The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-01-06
By Ahern

his true name, then boarded a car
for San Pedro.
i Among the hills on the old home
Iplace was a certain ravine; in that
ravine was a cave which, in the old
days, had been known only to his
brother and himself; In one of the
caves rough walls was small con-
cealed niche that had been the
hiding-place of plundered treas
ure many a time during the period
of their youthful maraudings.
He went straight to it, thrust a
hand into the recess and drew out
a small package which once had
been tightly wrapped in oiled SILK.
Inside it reposed the diamond.
He crawled out of the cave, and
a second later came face to face
with-not a Chinaman, as at first
he had believed, but Steve. With
a roar of fury, the disguised fugi-
tive plunged at him, and the quiet,
secluded ravine became the scene
of terrific combat.
The very fierceness of Steve's
Onslaught, however, defeated its
purpose. Strang was sent HURTING
down the steep incline, and before
Steve, with more regard for his
own bones. could come up with
him again, he had won the high
way and the open, where the other
dared not press him.
AS a result of this narrow es-
Stvn oh IN
main under cover at San Pedro un-
til near midnight, nursing his
bruised body.
When he started on his return
to Los Angeles he discovered that
he was surrounded by veritable
cloud of Chinese.
1t was too late to find me at my
office, and he dreaded going
abroad with tie diamond in his
possession. He could not even
open his door without seeing a
Chinaman somewhere in the hall
Out of this predicament grew the
idea of mailing the diamond to me
and accompanying it with a letter
of explanation, which he would
follow in person as soon as 1t was
possible for him to do SO.
How he was assaulted and
dragged into an alley when he
went forth to hunt a letter-box; :
how he succeeded in dropping into
1t the parcel but not the letter,
which was taken from him; how
his assailants were finally routed,
and himself, now seriously injur-
ed, crawled into cab and was
driven to the only haven he could
think of-Meyer Hardwick's resi-
dence-must all be passed over.
| The letter of course, had been
taken to Steve, and Steve would
know where the diamond had been
sent. Therefore Hardwick's ma
chine was pressed into service al d
a guard of private detectives fol-
lowed me to protect me from Steve
and his following of Hop Sings.
And at last, when he had about
made up his mind that he was we'll
enough to leave his retreat and
pay me the long deferred call.
Struber had found him.
The instant Lois and I were
alone together she became the VIC
tim of an unaccountable agitation.
She started toward the door.
Where are you going?" asked,
and when she did not answer:
You know you really do not In
tend going at all-anywhere.
Lois, come and sit down-here-
please" l pointed to her chair.
She came slowly and paused
with the desk between us.
You have no right to call me
that" she said in low, con-
strained voice. not meeting my
look.
ooh, haven't Il" I retorted.
MY beautiful dear, your last de-
Tense has been swept away. You
see how fragile it was-a rope of
sand. 1t frightened me like the
very dickens, though, while you
were in earnest"
Il am Miss Marian Sylvester"
she said in a weak voice. "of-of
that Lung place in Tibet"
Nonsense" said /. you can
no longer dismay me, dear. You
shall be Lois to me-Lois Fox
all the days of my life."
Our eyes met, and she laughed
"a low, rich throaty laugh that
was the most beautiful music in
the world. Her lovely counten-
ance was TRANSPORTED. After al
long pause she whispered:
II shall always hope-be
Lois to you"
My desk has been described as
a wide one; but by resting our
hands upon it-somewhere about
the center-with mine enclosing
hers, and by leaning toward each
other, we discovered that we could
kiss across its top without the
least discomfort.
The diamond all this time was
safe in my deposit box. ultimate
ly sold 1t, and the fortune It
brought netted over $4,000 each
for Lois, Strang and myself.
THE END.