Cutty resumed his pacing. The moment his imagination caught the

essentials he visualized the Odyssey. Across mountains and deserts,

rivers and seas, he followed Two-Hawks in fancy, pursued by an

implacable hatred, more or less historical, of which the lad was less

a cause than an abstract object. And Karlov--Cutty understood Karlov

now--always span near, his hate reenergizing his faltering feet.

There was evidently some iron in this Two-Hawks' blood. Fear never

would have carried him thus far. Fear would have whispered, "Futility!

Futility!" And he would have bent his head to the stroke. So then there

was resource and there was courage. And he lay in yonder room, beaten

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and penniless. The top piece in the grim irony--to have come all these

thousands of miles unscathed, to be dropped at the goal. But America?

Well, that would be solved later.

"By the Lord Harry!" Cutty stopped and struck his hands together. "The

drums!"

From the hour Kitty had pronounced the name Stefani Gregor an idea had

taken lodgment, an irrepressible idea, that somewhere in this drama

would be the drums of jeopardy. The mark of the thong! Never any

doubt of it now. Those magnificent emeralds were here in New York,

The mob--the Red Guard--hammering on the doors, what would have been

Two-Hawks' most natural first thought? To gather what treasures the

hand could be laid to and flee. Here in New York, and in Karlov's hands,

ultimately to be cut up for Bolshevik propaganda! The infernal pity of

it!

The passion of the gem hunter blazed forth, dimming all other phases of

the drama. Here was a real game, a man's game; sport! Cutty rubbed his

hands together pleasurably. To recover those green flames before

they could be broken up; under the ancient ruling that "Findings is

keepings." The stones, of course, meant nothing to Karlov beyond the

monetary value; and upon this fact Cutty began developing a plan. He

stood ready to buy those stones if he could draw them into the open.

Lord, how he wanted them! Murder and loot, always murder and loot!

The thought of those two incomparable emeralds being broken up

distressed him profoundly. He must act at once, before the desecration

could be consummated. Two-Hawks--Hawksley hereafter, for the sake of

convenience--had an equity in the gems; but what of that? In smuggling

them in--and how the deuce had he done it?--he had thrown away his

legal right to them. Cutty kneaded his conscience into a satisfactory

condition of quiescence and went on with his planning. If he succeeded

in recovering the stones and his conscience bit a little too deeply

for comfort--why, he could pay over to Hawksley twenty per cent. of

the price Karlov demanded. He could take it or leave it. In a case like

this--to a bachelor without dependents--money was no object. All

his life he had wanted a fine emerald to play with, and here was an

opportunity to acquire two!




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