Page 112 - Adventure Magazine, 1921, July 18th

Sorcery and Ever hard 107

anger toward a snake or some such venom- been mentioned. Zoronna so I learned in
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ous and deadly thing as ought to have time, wrote a diary in cipher; and as she
been put out of the way; and because I used Russian the cipher was not translat-
sometimes go to the trouble of interfering able without more application and study
with such thing, and person, I have my mo- than anybody gave it.
tn·es suspected; for though a group of men It must have been a rather emotional
will gallantly spend a half-day looking for a diary, full of moods and hopes and ambi-
snake that has made a woman scream they tions and longings, and such stuff, which-
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must be brothers, or fathers or husbands, or judging by the fuss educated people have
something of the kind, before they will go made over the diary of a silly Russian girl
outside of law courts-which could scarcely by the name of Marie Bashkirtseff, or some-
have been better designed for the befuddle- thing of the kind-may make "great litera-
ment of justice, and the advantage of clever ture," but otherwise seems to be nonsense.
criminals if clever criminals had themselves So I jump ahead of the story's development
designed such courts-to get scoundrels into to say- that nothing important came from
trouble. Zoronna's diary.
Understan d that I do not go around look- If I were writing her biography, or his-
ing for scoundrels, or anything of the kind; tory, it would be different. I am not. I
but when one of them, or a dozen of them, am ,describing only that angle made when
meddles with me or with anybody in whom her "destiny" crossed my own.
I happen to be interested, I have the time, The newspapers had found out that she
patience and inclination to look into the was Zoronna Symondi. I think it was the
matter and do some things that I feel ought big mirror which first gave the clue. After
to be done. So, having got those comments suspicion, proof was easy. There were not
out of the way, I shall go on with the story. two women alive like her.
The discovery had no bearing on affairs
THE few following days nothing as they unfolded for me, but the newspapers
worth being put down chronolog- grew highly excited. Cantello had been
ically took place. Madame Gui- slain-so the police thought-by one of her
gane sent me several notes that had nothing lovers. She was a notorious and wicked
of importance in them. She said she was woman. Perhaps the same lover had killed
keeping an eye on Sin Chang-which might her, since no trace of her could be found.
mean anything. She said in every note that Lord Bob was a much changed young
I ought to meet her and talk things over, man in many ways. He had numerous in-
which only disclosed the feminine instinct teryiews with detectives, and succeeded in
for gossip. pretending that he had not known she was
I got my photographs from the impor- really Zoronna Symondi. He could get out
tantly youthful drug clerk and was very well of almost any difficulty where acting was of
satisfied with the result under the circum- service.
stances· though it would not have taken Besides, there was not a suspicion that
much to make the enlargement more like he was anything but a young society man,
the person it resembled. But not being an and there was no need to explain why a
artist I did not attempt to touch 1t up. young society man would rapidly build up
Regarding the papers I l1ad stolen from friendship with Zoronna, no matter under
Zoronna I had more difficulty. I spent some what name she masqueraded.
money and gave up a lot of time showing As I have said, he was a much changed
them to people who knew languages; and young man, and sat about moodily for
though I was quickly enough told the writ- hours, sometimes starting up with nervous
ing was in Russian I couldn't find a Russian jerks. He went out sometimes, frequently
who made head or tail of it. -sneaked out the back way to evade re-
But as the really important thing which I porters. He returned with little or nothing
took from the trunk was the photograph, to say-lo me anyway. And though about
and as the papers never did amount to the house he always had a glass of iced
much, 1 will explain about them briefly and liquor in his hand he never seemed to be
have it over with, so nobody will lose pa- made the least unsteady or otherwise much
tience by watching out for them and he dis- affected by it.
satisfied to see them scarcely worth havmg Then one day he called me to him. One

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