The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1905-08-14


Sing Sing TO see him. I'm crazy to see
him. ia Tell him the news and see
If he couldn't bride guard. or plan
some scheme with me to get out soon.
Afraid-me? What OF? If they
found me under that box I'd just give
'em the Beryl story about the bet
How do you know they wouldn't be-
lieVe il? 49,. oh. | don't care, you've
got to take chances. Mag Monahan. II
you go in for big things. And this was
that diamonds worth? And do you
know how to spend 100000?
l spent it all therein the box
every penny of it. When | got tired
spending money dozed Bit and. in
my dream. spent IL over again And
then | walked and tried to fancy new
ways of getting rid of 1t. but my head
| acheh and my back ached. and my
whole body was so strained and
cramped that I was On the point of
giving it all up when-that blessed old
| Topham came in.
He set the big box down with a bang
that nearly cracked my head He
turned on the lights, and stood
whistling Tommy Atkins" And then
suddenly there came soft call:
.Topham! Tophaml"
|. leaned back and bit my fingers till
! / knew | wouldn't Shrek The Eng
lishman listened minute. Then the
| call came again, and Topham creaked
to the door and out.
In a twinkling | was out, too, you
bet.
Mag! He hadn't opened the box at
all! There 1t stood in the middle OF
the space framed by the three glasses.
| pulled at the lid Locked ! could
have screamed with rage But the
sound of his step outside the door
sobered me. He was coming back
In a frantic hurry turned toward
the window which had unlocked
/ when came in four hours ago But
hadn't time to make It, | heard the
old fellows hand on the door, and
tumblea back into the box In such a
rush that the curtains were still way
ing Nnen ne came In.
Slowly he began to place the jewels,
one by one, in the order her ladyshlp
puts them on, We Charity girls had
often watched him from the he
never let one Of us put foot In
side. lie was method and order itself
Ffe never changed the order in which
he lifted the glittering things out, nor
the places he put them back in. ! put
my hand up against the top of the
box tracing the spot where each piece
would be lying. Think, Mag, just hall
an inch between me and quarter OF q
million!
Oh. was sore as lay there! And
wasn't so cock-sure either that lc
get out OF 1t straight. NH tried tbs
Beryl story lots of ways on myself, bu
somehow, every time | fancied myself
telling 1t to Obermuller. it got tangled
up and lay dumb and heavy inside
! OF me.
, But at least ii would be better to APP
, pear of my own will before the oil
! Englishman than be discovered b,
, Lord Gray and his lady. | had m
! fingers ON the curtains. and in anothe
second I'd been out when
Miss Beryl Blackburn's compli
ments, Mr.. Topham, and would yo
!, step to the door, as there's somethin
most important she wants to tell you.
oh, ! loved every syllable that call
Toy spokel There was a giggle be
hind his voice, too; old Topham wa
the butt Of every joke. The first cal
! which had fooled me, must have bee
from some giddy girl who wanted t
guy the old fellow She had fooled m
! all right. But thisthls one was tn
) real article.
There was pause-Topham mus
: be looking about to be sure thing
! were safe. Then he creaked to tn
door and shut it carefully behind hin
1t only took minute, but in tina
minute-in that minute, Mag | ha
+, the rose diamond clutched safe in m
fingers; ! was on the top of the bi
trunk and out of the window.
q Ito be Continued)