The Springfield herald., 1912-10-25

vanced on me as weasel might upon
some larger creature. Then she
turned viciously on the maid. and
cursed her in French. German and
Italian. until. in the Lorraine peas
ants figure of speech, a fly passing
would not have lighted on her.
l cleaned an explanation from the
lurid damning. The attorney was ex;
pecting his associate to come for him
In motor. the maid had been direct
ed to admit him at once on his arrival
and. naturally, she had taken me for
the man.
The fnfuriated woman slapped the
maids face. pushed her out of the
room. locked the door and turned to
lily. like weasels.
What do you want?" she said in
English, biting at each word as 1t
came out.
had no wish to be scratched to
pieces. SO 1 took the paper out of my
pocket and swiftly explained my er-
rand. The pistol, the scalping-knife,
the acid bottle, instantly vanished. A
moments calm fell and then the sun
flooded that theater of savagery. Thus
a convict escaping from the death-cell
would have acted. II, as he climbed
the wall. guard had touched him,
and, turning about desperately to meet
bullet, he should be handed re-
prieve. The woman and her attorney
carried the contract to tho desk,
spread 1t out. read 1t and re-read 1t
absorbingly. surely as that convict
would have done his pardon. Then
they talked whisperingly together
while waited. Finally, the attorney
spoke to me. holding the contract in
his hand.
If you will pardon me a moment,
Mr.. Parks" he said, until verify
these signatures, We will conclude
this matter"
He went out Into the hall to tele
phone. l heard him call the clerk and
the notary While he talked had a
little leisure to examine Suzanne Kim
sky. Her complexion was of that
| deep beautiful olive to be found in the
south of Austria. Her hair was heavy
with the purple-black gloss of dye, al
thought 1t was certainly not dyed. Her
figure, fallen now into repose, was
sensuous and dainty; her hands were
especially tapering and beautiful. but
her ankles were thick-the ankles of
a ballet dancer.
In a few minutes the attorney re-
turned.
"Mr. Parks" he said. this contract
seems to have been properly executed
My client will accept 1t. l think you
will find the full consideration packed
in that steamer trunk in money and
securities"
/ went with him to the open trunk
and, in ten minutes, had verified its
contents. The bulk of the fund was
| in securities and the remainder in
banknotes of large denominations.
These securities were difficult to val
lie accurately. thought the trunk
contained some twenty-eight thousand
dollars more than the required sum.
Howell thought it contained forty
thousand more. We compromised f.
nally at thirty and he took out
that sum In currency. l closed the
trunk and carried it myself to the mo.
| tor-car
Then I returned up Long Island to
New York. the first man since Kidd
to travel there with a chest of treas
ure, albeit to the passer l appeared
to be merely one returning to his
town apartment with rather knocked.
| up steamer trunk, held together by a
broad leather strap. l wondered, as
went, into what pleasing scene this
changed situation fell at my depar-
ture. l had come evidently, by the
maids blunder. upon a flight. / had
| entered. to the danseuse an instru-
ment of the law with some OBTAINING
writ, and was changed into friendly
herald of surrender. had brought,
against all hoping. peace, the end of
narrowing uncertainty-a signed In
strument of settlement. Three mil
| lions to the adventures for one!
That hour was highly colored. and
yet the hour arriving passed. l think,
| beyond 1t. At three o'clock l had set
| the trunk down in the office of Mrs.
| Porters lawyer, and explained its con-
tents. He called her instantly by tele-
phone, and once more St. George Fair
field Porter came before me with his
retinue, the only one of us on this
dramatic day a gentleman unmoved,
| and yet the one whose fortune was
in peril
Again saw a woman cast from one
emotion violently to another-a WON.
an Of higher order, and yet the sit
uation was no less one Of desperate
drama Mrs. Porter had taken the
message to her for some clean recov-
cry of the money, and came elated as
to victory. When she had the story.
when she knew that the contract of
settlement had been delivered for 1t,
she fell upon that instant to the very
grave-foor Of despair. By this folly of
Randolph Mason she had lost the ma
jor portion of her boys inheritance.
He had surrendered the paper against
his promise, he had broken his word
Immediately he had given up for one
million dollars their claim to the es-
tate. The thing in the acuteness OF
its injuries was criminal, and yet
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