Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-02-17
CHAPTER XVIII.

THE LAST ACT OF THE DRAMA.
l oversight. mex morning, so out
rageously that it was not until l had
got a seat in a subway express that
| had time to open my paper. My first
glance was for the big head that would
tell OF the diamond robbery; and then
l realized that no morning paper would
have a word OF it. For the robbery
was only a few hours old-and yet, it
seemed to me an age had passed since
that moment when Godfrey had rushed
In upon Grady and me. So the city
moved on. as yet blissfully ncon
scious OF the sensation which would be-
sprung with the first afternoon edi-
lions. and owe which reporters and
now. no doubt. laboring. 1 promised
myself a happy half hour in reading
Godfrey'S story!
1t was then that 1 remembered the
appointment for IL o'clock. The last
act of h drama was yet to be
staged. Godfrey had said. and he
had also spoken Of a bomb-a big
orfe! 1 wondered what 1t could
be. One thing was certain: il God
frey had prepared 1t, it's explosion
would be startling enough.
There We're a number of things at
the office demanding my attention, and
l was so late in getting there and the
morning passed so rapidly that when
the office boy came in and announced
that Mr.. Grady and Mr.. Simmonds were
outside N wished to see me-, | did
not. for a moment, their visit
with Godfrey. Then L looked at my
watch, saw thai it was five minutes to
II, and realized that the actors were
assembling.
Show them In" / said, and they en-
tered together a minute later.
Grady was evidently much perturbed.
His usually florid face vas drawn and
haggard. his cheeks hung in ugly lines,
eyes, and the eyes themselves were
bloodshot. [ guessed that he had not
been to bed; that he had spent the
night searching for Crochard-and 1t
was easy enough to see that the search
had been unsuccessful. Simmonds, too,
was looking rather shaky, and on doubt
still felt the after effects of tina whiff
of poison.
monds,' 1 said, shaking hands with
him. "Tha was a close call"
1T certainly was" Simmonds agreed.
sinking into a chair. IF [ had got a
little more of 1t, I'd never have walked
up"
ID you remember anything about
mot a thing. One minute we were
sitting there talking together as nice
as you please-and the next thing 1
knew was hen l woke up in the bank"
where's lat man Godfrey" broke
in Grady.
He said he'd be here at noon," I
said. and glanced at my watch. Its
noon now; Were you to meet him
him here
Grady glanced at me suspiciously.
Don't you know anything about it?'
Il only know that Godfrey asked me
to be here at noon today. What's up?"
Blamed if I know" said Grady, sulk-
ily. Il got word from him that I'd
better be here, and 1 thought maybe
he might know something. I'm so dizzy
over last nights business that I'm rum
ming around in circles this morning.
But I won't wait for him. He can't
make me do that! Come along, Sim
monds."
wait a minute" I broke in. as the
outer door opened. Perhaps that's
Godfrey, now"
And so it proved. He came in, accom-
panied by a man whom 1 knew to be
Arthur shearrow, chief counsel for the
Record.
Godfrey nodded all around.
II think you know Mr.. Shearrow," he
said, placing on my desk a small leath-
Lester. Mr.. S~hearrow." he. added, and
we shook hands. 1.-THE object of this
conference. Lester" ne concluded. lis
to straighten out certain matters con-
nected with the M~ichaelovitch dia-
monds-and incidentally to give the
Record the biggest SCOOP it has had
for months"
Il amt here to fix up no scoop for
the Record broke in Grady: THAT
paper never did treat me right"
1T has treated al we'll as you
deserved" retorted Godfrey. I'm GO
ing to talk plainly to you, Grady. Your
goose is cooked. You can't hold on for
an hour after last nights getaway be-
comes public"
We'll see about that" growled Graz
dy. but the fight had evidently been
taken out Of him.
II understand you wouldn't let Sim
monds telephone for me last night? ?"
queried Godfrey.
That's right-it wasn't none of your
business"
Perhaps not. And yet, If 1 had been
there. the cleverest thief in Paris, IL
not in the world. would be safe behind
those chrome-nickel steel bars at the
Twenty-third street station, instead of
at liberty to go ahead and rob some.