Adventure Magazine Cover — page 84: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

be i sorcery and Everhard = 83 had really been so easily tricked by that woman. But she called herself for stage purposes a “‘sorceress,’’ and she was even more of a witch-woman off of the stage. “YOU met her, I believe you once said, in Paris?” I asked. “T never said anything of the kind. That’s where I met her—but how did you know?” Lord Bob showed excitement, a nervous vivacity, though a kind of foolish manner that he had cultivated, was the nearest he usually came to agitation. But he was almost dumfounded by the little slip I had made. He had chattered so much when- ever we were together, and mostly about Zoronna, that I never. for a moment sup- posed he would remember whether or not he had told me of knowing her in France. “How did I know? Evidently I didn’t. I was under the impression something had been said of it.” “TI never was in France. It was my brother. Understand? Id be extradited in twenty minutes. My brother was a smart man. Poor chap—dead now. He trimmed the man that was President or is President—I forget which; foreign politics never interested me. “Anyway, my brother’s dead now. Cost a lot of money to prove that he was my brother. So naturally I’m not telling any- body I ever was in France.” “But,” I said slowly, “you no doubt made an exception of Miss Symondi re “How the do you know so much?” “made an exception of Miss Symondi with your own confidences—as well as with mine.” That reminder tended to make him a little ashamed; so that by being ironic I was well out of what might otherwise have been an embarrassment if he had persisted in want- ing to know why I mentioned his having met Zoronna in France. ‘She can be trusted, Don. anything. Anything.” I spoke coldly, slowly, not because J was really as sarcastic as it suited my purpose to appear, but because I wanted to shake him thoroughly. He needed jarring. “Trusted, for instance, with Sin Chang’s affairs?” He sprang out of the chair, overturning the basin on to the floor—damaging a five- hundred-dollar Persian rug not yet paid for Trusted with —and, gripping my lapel with one hand, stared at me and was too surprized for several seconds even to speak. At last he let go of the coat, which he had seized with a menacing air, and his manner changed so as almost to take on something of sadness. “No, you wouldn’t meddle. I know it.” He looked away thoughtfully, and rapidly faced me again as he spoke with a note of apprehensive astonishment— “But how do you know that?” As I said nothing, and he could read nothing in my face, after a pause he went on, very unlike the traditional Lord Bob— “T know you, Don—but I’ve got to know thai!”’ “When a young man, shabbily_ dressed, with putty stuffed into his nostrils to make him a mouth-breather, with a thin, strag- gling, straw-colored mustache hung on his ‘“YVou’ve shadowed me!” His words were pure astonishment. “a slouch hat pulled low, but not so low as to conceal the wisps of hair of a very clever wig——” ce you!” His indignation was getting hot. “sneaks through a certain Chinese tea-shop that is only a front for an opium- joint * “You, you, Don Everhard, to spy on me!” The disillusionment of friendship was painful even in the midst of anger. “__and does it frequently, but always late in the afternoon, yet returns to his apart- ment without a whiff of opium on his breath——” “Get out! Get out of this apartment, right now. You may be a killer, Everhard; but, you, you are a dirty dog!”’ With monotonous, even, slow words I went on, ignoring his interruptions— — I conclude that he must have some very important business with a certain Sin Chang, who is reached by one of the subter- ranean passages leading from that joint; and whoever has business with Sin Chang must prize secrecy very highly, and be cau- tious about confiding in women —even those that can be trusted with anything —any- thing.” By a severe effort at restraint he heard me to the end, then pointed toward’the door. ““Get out!” he said chokingly. I smiled slightly. His slender figure was Eomichooks:co