The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-04-17
''DIAM0ND CUT DIAMOND"
ny JANE BUNKER.
Copyright, 1913, The Bobbs-Merrin Co.

hhius W call tuToueu anu bsh
who was there. I threw the door
open. Mrs. Delario whipped In
and closed IL behind her.
y She laid a black-gloved finger
ON her lips to signify silence; she
thrust something In my hand; she
opened the door and whipped out
as she came. shutting 1t In my
face.
| sank into a chair. quite UNI
nerved. l became conscious OF a
hard object In my fist: openc
the fist and beheld - the fatal
box.
You could have knocked me
over with a feather. pulled off
the cover of the box. There lay
the diamonds!
Monsieur did not return that
night-he had other fish to fry.
He had argued IL out thus:
Either | should succeed or L
should fail with Mrs. Delario. II
| failed IL would be for one of
two reasons; either she denied all
knowledge of the diamonds; or
she had confessed to me, yet had
been able to bind me to secrecy.
But In either case. he would read
my success or failure in my face.
In fact, inside OF fifteen min
utes he became convinced my mis-
sion had been a failure.
He was prepared for my fail
ure-his chance OF trapping her
lay In his seeing her before l.
could communicate with her after
seeing him.
With fake telegram, delivered
by George at a preconcerted mo-
ment to serve as monsieur's ex-
cuse to leave the house, and also
as preteXt to leave Claire In the
house, keeping guard over Billy
and myself-none OF three of us
suspecting it-monsieur had TAX
en- his waiting automobile and
swooped down on Mrs. Delario!
He told her | had told him she
had the diamonds. But he failed
to trip her even there: She says
she knew before the words vera
out of his mouth that II was lie
that lie appeared In large
white letters over his head"
After the way you treated me
last Monday-the accusations you
brought against me of robbing
you of your daughter positive
ly will not talk with you for sim
gle minute, unless you bring her
with you," Mrs. Delario declared
lie had not expected this de-
mand, but met 1t with smile.
: 1T is well!" he cried, deter
mined to humor her to the las.
degree. 81 return to re hotel
and bring my daughter back wis
me Immediately"
She saw him jump into wait
ing automobile and dash away
in the direction of his hotel. It
was from there he dispatched
the notes to Claire and me.
Hardly was he out of sight before
she had on her wraps and
whisked out of the house and up
to me with the diamonds.
A crafty plan on monsieur's
part! lie had, by getting Billy to
escort Claire back, bottled up our
activities as completely as If ho
had us gagged and handcuffed!
And II all fell down because
Claire tainted and went into hys.
terics when she reached the hotel.
Monsieur did not see Mrs. Delario
that night, neither did he see me.
l had gone to bed with quite a
bit of a crouch on Mrs. Delario.
walked up grouchier than eve-
How was | to hide her diamonds
now?
| had exhausted all my ingenuf-
ty with the hyacinths, so | decided
| wouldn't hide them at all, and
what | did was to turn them bot
tom-side up under the cotton and
fill the rest of the box with pens
and drop 1t carelessly on the tray
where 1t had been.
And when I'd done that, was,
to all intents and purposes, back
in the same hole again!-if
went out and left them in the
house they might be stolen: II
took them out with me, I might
be robbed.
Besides monsieur was now
due to turn up for that private
talk, and l felt he'd know the
minute he looked at me that / had
the diamonds in the housed
In the course of the day the
front bell rang, and found
George glued to the button to tUll
me, why. thez a gen'lem'n down
stairs say he like to see you, but
he don't give no name, an l tell
him | can't say IL you's home or
out, but I'll go up an see."
HAS he ever been here be-
fore2"
"No'm-he amt never called
here before-fer you ner nobody"
Tell him I'm not at homo.
That's positive"
| / don't know what instinct
prompted me to 1t, but after I'd
closed the door and gone back to
my study, / retraced my steps and
put on the chain bolt.
In five minutes the bell rang
again. / opened the door as far
as the chain bolt would permit,
and George thrust in a letter. /
tore open the flap and read:
"Mademoiselle de Rave
mol has disappeared"