Adventure Magazine Cover — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

20 pay within a year, and the consequences might be very serious.’ “Who is the other man—the one the British didn’t choose?” asked Tess. “A very decent chap named Utirupa— quite a sportsman. He was thought too young at the time the selection was made; but he knew enough to get out of the reach of the new maharaja immediately. They have a phrase here, you know, ‘to hate like cousins.’ They’re rather remote cousins, but they hate all the more for that.” “So you’d rather that the Treasure stayed buried?” “Not exactly. But—’. he tossed ash from the end of his cigar to illustrate off- handedness—“‘I think I could promise ten per cent. of it to whoever brought us exact information of its whereabouts before the maharaja could lay his hands on it.” “T’ll tell that to my husband.” eT 7? . “Of course, being in a way in partner- ship with Gungadhura, he might——”’ “Let me give you one word of caution, if I may without offense. We—our gov- ernment—wouldn’t recognize the right of— of any one to take that treasure out of the country. Ten per cent. would be the maxi- mum, and that only in case of accurate in- formation brought in time to us.’ “‘Aren’t findings keepings? Isn’t pos- session nine points of the law?” laughed Tess. “In certain cases, yes. But not where government knows of the existence some- where of a hoard of public funds—an enor- mous hoard—it must run into millions.” “Then if the maharaja should find it would you take it from him?” “No. We. would put the screws on, and force him to administer the fund properly if we knew about it. But he’d never tell.” “Then how d’you know he hasn’t found the stuff already?” “Because many of his personal bills aren’t paid, and the political stormy petrels are not yet heading his way. He’s handi- capped by not being able to hunt for it openly. Some ill-chosen confidant might betray the find to us. I doubt if he trusts more than one or two people at a time.” “TT MUST be —— to be a mahara- ja!” Tess burst out after a minute’s silence. “Tt’s sometimes —— to be commissioner, Mrs, Blaine.” Adventure | “Tf I were Gungadhura I’d find that money or bu’st. And when I’d found it -“You’d endow an orphan asylum, eh?” “Td make such trouble for you English that you’d be glad to leave me in peace for a generation.’ Samson laughed good-naturedly and twisted up the end of his mustache. “?’Pon my soul, you’re a surprizing wo- man! So your sympathies are all with Gungadhura?”’ “Not at all. I think he’s a criminal. He buys women, and tortures animals in an arena, and keeps a troupe of what he is pleased to call dancing-girls. Ive seen his eyes in the morning, and I suspect him of most of the vices in the calendar. He’s despicable. But if I were in his shoes I’d find that money and make it hot for you English!”’ “Are you of Irish extraction, Mrs. Blaine?”’ : “No, indeed I’m not. I’m Connecticut Yankee, and my husband’s from the West. I don’t have to be Irish to ee for my- self, do I?” Sarason did not know eerie < or not to- take her seriously, but recognized that his chance had gone that morning for the flirta- tion he had had in view—very mild, of course, for a beginning; it was his experi- ence that most things ought to start quite mildly, if you hoped to keep the other man from stampeding the game. Nevertheless as a judge of situations, he preferred not to take his leave at that moment. Give a woman the last word always, but be sure it is a question which you leave unans- wered, “You’ve a beautiful garden,” he said; and. for a minute or two they talked of flowers, of which he knew more than a little; then of music, of which he understood a very great deal. “Have you a proper lease on this house?” he asked at last. “T believe so. Why?” “T’ve been told there’s some question about the title. Some one’s bringing suit against your landlord for possession on some ground or another.” “What of it? Suppose the other should win—could he put us out?” “T don’t know. That might depend on your present landlord’s power to make the lease at the time when he made it.” “But we signed the agreement in good “S 3 GEomichoo (E@)