The Poisoned Pen(Fiscle Part-3) - Arthur B. Reeve (best detective novels of all time TXT) 📗

Pandit Eyed Us Suspiciously,  Then He Rang A Bell. The Attendant

Appeared Instantly,  Noiselessly.

 

"Show These Men Into The Library," He Commanded With Just The

Faintest Shade Of Trepidation. "My Servant Will Give You The

Book," He Said To Craig. "Pay Him."

 

It Seemed That We Had Suddenly Been Looked Upon With Disfavour,

And I Half Suspected He Thought We Were Spies Of The Police,  Who

Had Recently Received Numerous Complaints Of The Financial

Activities Of The Fortune Tellers,  Who Worked In Close Harmony

With Certain Bucket-Shop Operators In Fleecing The Credulous Of

Their Money By Inspired Investment Advice. At Any Rate,  The

Attendant Quickly Opened A Door Into The Darkness. Treading

Cautiously I Followed Craig. The Door Closed Behind Us. I Clenched

My Fists,  Not Knowing What To Expect.

 

"The Deuce!" Exclaimed Kennedy. "He Passed Us Out Into An Alley.

There Is The Street Not Twenty Feet Away. The Pandit Is A Clever

One,  All Right."

 

It Was Now Too Late To See Any Of The Other Clairvoyants On Our

List,  So That With This Unceremonious Dismissal We Decided To

Conclude Our Investigations For The Night.

 

The Next Morning We Wended Our Way Up Into The Bronx,  Where One Of

The Mystics Had Ensconced Himself Rather Out Of The Beaten Track Of

Police Protection,  Or Persecution,  One Could Not Say Which. I Was

Wondering What Sort Of Vagary Would Come Next. It Proved To Be

"Swami,  The Greatest Clairvoyant,  Psychic Palmist,  And Yogi

Mediator Of Them All." He Also Stood Alone In His Power,  For He

Asserted:

 

   Names Friends,  Enemies,  Rivals,  Tells Whom And When You

   Will Marry,  Advises You Upon Love,  Courtship,  Marriage,

   Business,  Speculation,  Transactions Of Every Nature. If You Are

   Worried,  Perplexed,  Or In Trouble Come To This Wonderful

   Man. He Reads Your Life Like An Open Book; He Overcomes

   Evil Influences,  Reunites The Separated,  Causes Speedy And

   Happy Marriage With The One Of Your Choice,  Tells How To

   Influence Any One You Desire,  Tells Whether Wife Or Sweetheart

   Is True Or False. Love,  Friendship,  And Influence Of

   Others Obtained And A Greater Share Of Happiness In Life

   Secured. The Key To Success Is That Marvellous,  Subtle,

   Unseen Power That Opens To Your Vision The Greatest Secrets

   Of Life. It Gives You Power Which Enables You To Control

   The Minds Of Men And Women.

 

The Swami Engaged To Explain The "Wonderful Karmic Law," And By

His Method One Could Develop A Wonderful Magnetic Personality By

Which He Could Win Anything The Human Heart Desired. It Was

Therefore With Great Anticipation That We Sought Out The Wonderful

Swami And,  Falling Into The Spirit Of His Advertisement,  Posed As

"Come-Ons" And Pleaded To Obtain This Wonderful Magnetism And A

Knowledge Of The Karmic Law--At A Ridiculously Low Figure,

Considering Its Inestimable Advantages To One Engaged In The

Pursuit Of Criminal Science. Naturally The Swami Was Pleased At

Two Such Early Callers,  And His Narrow,  Half-Bald Head,  Long Slim

Nose,  Sharp Grey Eyes,  And Sallow,  Unwholesome Complexion Showed

His Pleasure In Every Line And Feature.

 

Rubbing His Hands Together As He Motioned Us Into The Next Room,

The Swami Seated Us On A Circular Divan With Piles Of Cushions

Upon It. There Were Clusters Of Flowers In Vases About The Room,

Which Gave It The Odour Of The Renewed Vitality Of The Year.

 

A Lackey Entered With A Silver Tray Of Cups Of Coffee And A Silver

Jar In The Centre. Talking Slowly And Earnestly About The "Great

Karmic Law," The Swami Bade Us Drink The Coffee,  Which Was Of A

Vile,  Muddy,  Turkish Variety. Then From The Jar He Took A Box Of

Rock Crystal Containing A Sort Of Greenish Compound Which He

Part 3 Chapter 7 (The White Slave) Pg 81

Kneaded Into A Little Gum--Gum Tragacanth,  I Afterward Learned,--

And Bade Us Taste. It Was Not At All Unpleasant To The Taste,  And

As Nothing Happened,  Except The Suave Droning Of The Mystic Before

Us,  We Ate Several Of The Gum Pellets.

 

I Am At A Loss To Describe Adequately Just The Sensations That I

Soon Experienced. It Was As If Puffs Of Hot And Cold Air Were

Alternately Blown On My Spine,  And I Felt A Twitching Of My Neck,

Legs,  And Arms. Then Came A Subtle Warmth. The Whole Thing Seemed

Droll; The Noise Of The Swami's Voice Was Most Harmonious. His And

Kennedy's Faces Seemed Transformed. They Were Human Faces,  But

Each Had A Sort Of Animal Likeness Back Of It,  As Lavater Has

Said. The Swami Seemed To Me To Be The Fox,  Kennedy The Owl. I

Looked In The Glass,  And I Was The Eagle. I Laughed Outright.

 

It Was Sensuous In The Extreme. The Beautiful Paintings On The

Walls At Once Became Clothed In Flesh And Blood. A Picture Of A

Lady Hanging Near Me Caught My Eye. The Countenance Really Smiled

And Laughed And Varied From Moment To Moment. Her Figure Became

Rounded And Living And Seemed To Stir In The Frame. The Face Was

Beautiful But Ghastly. I Seemed To Be Borne Along On A Sea Of

Pleasure By Currents Of Voluptuous Happiness.

 

The Swami Was Affected By A Profound Politeness. As He Rose And

Walked About The Room,  Still Talking,  He Salaamed And Bowed. When

I Spoke It Sounded Like A Gun,  With An Echo Long Afterward

Rumbling In My Brain. Thoughts Came To Me Like Fury,  Bewildering,

Sometimes As Points Of Light In The Most Exquisite Fireworks.

Objects Were Clothed In Most Fantastic Garbs. I Looked At My Two

Animal Companions. I Seemed To Read Their Thoughts. I Felt Strange

Affinities With Them,  Even With The Swami. Yet It Was All By The

Psychological Law Of The Association Of Ideas,  Though I Was No

Longer Master But The Servant Of Those Ideas.

 

As For Kennedy,  The Stuff Seemed To Affect Him Much Differently

Than It Did Myself. Indeed,  It Seemed To Rouse In Him Something

Vicious. The More I Smiled And The More The Swami Salaamed,  The

More Violent I Could See Craig Getting,  Whereas I Was Lost In A

Maze Of Dreams That I Would Not Have Stopped If I Could. Seconds

Seemed To Be Years; Minutes Ages. Things At Only A Short Distance

Looked Much As They Do When Looked At Through The Inverted End Of

A Telescope. Yet It All Carried With It An Agreeable Exhilaration

Which I Can Only Describe As The Heightened Sense One Feels On The

First Spring Day Of The Year.

 

At Last The Continued Plying Of The Drug Seemed To Be Too Much For

Kennedy. The Swami Had Made A Profound Salaam. In An Instant

Kennedy Had Seized With Both Hands The Long Flowing Hair At The

Back Of The Swami's Bald Forehead,  And He Tugged Until The Mystic

Yelled With Pain And The Tears Stood In His Eyes.

 

With A Leap I Roused Myself From The Train Of Dreams And Flung

Myself Between Them. At The Sound Of My Voice And The Pressure Of

My Grasp,  Craig Sullenly And Slowly Relaxed His Grip. A Vacant

Look Seemed To Steal Into His Face,  And Seizing His Hat,  Which Lay

On A Near-By Stool,  He Stalked Out In Silence,  And I Followed.

 

Neither Of Us Spoke For A Moment After We Had Reached The Street,

But Out Of The Corner Of My Eye I Could See That Kennedy's Body

Was Convulsed As If With Suppressed Emotion.

 

"Do You Feel Better In The Air?" I Asked Anxiously,  Yet Somewhat

Vexed And Feeling A Sort Of Lassitude And Half Regret At The

Reality Of Life And Not Of The Dreams.

 

It Seemed As If He Could Restrain Himself No Longer. He Burst Out

Into A Hearty Laugh. "I Was Just Watching The Look Of Disgust On

Your Face," He Said As He Opened His Hand And Showed Me Three Or

Four Of The Gum Lozenges That He Had Palmed Instead Of Swallowing.

"Ha,  Ha! I Wonder What The Swami Thinks Of His Earnest Effort To

Expound The Karmic Law."

Part 3 Chapter 7 (The White Slave) Pg 82

 

It Was Beyond Me. With The Swami's Concoction Still Shooting

Thoughts Like Sky Rockets Through My Brain I Gave It Up And

Allowed Kennedy To Engineer Our Next Excursion Into The Occult.

 

One More Seer Remained To Be Visited. This One Professed To "Hold

Your Life Mirror" And By His "Magnetic Monochrome," Whatever That

Might Be,  He Would "Impart To You An Attractive Personality,

Mastery Of Being,  For Creation And Control Of Life Conditions."

 

He Described Himself As The "Guru," And,  Among Other Things,  He

Professed To Be A Sun-Worshipper. At Any Rate,  The Room Into Which

We Were Admitted Was Decorated With The Four-Spoked Wheel,  Or

Wheel And Cross,  The Winged Circle,  And The Winged Orb. The Guru

Himself Was A Swarthy Individual With A Purple Turban Wound Around

His Head. In His Inner Room Were Many Statuettes,  Photographs Of

Other Gurus Of The Faith,  And On Each Of The Four Walls Were

Mysterious Symbols In Plaster Representing A Snake Curved In A

Circle,  Swallowing His Tail,  A Five-Pointed Star,  And In The

Centre Another Winged Sphere.

 

Craig Asked The Guru To Explain The Symbols,  To Which He Replied

With A Smile: "The Snake Represents Eternity,  The Star Involution

And Evolution Of The Soul,  While The Winged Sphere--Eh,  Well,  That

Represents Something Else. Do You Come To Learn Of The Faith?"

 

At This Gentle Hint Craig Replied That He Did,  And The Utmost

Amicability Was Restored By The Purchase Of The Green Book Of The

Guru,  Which Seemed To Deal With Everything Under The Sun,  And

Particularly The Revival Of Ancient Asiatic Fire-Worship With Many

Forms And Ceremonies,  Together With Posturing And Breathing That

Rivalled The "Turkey Trot," The "Bunny Hug," And The "Grizzly

Bear." The Book,  As We Turned Over Its Pages,  Gave Directions For

Preparing Everything From Food To Love-Philtres And The Elixir Of

Life. One Very Interesting Chapter Was Devoted To "Electric

Marriage," Which Seemed To Come To Those Only Who,  After Searching

Patiently,  At Last Found Perfect Mates. Another Of The Guru's

Tenets Seemed To Be Purification By Eliminating All False Modesty,

Bathing In The Sun,  And While Bathing Engaging In Any Occupation

Which Kept The Mind Agreeably Occupied. On The First Page Was The

Satisfying Legend,  "There Is Nothing In The World That A Disciple

Can Give To Pay The Debt To The Guru Who Has Taught Him One

Truth."

 

As We Talked,  It Seemed Quite Possible To Me That The Guru Might

Exert A Very Powerful Hypnotic Influence Over His Disciples Or

Those Who Came To Seek His Advice. Besides This Indefinable

Hypnotic Influence,  I Also Noted The More Material Lock On The

Door To The Inner Sanctuary.

 

"Yes," The Guru Was Saying To Kennedy,  "I Can Secure You One Of

The Love-Pills From India,  But It Will Cost You--Er--Ten Dollars."

I Think He Hesitated,  To See How Much The Traffic Would Bear,  From

One To One Hundred,  And Compromised With Only One Zero After The

Unit. Kennedy Appeared Satisfied,  And The Guru Departed With

Alacrity To Secure The Specially Imported Pellet.

 

In A Corner Was A Sort Of Dressing-Table On Which Lay A Comb And

Brush. Kennedy Seemed Much Interested In The Table And Was

Examining It When The Guru Returned. Just As The Door Opened He

Managed To Slip The Brush Into His Pocket And Appear Interested In

The Mystic Symbols On The Wall Opposite.

 

"If That