"I've got an idea," I told him, "and it all depends whether or not you've already sent the invitations to your guests."
"No, I haven't--just haven't got around to it," he answered. "All I was going to do was to write to about nine or ten of my men friends. I don't suppose all of them can come."
"Good. I thought it might be interesting if we worked that legend into the invitation--just to add a little spice to the fishing and hunting. It might serve to waken a little extra interest in your party. Of course--it includes poking fun at the ferocious Jason and his treasure."
"They'll have a lot more fun poked at them before we're done. As I told you--only the colored people take them seriously at all."
I took out my fountain pen, found a scrap of paper, and drew something like this:
[Illustration: GRAND TREASURE HUNT You are hereby invited to rally round at KASTLE KRAGS Sept. 6-12; search for SPANISH GOLD on 50-50 basis.
The Treasure is guarded by AWFUL SEA-MONSTER
P.S. Bring rods and guns. Turkey, quail, deer, sea-fish. All that makes the sportsman's heart be glad.
As my only drawing experience consisted in portraying specimens, it had no artistic pretensions whatever.
He seemed pleased, adopted the plan in an instant, then began to write down the names of his guests so that I could prepare an invitation for each. Most of them, I observed, lived in great cities to the North, New York and Boston particularly, and one or two of the men were more or less nationally known. The first half dozen names came easy. Then he paused, frowning.
"I wish I knew what to do about this bird," he muttered, as much to himself as to me. "Killdare, I don't suppose you've ever heard of him--Major Kenneth Dell?"
"Well, I haven't either--yet I suppose he's a good sportsman. In the last few weeks he's got close to my best friend, Bill Van Hope, and Bill asked me to ask him down for this shoot. Says he's a distinguished man, the best of fellows, and is simply wild to try Floridan game. Oh, I'll put him down. If Bill recommends him he must be the goods."
He completed the list in a moment, then his duties calling him elsewhere, he left me in the study to prepare the invitations. And the hour turned out fortunately for me, after all. Thinking that the room was empty, Edith Nealman came back to her desk.