The Raymer enterprise. (New Raymer, Weld County, Colo.) 1910-19??, 1910-10-13


to meet 1t the more alertly.
The room was dark except for now
and again the yellow square of light,
from some passing cable car, travelling
along the ceiling. The four walls
around her. their dark bulks of fur.
niture and light ripple Of moving cur
tains, shut her up with this monster
of her mind. 1t had sprung upon her
from the solid actualities of the night.
And, yes, of the day beforehand the
night before that. Oh. she had known
well enough that there had been some.
thing wrong at the goldsmith's shop
She had felt 1t even before she had
seen the sapphire; and afterward how
1t had held them, both herself and
Harry! To have moved Harry 1t must
be something indeed Had he sus.
pected 1t then. or had he only won.
dered?
If he had suspected why hadn't he
spoken of it? Well. her appalling
fancy prompted. hadn't he spoken of
it?-though not to her. There flashed
back to her the memory of him there
In the back of the shop with the blue.
eyed Chinaman. How furiously he
had assailed the little man! She
could be almost sure that the mon
strous idea which had just overtaken
her had, however fleetingly. flashed
before Harry's mind in the goldsmith's
shop. But surely he couldn't have en-
tertained It for moment. That was
impossible, or he would never have let
her take the sapphlre-Harry, who
had seen the ring, the very Crew
Idol itself, within the "a hours.
"a little heather god curled round
himself with big blue stone on the
top of his head" Harry hadn't said
what sort of stone 1t was: but Kerr
had said 1t was a sapphire. There
was sapphire on her. and now. She
touched 1t with her finger tips eau
tiously, rs II to touch something hot.
So near to her! In the same room
with her! On her own hand! 1t
was too much to be alone with in the
dark! She reached out softly, as II
she feared to disturb some threaten.
ing presence lurking around her. and
lit the small night lamp on the low
table by her bed. The shade was yell
low, and that contended with the
blue Of the sapphire. but couldn't
break its light. With the first flash
Of Its splendor in her face she felt
certainty threatening her. She shook
the ring quickly of her finger and 1t
fell with light clatter on the tables
marble top-fell with the sapphire
face down. and all Its light hidden.
She took 1t up again little fearfully,
as II 1t might have got some harm;
and again while she looked at It 1t
seemed to her that nothing that hap
pened about this jewel could be too
extraordinary. II only 1t had been
less wonderful, less beautiful, she
would not have felt so terribly afraid!
She put 1t back on the table and for
a moment held her hand over 1t, as
II she imprisoned living thing.
Then, without looking again, she
got out Of bed and went to the win
dow. 1t overlooked the dark steep Of
the garden, the moving trees and the
lighter plane OF the water. She
| 1aoped out for ant plooG houcotopc
marched against the bay. and be-
tween them, light by light, her eyes
followed the street lamps down to the
shore.
Oh. to escape out Of this window
into the innocent, sleeping city, away
from the horror at her back! To look
In from the outside and be even sure
there was horror! And II there was,
to run away into the wide soft dark.
But there was another way to be
rid Of 1t. The real idea occurred to
her. How easy 1t would be to take It
that beautiful thing-and throw It;
throw 1t as hard as she could, and
let the night take care of 1t. The win.
dow was open, as II It stood ready,
and there was the ring on the table.
She went to 1t, looked at 1t a moment
without touching 1t, holding her hands
away.
Then with little SILVER she backed
away from 1t and sat down on the
foot Of the bed. She looked pale and
little, as II the eye of the ring, bla.
zing under the feeble lamp. like the
evil eye, had Slapped her fire and
youth. She Rugged her arms around
her updrawn knees. and resting her
chin upon them eyed the sapphire
bravely.
81 suppose you know can't throw
you away" she murmured. "and yet
can't keep you!" She pondered, chin
in hand. To take 1t to Harry! That
seemed the natural thing to do-the
simplest way to be rid Of 1t. She hes.
itated.
III only knew! II only were
sure!" She locked her fingers closer,
staring hard. If 1t had been the whole
Crew Idol, the undismembered god
himself. then there would have been
less terror, and one plain thing to do.
She looked hard at the sapphire set.
ting, as II she hoped to discover upon
It, brilliance some tell.tale trace of
old soft gold; but there was only one