Adventure, June 1911 — page 134: what you’re looking at

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

320 Miss Selward clung to her father’s arm, rather faint. In two or three seconds Stanley held out his palm toward them, with the mouse upon it, limp and dead! Miss Selward was fast losing her self- control. ‘‘Father, father!” she sobbed hysterically. ‘‘He saved my life! J was going to play with the ring!” ‘—— ——|” said Sir Charles, and nothing more. | we, “IT’S this way,” said Stanley. S17, “‘Each ruby is set in a circle of tiny ‘ stilettos—tipped with poison. I wasn’t at all sure it would have kept its strength so long, but I thought best to be on the safe side. Old Raymond said it would kill a cat in ten minutes and a human being in several hours. All the other rings are of painted leather; this is of real gold and rubies, as you see. This fact was to be pointed out to the Queen, and the hope was that, with her love of pricéless toys, she would sit down and grab it before she thought of a possible trap.” “Let us get away from this horrible room!”’ sobbed the girl. “¢__. ——!” said the huntsman. think it’s time!” “But, say,” asked Stanley, rising from his chair, “did either of you notice the smile?” It seemed they had, not unnaturally, been absorbed in watching the mouse. ‘“Well, I guess we aren’t in a state to experiment any more to-day. But I like to fancy that old Raymond planned the grin for the spectators after her Majesty had toyed with the ring long enough. We can look into that another day; there may be a spring that releases a smile upon the leather.” He perceived that the old gentleman, with his daughter on his arm, had halted ma- jestically by the door and was adjusting a monocle, surveying the stranger as if he had that very moment first discerned his pres- ence. “And what am I to do for you, young sir?’’ he demanded. In an instant there was a curious atmos- pheric change. From the eyes of Ramon flashed the wild spirit of his Irish-Spanish ancestor encountering the choleric face of Elizabeth’s old sea-dog; then the Twentieth eid Adventure Century returned, and the young American laughed: “Why, I guess you can sell me this lumber-room stuff—that’s all. I’ve taken a fancy to it and I’ll give you a good figure——”’ “Sir,” interrupted the enraged British householder, ‘Ill do nothing of the sort!” “‘Oh, yes, I guess you will,” said Stanley easily. ‘‘We don’t want to rake up an old quarrel, but I’ve got about as good a claim to it as you have. I might get the British law to work on lost property—or treasure- trove, or some such thing. I can prove it belonged to us all right.” _ “JT think,” said Sir Charles, swallowing his indignation in an access of dignity, “that it is high time to prove something!”’ “‘Quite right, papa,”’ said Miss Selward, now recovered sufficiently to be her own mistress. ‘‘ You shall have the whole story of how we came to break into the Bluebeard Chamber. But first you are going to ask Mr. Stanley to tea and let him wash and brush off the dust of centuries, and then we can have explanations by the drawing-room 33 “T will not sell him anything,” growled the British father, marching ahead. ‘Miss Selward flung a look at Stanley that said quite plainly, ‘‘We shall bring him to time’’; and to the hunched shoulders of the pink coat she remarked: ‘‘ You seem to have forgotten how nearly your daughter shared the fate of the mouse. I should think you’d be glad to get rid of the chair that smiled; anywa ak ‘‘__ the’ was the growl that en- sued. But Miss Selward held out her hand to Stanley as a peace-offering. “I think we’d better bury the hatchet,” said she. ‘“ Prob- ably the ownership of the furniture will adjust itself in time.” 2—# IT WAS not a matter of great ' surprise in England and America “when such an adjustment ‘shortly after took place. The bride insisted that the leathér Turni- ture be kept in seclusion, and the ruby ring thickly swathed in bandages and shown with great care. But whether the chair smiled in reality or in imagination is a point upon which there is dispute to the present day. Some people see it and some don’t—that is all. . Go DOOKS ANUC (C@ \