Summary
Summary of The Drums of Jeopardy
Key ideas
Key idea 1
Hawksley cannot outrun the emeralds
A traveler calling himself John Hawksley arrives in fogbound Albany with a scarred kitbag and two enormous emeralds hidden in a tobacco pouch. He curses the stones, but he also sees them as his future. A bearded pursuer makes clear that keeping them will carry a price.
When the man enters his hotel room through the window, Hawksley escapes into the fog. He defeats his enemy in a fight aboard a laid-up steamer, then heads for the station. Winning this encounter has not ended the chase.
Key idea 2
Kitty welcomes danger through her window
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Key idea 3
The jewels already have a history
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Key idea 4
Rescuing Hawksley reveals Cutty's secret
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Key idea 5
Cutty shelters Hawksley but withholds answers
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Key idea 6
Hawksley wants to choose his future
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Key idea 7
An offer of security becomes love
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Key idea 8
A carefree outing brings new danger
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Key idea 9
Decency matters more than possessing treasure
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The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
Read the rest freeWho it’s for
Readers who like old-fashioned adventure with a heart will enjoy chases through city streets, a clever heroine, a gentleman hero and an Irish sense of humor, along with jewels with a curse and a good love story.
What this book is
Two green emeralds, set as the drumheads of two ivory drummers, bring trouble wherever they travel. In New York, in the uneasy spring after the First World War, Harold MacGrath's The Drums of Jeopardy sends a hunted young man, a quick-witted newspaperwoman and a veteran war correspondent into one chase. A grudge-driven fanatic named Boris Karlov follows close behind. Romance, danger and a good deal of humor come along the way.
In this summary
- 1A fugitive vanishes into the Albany fogFree
- 2A starving stranger comes to Kitty's window
- 3Cutty tells Kitty about the drums of jeopardy
- 4Karlov appears, and Cutty shows his hand
- 5The loft in the clouds and the name Two-Hawks
- 6Hawksley wants to be an American
- 7A burglar on the roof and a strange proposal
- 8Two April fools on Broadway
- 9What the story is really about
Key point 1 of 9
A fugitive vanishes into the Albany fog
At half past three on a cold March morning, a train pulls into Albany. Fog is so thick that the station lamps look like dim stars. A man with a scarred English kitbag steps off after traveling sixteen thousand miles toward New York.
A thickset man with a blue-black beard follows him. The traveler signs a hotel register as John Hawksley of London. In his room he opens a tobacco pouch that hangs at his neck and shows two emeralds the size of half-dollars. He curses them, yet they are his future.
The bearded man climbs in through the window. Hawksley escapes into the fog and leads his enemy to a laid-up steamer by the Hudson River. There he fights with his fists and wins, then runs for the station. The newspapers call it a Bolshevik mystery.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Check yourself
Why does Cutty call the emeralds the drums of jeopardy?
Right. “He calls them the drums of jeopardy because misfortune follows them from owner to owner.”Not quite. “He calls them the drums of jeopardy because misfortune follows them from owner to owner.”
What future does Hawksley want for himself?
Right. “He wants to be an American.”Not quite. “He wants to be an American.”
What does Cutty realize after offering Kitty a marriage of convenience?
Right. “Walking away, Cutty realizes he is in love with her.”Not quite. “Walking away, Cutty realizes he is in love with her.”
Questions about The Drums of Jeopardy
What is The Drums of Jeopardy about?
It follows a hunted young man who brings two valuable emeralds to New York, and the newspaperwoman and war correspondent who shelter him. A fanatic named Karlov chases them all, and the story mixes danger, humor and romance.
What are the drums of jeopardy?
They are two matched emeralds carved as the drumheads of ivory drummers, said to leave misfortune behind wherever they go. Cutty first hears of them as a collector, and the phrase becomes the book's symbol of danger.
Who is Cutty in The Drums of Jeopardy?
Cutty is a fifty-two-year-old war correspondent who collects drums and green stones. He is also a secret government agent, and he promises to watch over Kitty Conover because he was a close friend of her parents.
Is The Drums of Jeopardy a true story?
No, it is a work of fiction by Harold MacGrath. It is set in the unsettled months after the First World War, when many readers feared revolution, and it uses that setting for a lively adventure.
Is The Drums of Jeopardy easy to read?
The humor and the clear characters make it welcoming for readers who enjoy classic adventure.
