Meade County news., 1916-05-25
perhaps a dozen times, spaced " ~
tervals of irregular duration.

tervals of irregular duration.
But 1t had only been q premonitpey
rumble in the inwards of tall cid
clock, about to strike, in the reception
hall. And as its sonorous chimes her
aided two deep-toned strokes Lanyard
laughed quietly, intimately, into the
girls startled eyes and sank back be-
fore the safe
And now his task was nearly fin
ished. Within another minute he sat
back with face aglow, uttered hushed
exclamation of satisfaction. studied his
memoranda for space, then swiftly
and with assured movements threw
the knob and dial into the several
varying positions Of the combination,
grasped the lever handle. turned It
smartly and swung the door wide
open.
Simple, eh?" he chuckled, with
glance aside at the girls eager face.
bewitchingly flushed and shadowed by
the lamps upthrown glow-"when one
knows the trick, of course! And now
If one were not an honest mana
fortunes ours for the taking!"
A wave of his hand Indicated the
rack Of pigeonholes with which the
cavity Of the safe, was titted-wide
spaces and deep, stored tight with an
extraordinary array of leather jewel
cases, packets Of stout paper bound
with tape and sealed, and boxes Of
wood and pasteboard of every shape
and size.
"They were only her finest pieces.
her personal jewels. that Madam Om-
ber took with her to England" he ex-
planned; she's mad about them
never separated from them, Perhaps
the finest collection OF priceless stones
in the world for size and purity of wa
ter. She had the heart to leave these
ALI this!"
Lifting hand, he chose at random.
dislodged two leather cases, placed
them on the floor, and with blade Of
his penknife forced their fastenings.
From the first the light smote radi-
ance in binding, coruscant welter;
here was nothing but diamond jewelry,
mostly in antique settings
He took up piece and offered It to
the girl. She drew back her hand In
voluntarily.
moi" she protested in whisper
that sounded like one of fright
"But just look!" he urged. There's
no danger-and you'll never see the
like of this againl"
Still she stubbornlyl withheld her
hand. mo, mol" she pleaded. I'D
rather not touch 1t. Put 1t back. Let's
hurry. I'm frightened"
He shrugged and, acquiescent, re-
placed the jewel; then yielded again TO
impulse Of curiosity and lifted the lid
of the second case.
It contained nothing but pieces set
with colored stones of the first order
-emeralds, amethysts sapphires, ru.
bies, topaz. garnets, lapis-laxuli.
jacinths, jades-fashioned by master
craftsmen into rings, bracelets, chains.
brooches, lockets. necklaces of ex-
quisite design-the whole thrown
heedlessly together, without care or
arrangement.
For moment the adventurer stared
down moodily at this priceless hoard,
his eyes narrowing, his breathing per-
ceptibly quickened. Then, with slow
gesture, he reclosed the case, took
from his pocket that other case which
he had brought from London, opened
1t, and held 1t aside, beneath the light,
for the girls inspection.
He looked not once either at itB con-
tents or at her, fearing lest his coun-
tenance betray the truth, that he had
not yet succeeded completely In exor.
cizing that mutinous spirit, the Lone
Wolf, from the tenement over which
1t had SO long held sway; and content
with the sound of her quick, startled
sigh of amaze, that what she now be-
held could so marvelously outBhine
what had been disclosed in the other
boxes, he withdrew his hand, shut the
case, found place for It in the safe,
and without pause closed the door,
shot the bolts, and twirled the dial
until the tumblers fairly sang.
One final twist of the lever handle
convincing him that the combination
was effectively dislocated, he rose.
picked up the lamp, replaced It on the
desk with scrupulous care to leave no
sign that It had been moved, and
looked round to the girl.
She was where he had left her, q
small, tense, vibrant figure among the
shadows, her eyes dark pools Of won.
der in face Of blazing pallor.
With high head and his shoulders
we'll back he made gesture signify
ing more eloquently than any words:
"All that is ended!"
AS though thereby released from
chains of some strange enchantment.
she started and came swiftly toward
him.
And now" she asked breathlessly.
"Now to make our getaway" he re-
piled with assumed nghtness. Before
dawn we must be clear of Paris. Two
minutes, while straighten this place
up and leave It as found 1t"
He moved back to the safe, restored
the wing Of the screen to the spot from