The Project Gutenberg EBook of Queen of the Flaming Diamond, by Leroy Yerxa

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Title: Queen of the Flaming Diamond

Author: Leroy Yerxa

Release Date: May 18, 2010 [EBook #32411]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK QUEEN OF THE FLAMING DIAMOND ***

Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Greg Weeks, and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from Amazing Stories January 1943. Extensive
research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this
publication was renewed.

QUEEN

OF THE

FLAMING DIAMOND

by LEROY YERXA

* * * * *

[Sidenote: _There it was, in a night club, the biggest diamond in the
world. Why was it here when a whole race depended on it for
existence?_]

The Owl Limb Night Club was crowded with smoothly gowned women and
paunchy men as Owner George Lardner approached the hanging "mike" to
announce the midnight attraction. At Lardner's appearance "Puffy"
Adams nudged his well-dressed boss in the ribs and whispered thickly.

"Come on, Jim. Let's get out of here."

Jim Drake lifted a tousled head from the smooth linen. He gazed at his
right hand man with a washed-out expression.

"Huh?"

"Puffy" Adams stood up slowly. His coat was wrinkled and creased
across his powerful back. He pulled it down impatiently and rubbed a
warm hand across his face. Looking down at the unsteady figure of Jim
Drake he grunted. Three crooked teeth that seemed at odds with the
world, appeared coyly against "Puffy's" lower lip.

He was accustomed to this old routine. Placing both hands under
Drake's armpits he lifted. Jim came to his feet with a surprised
gurgle.

"Wait a minute," he protested. "Wanta' see dance."

Puffy Adams pushed a thick arm around Drake and steered him across the
floor between the tables.

"Special feature tonight--diamond of mystery...." The night club owner
was still talking, his voice drowni