The Flaming Jewel

Excerpt

To R. T.

Three Guests at dinner! That's the life!—
Wedgewood, Revere, and Duncan Phyfe!

II

You sit on Duncan—when you dare,—
And out of Wedgewood, using care,
With Paul Revere you eat your fare.
From Paul you borrow fork and knife
To wage a gastronomic strife
In porringers; and platters rare
Of blue Historic Willow-ware.

IV

Banquets with cymbal, drum and fife,
Or rose-wreathed feasts with riot rife
To your chaste suppers can't compare.
Let those deny the truth who dare!—
Paul, Duncan, Wedgewood! That's the life!
All else is bunk and empty air.

ENVOI

The Cordon-bleu has set the pace
With Goulash, Haggis, Bouillabaisse,
Curry, Chop-suey, Kous-Kous Stew—
I can not offer these to you,—
Being a plain, old-fashioned cook,—
So pray accept this scrambled book.

CONTENTS

EveThe Ruling PassionOn Star PeakA Private WarDrowned ValleyThe Jewel AflameClinch's DumpCup and LipThe Forest and Mr SardThe Twilight of MikeThe Place of PinesHer Highness Intervenes

DURING the last two years Fate, Chance, and Destiny had been too busy to attend to Mike Clinch.

But now his turn was coming in the Eternal Sequence of things. The stars in their courses indicated the beginning of the undoing of Mike Clinch.

From Esthonia a refugee Countess wrote to James Darragh in New York:

"—After two years we have discovered that it was José Quintana's band of international thieves that robbed Ricca. Quintana has disappeared.

"A Levantine diamond broker in New York, named Emanuel Sard, may be in communication with him.

"Ricca and I are going to America as soon as possible.

"Valentine."

The day Darragh received the letter he started to look up Sard.

But that very morning Sard had received a curious letter from Rotterdam. This was the letter:

"Sardius—Tourmaline—Aragonite—Rhodonite * Porphyry—Obsidian—Nugget Gold—Diaspore * Novaculite * Yu * Nugget Silver—Amber—Matrix Turquoise—Elaeolite * Ivory—Sardonyx * Moonstone—Iceland Spar—Kalpa Zircon—Eye Agate * Celonite— Lapis—Iolite—Nephrite—Chalcedony—Hydrolite * Hegolite—Amethyst—Selenite * Fire Opal—Labradorite—Aquamarine—Malachite—Iris Stone—Natrolite—Garnet * Jade—Emerald—Wood Opal—Essonite—Lazuli * Epidote—Ruby—Onyx—Sapphire—Indicolite—Topaz—Euclase * Indian Diamond * Star Sapphire—African Diamond—Iceland Spar—Lapis Crucifer * Abalone—Turkish Turquoise * Old Mine Stone—Natrolite—Cats Eye—Electrum * * * ⁄  ."

That afternoon young Darragh located Sard's office and presented himself as a customer. The weasel-faced clerk behind the wicket laid a pistol handy and informed Darragh that Sard was away on a business trip.

Darragh looked cautiously around the small office:

"Can anybody hear us?"

"Nobody....