Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-10-03

YOU go to thunder" 1 said hotly.
she's a good girl"
IT shall close to-day. L" He
gave me a sort of yowl, and pounced
on something on the carpet. 1t was
small pearl. He held It out to me
on the palm of his hand.
You see!" he said. "They came
out here, through the lobby. Past
me! Past me- I probably wished
Do you think 1 could get a rational
word out of him? Or fried egg? No.
He was crazy. He bolted down the
corridor to his private office and left
me there. I was sore.
But / got something finally by go
ing back to the kitchens. The chef
was still there, asleep, and the dish
washers were clearing up after the
ball supper. They have two at the
assemblies, one at midnight and a
snack about a. m. L wakened
Pierre by slipping cold silver dol
lar down his back and he got busy.
Well!
1t was some time before I got a
straight story of what had happened
at Boisseau's that night, but I'll tell
1t now. 1t will help you to under
stand things.
The lights went out at II, or a bit
before. They were still dancing the
first figure of the cotillion. Mother
out the favors near one of the ball
room doors and the place was jam
med.
There was good bit Of laughing
when the lights went out, and the
band kept on. But the dancers stood
still and waited, expecting it to come
on again. When it didn't Boisseau's
men came in with tapers and tried
to light the gas brackets that are
there for emergencies, but there was
no gas. 1t was shut off somewhere.
Boisseau was frantic. He sent in
few candles, one for the favor table
and two or three for the stage where
the band was playing. But it was
huge room, and the center was cave
black.
The youngsters enjoyed it. They
started game of changing partners
and guessing whom they were dancing
with. 1t got to be a sort of rough
house, and when the lights didn't come
on, and the telephones were found out
Of order, too, the older women de-
cided to break it up.
The doWagers led off to the dress
ingroom, feeling their way and
scolding. When L think / missed it,
I could cry. Mother was among the
first. She said she held her pearls
she anticipated trouble but because
If they'd give way there would be no
chance to get them all again.
inside the dressingroom, where the
older women had left their wraps, a
man was standing. He was in evening
dress and had a handkerchief over
ms race: He had revolver in his
hand. The maids were covering in
a corner and the only light was from
TWO candles on q dressing table.
I'll take your jewels, ladies'" the
man said quietly. Mother said she
opened her mouth to scream and he
turned on her. There are four men
with automatic pistols in the ballroom,
madam" he said. ''In case fire they
will shoot into the crowd"
DO you get it? Every women there
mad daughter or somebody down.
stairs. 1t was the older women they
wanteds of course. The debutantes
never wear much in the line of jew
elry. AS soon as they'd taken off
their trimmings he lined them up
against the wall in a row. One woman
after another came blithely into that
room, tickled to pieces at a chance
to get home early and take off her
tight things. It's one of the bitterest
thingsin life to me that I couldn't see
the change in their faces when they
saw the others lined up like a spelling
ciass ana the gentleman with the open
suitcase.
Yes, he put the things in a suitcase.
was 1t haul? Well, rather. He
got $4,000 and a piece of skin off
the mater, the skin coming with an
earring she jerked off. And mother
was not marker to some of the
others.
. There Their were forty-two women
against the wall, and the suitcase was
full and he was putting things in his
oVercoat pockets before he stopped.
Now, ladies'" he said, for twenty
minutes | shall ask you to raise no
alarm / do not like to make threats.
but my men will be in the ballroom
for that length of time. At the end
OIL twenty minutes you may scream
your heads off"
How are we to know when the
twenty minutes is up?" mother de-
manded. Trust the mater for spunIl,
you've taken our watches"
Mother said she rather hoped he'd
return her diamond wrist watch. But
he didn't
Suppose" he said politely, zone of
you county sixty. rather slowly, twenty
times. That would approximate the
time. Count out loud, please"
Mother said she seemed to be the
only one with breath enough to count
"One, two, three" she began, and
the man closed the suitcase, walked
over to the dressing table and blew
out the candles, got out an eIectric
flash from his pocket and went ont
The mater had only got to eight when
he closed the door and locked it be-
hind him. w
1t seems that other women came
up and ratified at the door for admis-
sion. But the only answer thev had
was mother counting away for dear
ne 'thirty-on rty-two--thirtv-
three Can you beat it?
Boisseau told me the story him
self while | was making the coffee.
lie wept while he told il.
IF you would explain to vour
mother and father, Mr. Ollie" he said
tearfully. He's known me since T
was Master Ollie" I'VE will do
everything. Pay back the losses I
cannot. | am ruined. But the police
are working hard, especially since one
iof them was almost assassinated.
] sat up.
What"
~ Is true, monsieur. We had n
special OFFICER at the door. We do
SO always at the assembly. After the
lights went off he was attacked A
deep cut in the shoulder. 1t looked
as IL 1t had been done with a razor
Bleed! Mon Dieu!"
oh, no!' said Miss Hazeltine sud-
denly. Give you my word I'd for
gotten her for minute. l was think
ing of the