THE GREAT STONE OF SARDIS




CHAPTER I

THE ARRIVAL OF THE EUTERPE-THALIA


It was about noon of a day in early summer that a westward-bound
Atlantic liner was rapidly nearing the port of New York. Not long
before, the old light-house on Montauk Point had been sighted,
and the company on board the vessel were animated by the knowledge
that in a few hours they would be at the end of their voyage.

The vessel now speeding along the southern coast of Long Island
was the Euterpe-Thalia, from Southampton. On Wednesday morning
she had left her English port, and many of her passengers were
naturally anxious to be on shore in time to transact their business
on the last day of the week. There were even some who expected to
make their return voyage on the Melpomene-Thalia, which would
leave New York on the next Monday.

The Euterpe-Thalia was one of those combination ocean vessels