- ? ? - ? 1
: t f?.r N" ?* \v V ? ? ; U . At -l" .
JIuu-Ji ami h ? .'hum. 1: k Nn<n.
b-arn from Wai kiri>. 1. r>! ?_*h?-s
;.>'n v:i !*? t. that iht old -? .'ilkm.nri
h. ? I- - ; ' w . ; h a :^tr. ? ? r. t ? ' j : P' rt -
-rS 1 ? a f r ? ?:>?! ? H ?. - ? . A
rn> >t?Ti--US n.-*- a v ?
ii< * i f i ? .*? 11 ii?h that h s u ?
a ) "-;?!;?!, d\ ? up. . " . ? ? ? :iti
;i.*- *-.f t-in I f ? . r* - I . - death K.
babbits of the tn-a.-ure, and tells
[?.h ??in he \\ - stabbed i?y
tou." With 1. ? ? : ? 1 ' . ? i ? t ? .: ?
Hujrh Ja-U -...1 f.-r ii- . .'an
In I.i n If': :h and J;i k T- > -? ? t
their war buddy. N;i-.ka 7. r?-::
famous ?ypsy \ ? ? am! pnre
ov r y.r, ?? . M ?|... uu -? ? -
:r._!v riuvij.^ a 1 ? ? - ; - i: ? ?? tfiW
t :'>-aSU: ? ; .-J 11 !??? - A h a? ?
cb n ? ? ???. r : ? j? ? d t " ?- : : -
"Prior's Vent,** i> ? q ?? nt!> men
t ? Mont- y 1 i . ? r . a f
*-li u!> r? p:ttat . . n. i : ? . ? ? f
n?'iirhb--rsntf estate. i'; ? n I T i - r '
with a party ?? f friends, m' * -
foreijrn. r - !_*?.:> v.-i - a ? i- x irn> .--i
t J . t ? "Prior's \?:.t flight
Ja -k awak- t:s to find tl.r< ?? !;;? n
in t . ? 1 bra ry A 1. : " ? i* in
which ' i?f> ti. : . n is kjlw| J ? is
cert: i in me i.f ti.-- ? v i ? ; -
t"u J; ? k li - f ??nii II ri?l
t h ?- li I'.d'-n ! ? ! ' : t
d<M- 1 1 ? 1 - T : s ! ? . : , ia ? : t : ?-a v -
Hi-'- "tJ? ?i in i h. i?." 1 . ? ? ?.f
the BU'.i'li iili i r i . ' t: ? . ? ; r. ? ? ? 1?
Jt ? Nash - ???'tisiti, J ? " ? K ? -
with h? r un b it ? *? r- *..?.?
1 1 1 h i p b * . :? mi Hi. h. N
and W ill, : t
Turkish capital nil tile \. ; !'? ??! -
tc-u a n?l u fci: a ... nip i ? ?
nap J:n k in ;? u -r? t b ..m
fi rn him u h? r ? ' ')? t r- . . t ? i?
n.iii valid, '{'1 ? v 1 : : 1.
CHAPTER VI ? Continued
? 9?
"You go to tin* IVra 1'alace hotel.
Meet Miss Svin^ and hct faiiier, bui
don't let anybody suspect that you ex
pected to meet them. Itomember, you
will be watched all the time. You must
have Miss Kins hide the copy of the
Instructions you sent her. Not in her
trunks ? ah, I have it ' Let her phut
it in the envelope, addressed to her
self, Poste restante. She can go to
the post oflice and collect it when
ever we need it. You and Wat kins
will not he in any danger. Toutou's
people will bo too busy frying to lind
Jack and me."
"But how are we going to get in
touch with you?" asked Hugh.
"Leave that to us," replied Nikka,
with his quiet grin. "Make it a cus
tom to lounge In front <>f the IVra
palace every morning after breakfast
for half an hour; and keep a watch
out for gypsies. Some morning two es
pecially disreputable fellows will come
by, and one of them will contrive to
get a word with you. Follow them.*'
"That's a corking plan," Hugh ap
proved warmly.
If we were followed in Marseilles,
we didn't know it. We only left the
railroad station to get breakfast and
dispatch a telegram from Nikka to his
uncle ? or, rather, to an address in
Seres which acted as a clearing house
for the operations of this particular
gypsy band
At Pireaus we had a choice of sev
eral steamers sailing for Constanti
nople. Nikka pitched upon a French
boat that lay across the wharf from
a Greek liner plying to Salonika and
the Greek islands of the Agean. The
French i r n was sailing at dawn the
next morning; the Salonika boat was
due to cast off several hours later.
We booked two cabins on the French
man. and hired a clerk at the P.ritisn
consulate to reserve passage for two
on tha Salonika boat. This arrange
ment made, we mustered our scanty
baggage, and boarded the Frenchman
just before dinner time. We dined to
gether ostentatiously in the saloon, and
after dinner, with many yawns and
protestations of weariness, we betook
ourselves to bed.
Our cabins were next to each other,
and as a matter of fact, we played
poker ontii long past midnight. Then
Nikka and I said good-by to Hugh and
Watty, and sneaked out into the com
panionway. Several sleepy stewards
eyed as, but there were no ..^sengers
about. The quartermaster on guard
at the gangway we handed a Napo
leon, telling him we were obliged to
land In order to dispose of some for
gotten business. The watchman on
the pier was conciliated In the same
way. And finally, the deck-guard of
the Greek liner, once bis fingers were
greased, i.nd oar tickets shown to
him. offered no objection to escorting !
us to our cubin.
At thivvn wo were awakened hv the
whistling of the Frenchman as he
backed out from the pier, and from a j
; porthole we watched him disappear :
in the mist of the harbor. At noon the
F!paniinond:i> likewise cast ?'Y. and
Ni'uk:! and I thankfully atHindoned our
b;i t ; U'S with the cockroaches that
. fought with us for possession ol the
| bunks. i.d nscended to Ihe deck.
At S:i lotii i . : i we entered a fCurope
which w:is new to me. if an old story
i to Xikka. i lairope which was hi ded
with the life and color and form ot
the Orient At the railroad Uation
we fought tor places in a tirst-cla.s
i < inp;i I t Xii?- t. Wiit eh hud room for
: i r r ? ! "just ;ic? omnio?lato eight. l*iie sec
ond and third - hiss cars were jamni d
to tin i!ook Women wept, children
The Watchman on the Pier Was Con
ciliated in the Same Way.
bowled and men swore and struck
each other and their women Indiscrim
inately.
I That was a dreadful Journe.,, not
! loug as ivgards distance, but tediously
! protracted in time. But the engine
! toiled or, and in the full tide of hours
; we crawled over a mountain-ridge
j and saw the sun rising in the east
' beyond the close-packed roofs of
Seres.
Xikka commandeered a fiacre in the
station-squa re.
"I?o von know the house of Kosta
bidjian the money-lender?" he asked
| the driver in Greek that sounded more
j than passable to me. "Very well, then,
drive u? Jiere."
"Who is Kostabldjian?" 1 Inquired
j as the driver whipped up his horses.
A dour, secretive look had settled
on Xikka's face in the last two days.
II is eyes narrowed, and their gaze
was fixed upon the far horizon when
they wore not shrewdly surveying
the appearances of the people around
him.
"lie is the agent of the tribe," h?* j
replied shortly. "It was through him
I sent word to my uncle."
I held my peace after that. At last
we stopped at a gateway overhung by
olive trees, and the driver got down
to pull the bell-wire which protruded
from an opening by the gate. The
solemn clangor echoed faintly, and
was succeeded by shuffling footsteps.
A wicket opened, and a dark, bewhisk
ered face was revealed. Xikka ejacu
lated a single sentence in the gypsy
dialect that Toutou's gang sometimes
used, and the gate swung ajar. I gave
the driver of the tiacre a couple of
drachmas, and followed Xikka Inside.
The individual with the whiskers, a
dried-up, elderly man, quickly fastened
the gate again, with a sidewise look at
Xikka, half respect, half fear. At the
door, he stood aside and ushered us
Into a parlor furnished in the French
style. A stout, smooth-faced, elderly
man rose from a desk as we entered.
He started to salaam, thought better
of It, and ofTered his hand. Then he
commenced to speak In the Tzigane di
alect, and Xikka cut him off.
"Speak French," said Xikka curtly.
"1 have no secrets from my friend, Mr.
Xash." And to me: "This is Monsieur
Kostabldjian.**
Kostabldjian ? he was an Armenian
of uncertain parentage, I afterward
discovered, with the ingrained servil
ity pounded Into that unfortunate race
by centuries of oppression ? drew op
chairs for as.
"Your telegram waa forwarded at
once io the Chief." he said t?? Nikka.
"P.ut Wasao Bllkali sent back word i
yi'sierda.v that he would be delay*-.!
in waiting upon you in consequence
of a caravan of cartridges which tin
hand are running into Albania. It is
an affair which has attracted his at- ;
tetifion to the past month, and !<??
dares not trust I In* work to aaother."
"When will he he here?"
"lie sp? ke of tomorrow ? "
"Then serve u- tood. and read us j
to a room where ? i- may r? > . '
The Armenian <-iapped his hand
aud fl?e old man with the whisker.?
who was dumh in consequence of bav
ins had hir fonuue rut out in one ??f
the Turkish massa< -res ? >f the red pji^t
? returiH'd and ? arried word in !ii
own fashion of our wants t?? tin- ki!ch
en. Presently we ??'at down in the din
ing room to :i Jiot meal of pilaf. wit*- i
chicken, dough ; ??> and colYee. which 1
Kostahidjian pressed upon us oflieicus
iy.
Nikka sat through the meal with :i
hlack frown on lii< face I was secret
ly amazed by 'ho eonstantly growing
change iti his manner. for he was nor
i: . .. of a uniformly pleasant dispos:
lion. Hut if was n??t until we had been
shown to a bedroom on the upper lloor
that he unmasked his feelings. I be
gan to undies*:. I ir he paced the floor
restlessly from v. '1 to wall. Suddenly
he turned 011 me:
".Tack, I hop. I haven't Insulted you
In the past twenty-four hours.''
"I'm not aware ?,f it, if %?.?? have,"
1 returned cheerfully.
"I'm having a !i ? I of a time," he
groaned. "Tie two selfs in me are
wrenching at my soul. There's Nikka,
the gypsy freebooter, who has been
dead for years, and against him fights
Nil ka. the ar i-t and the man of the
town. Neither of them owns me. Until
the other day ? except now and then
when the old self reared its head tem
porarily ? I ha< thought I had thrust
the uypsy belli r. 1 me. Hut I was a fool
to think so, Jn?*k. God. what a fool!
Why, the musi * in me always was
gypsy !
"M\ people are not like Teuton's
gang. They are gypsies. They live by
their own hands, and every man's
hand is against them. They make their
own laws, and abide by their own cus
toms. They take what they need, and
consider i their due. I tell you this
because I don't want to fly false colors
with you. 1 lived that life when ! was
a boy. lint I should like to make you
uiulerst: nd that in some way. by some
esoteric. Involved, well-nigh impenetra
ble process of psv< hology. it is not steal
ing in the sense that Toutou steals.
My per file have been outcasts for cen
turies: they have hp?>n bred up In this
way ot lif??. It isn't wrong In their
eyes, l'ut it that way. And I ? I can
see It both ways. Jack. I can see how
wrong it Is. and I can see how right
it seems ?o them."'
"Von don't need to say all this to
me." I toil! him. "Why, Nikka, It's
?it's?"
"It's what? Hard to understand!"
"Easy to understand," 1 corrected.
*41urd ?.o phrase. But I know you too
wel' to worry about you. As for the
wrench. I'm horning to feel it my
self."
Nikkas resumed his restless pacing.
"I don't mind anything so much as
that oily Armenian downstairs.5* he
insisted, "lie ? he is dishonest. And
we make him dishonest. Not that I've
used him so. Jack. Most of what I
earn goes to my people, who need it,
pooi souls, especially since the war
laid its blight on all southeastern Eu
rope. Kostahidjian is one of the agents
I employ to distribute my funds. I
use him because of his connection with
my uncle's tribe."
"Most of us have to use dishonest
helpers occasionally." I said. But can
we trust this man. Nikka? If he's all
you indicate, isn't ho likely to sell us
out?"
"He'd sell us in a minute. If he
dared," rejoined Nikka, with a tigLt
lipped smile. "But he knows that if
he did he would get a knife In him.
It would only be a question of time."
"Nice company you've dragged me
into," I grumbled. "Well, let's catch
up on our sleep."
Flis outburst had eased NIkka's
nervous tension, and he soon dozed
off. For a while I watched the after
noon sunlight outside the windows,
then the weariness of our travels over
came me. and I, too, slept ... I
woke abruptly, feeling a light blazing
In ray eyes.
A roan was standing In the door
way of the room, with a kerosene
lamp In his ha id. a tall man, with the
proud face of an eagle. Wisps of sil
ver-white bair escaped from the vari
colored turban that wrapped his j
brows, but he held himself with the
erect poise off you'h. He was dressed
in tight breeches of brown cloth, anil
a blue shirt and short red jacket.
Around hi waist w:s twisted a heavy
s;i>h, bristling wit!, knives and pis
tols.
As 1 prodded Nikka awnke. he
closed the door behind hiui and set
the lauip on a table. Nikka. rubbing
the sleep from his eyes. look one look
?it the apparition arid leaped from the
I bed. 1
"Wasso!" ie cried.
The stranger raised fingers to Hps
i ar i breast in a graceful salaam, and
r? i'lh d in the gyp<\ patois, a ca
<!??n?. d, musical speech when used by
I h? -so ' v houi it was a mother-tongue.
Nikka grasped his hand, and ex
changed a rapid-lire of question anil
answer, then called to me:
"This i.- my uncle. He arrived soon
er than he expected, lie guessed my
m?ed was great, and traveled without
I respite. Come and meet him.*'
The old gypsy sank to his hcuches
n the hare lloor. with a sweeping ges
ture of invitation to both of us to join
him.
?'.\o, no." exclaimed Nikka as 1
started tor c chair, "lie has never
-at on ? chair in his life. I? a* be
doe > or In will think you are trying
? II I strale how different you are."
So 1 crouched cro?- egged beside
? it skeined to he easy enough for
Nikk: to resume th3 ways of his boy
, hood ? and concealed my discomfort
> stoically as f could It was close to
midnight when we were awakened, and
' he talk with Wasso Mikali lasted for
several hours. I-'irst. Nikka explained
to him the circumstances of our trip
to Constantinople, and the old man's
eyes glistened at the mention of the
t teas u re. He interrupted witii a liquid
! I low of polysyllables
"He says." Nikka interpreted, when
? he had finished, "that he has heard
.! ?ut it. It is just as 1 told you and
Hugh, the tradition is known all
through the Balkans lie says that
:he treasure Is concealed in an an
eient palace In Stamhoul which has
been inhabited longer than men can
remember by a tribe of gypsies whose
ehief is one Heratn Tokalji. He says
there Is a rumor amongst the tribes
'hat he, Tokalji. Is an ally of a group
of Frank thieves. There is a tradi
tion in Tokalji's tribe that their fore
fathers believed the treasure ulti
mately would go to them.'
"Will he help us':" I asked eagerly
Nikka gave me an odd look.
"iiis tribe are mine. My wish Is
their wish How can they refuse?"
CHAPTER VII
The Road to Stamboui
Wasso Mikali was a very wise man
lie questioned Nikka closely concern
ing our situation, and this was hie
verdict :
"When .vou tight with thieves you
must use thieves' tricks. You did right
to come to me. Now I will secure fit
i ting garments for you. my sister's son
and lor your Americansky friend. Juk
ka. For him also i will brew a dye
that will make him as dark as cor
people, so that men will not turn find
stare at him on the road.
"After that 1 think we had best gc
away from this place as soon as pos
sible. You have traveled rapidly and
shaken off your enemies' pursuit. It is
well to take e?er> advantage of an
opportunity. We will collect some ol
my young men who can handle a
knife, and go on to Stamboui. All uien
go to Stamboui, and who will notice
a Tzigane band?"
"But it wasn't iny thought that you
should abandon the affairs of the
tribe and come and tight with me,"
? monst rated Nikka.
"Are you not the son of my sisteiT
rejoined the old gypsy. "If you had
not elected to go to Buda with y*ur
j violin would you not be chief of the
band? l)o 1 not stand in your pla??*
Well, then, light of my eyes, we *111
do for you all that we may."
Nikka llung me a proud glanc? at
he translated the picdge.
Alikali left us. and Nikka and I se
cured another hour's sleep. When be
returned he was accompanied by a
younger edition of himself, who carried
two bundles which were disc-lofted as
complete suits of Tzigane dress. He,
himself, carried a pot of warm, brt^n
liquid, and he proceeded to apply fbe
stain to lj~> witl> a small paint-brftth.
tlair. mustache, face and hodj *4re
darkened to a mellow brown. The
stuff 1ried quickly, and I was soon
able to pull on the strange garments,
which Nikka showed me how to adjust
and fas.en
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Wed to Get Clean Shirts
In the course of a trial in Brighton,
England, a police court judge a3ke4 a
man if he never loved his wife why
he married her. The accused hus
band's answer was, "To get a clean
shirt." The astounded magistrate
sentenced him to do the household
washing for 002 year, and told the
aggrieved wife to report to him If
the man didn't do a good job. Th?
magistrate's parting remark vm:
"Now you will have clean shirt*"
Insecticides in
Safe Place Best
Never Keep Poison Where
It May Be Mistaken for
Harmless Article.
? ProDartd by the United states Deoarr-.: -,t
of A^ricuuurr.i
A clerk's error iu selling a sulpi
arsenic insecticide instead of sulp -ur
resulted in Hie death of a number of
hogs and caused the dangerous illness
of two persons on a farm in New York,
an investigation by an ollicial o t the
food and drug administration.
States Depart men t of Agriculture,
revealed.
The supposed sulphur was used in
preparing a sulphur and molasses mix
'itre as a home remedy for a c??l?l This
resulted in the critical illness of one
person. Then the drug was burn- d
and the fumes were inhaled by anoth
er. also as an attempted treatment for
a cold. This person became uneoa
scious and for some days was severe
ly ill.
Used to Cure Hogs.
Investigation by a federal food offi
rial revealed that this same sulphur
had been used last fall iti an attempt
to cure hogs thought to Oe suffering
from cholera. The preparation was
mixed with the feed of GO hogs, nn-1
i majority died. It was thought at
the time that the deaths were due to
Miolera.
The sulphur used iti the three oases
was analyzed by the food and drug ad
ministration and was found to contain
arsenic. Fearing that others would
t?uy this same product and use it a?
sulphur, the food officials traced it t<
its source.
Investigation showed thai the mix
ture supposed to be sulphur had been
bought at an implement store. This
*loiv had a bag of sulphur and also
a bag of sulphur-arsenic insect icid? .
Koth were in a dark attic. A rlerk
had sold the poisonous mixture think
ing it was sulphur
Three Errors Made.
Officials of the f?iod and drug ad
ministration point out three errors in
the situation. A poison should never
he kept where it may be mistaken f"r
a nonpoisonous product. Sulphur is
not recognized by the modern veteri
nary science as a cure for hog cholera.
Modern medical science does not con
sider sulphur effective In the treat
ment in colds either as a mixta ?
sulphur and molasses or as sulphur
fumes.
Flan to Keep Rodents
Away From Fruit Trees
Rabbits may l>e kept away frotn
fruit trees by several devices. Per
haps t lie most satisfactory one Is to
put wire screens around the trees, says
W. II. Alderman of university farm.
; St. Paul, Minn. Among the various
i treatments which are applied to the
! trunks of trees to prevent rabbit m
i jury, one of the best is a whitewash
made out of lime-sulphur solution
L'se the solution instead of water
in moistening the lime. A little s.ilt
) added to this will make it stick better.
! If this is applied in the fall it will
; generally protect the trees throughout
! the winter, although In the event of
i much freezing and thawing weather.
I the whitewash may chip away.
Rubbing the trunks and the main
i branches with a piece of fresh bloody
meat will keep rabbits away for a
! short time.
Farm Fish Ponds Will
Be Found Profitable
It is estimated by Cornell university
; experts that with proper stocking a '!
! management an acre of farm pond will
1 produce 2(H) pounds ot fish per year
without artificial feeding. This Is in
addition to its value for supplying
water for live stock, for cutting ice,
for irrigation under special conditions,
and for skating, bathing, fishing, and
so on. Pond storage of water is prac
ticable under most soil conditions and
since most of the cost is for labor, it
would seem that more farmers should
; be interested in them. Information
! on farm ponds can he secured from
'? the Department of Agriculture, Wash
! Ington, D. C., and from your agricul
' tural college.
Irregular Soy Stands
Not Considered Good
The best yields oi soy beans can
not be obtained from stands that are
very irregular as is common In most
fields. Beans put in with a grain drill
at the University of Illinois, and which
produced what was considered a good
stand, were found to vary all the way
from one bean plant in a foot of drill
row to fifteen plants. Such Irregular
ity is largely due to variation In flow
of seed through the drill as modified
by the Jarring or lack of Jarring of
drill. Irregular physical condition of
the soil caused by clods and ridges
and holes make for irregular distribu
tion of the seed and consequent Ir
regular stands And lower yield.