Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1919-10-30


dislocate6 the alarm In which had
left Mrs. Delario, and 1t didn't seem to
occur to me on the return trip TINT l
might be followed. or that should
take mt least some small precautions
to eiude possible shadow. Ny mind
was so engrossed with Mrs. Delario
and what had happened TO her son that
really quite forgot 1 had the dla-
monds myself! bought bunch Of
hyacinths at a florists and left an or
der Mt the grOcer's, and 1t wasn't till
was inside my fiat that the thought
really struck me. ''Tm the one who IL
In danger-I have the diam0nds!" and
1t was too late for me to find ont II
I'D been shadowed home or not
However. my depression was pres
emily succeeded by mood of elntion-
at last was living things! was en-
jOying the game for Its own sake. On
with the dance, Mr.. Robbers-let's see
II you can get the diamonds! Which
only goes to show what fools some
women can be, sometimes. For If /
meant to hide the diamonds where
they'd be safe, why didn't I take them
instantly to my bank and put them in
a safe-deposit box? A mare man would
have done 1t on the spur Of the mo-
ment without stopping to think about
It; and the idea never entered my
head. So let slip my one chance Of
something brilliant and did what
ninety-nine out Of q hundred other
women would have done under the
same circumstances: HID THEM IN
ny FLAT. And in that one act ] pit
i ted myself against the most subtle in
telligence, amazing complications and
| overwhelming odds that quiet, re-
J spectacle gentlewoman Of my profess
sion ever had to reckon with outside
] Of the ink bottle. got both a re-
volver and a dagger ready for me-
only didn't know it at the time.
have always prided myself on the
way hid those diamonds-since was
stupid enough to do it at all. As
say. had bought a bunch Of hye-
cinths-Roman hyacinths-when after
sitting In my big chair for good half
hour thinking. got mp to put them
in water. the brilliant idea came to
me to hide the diamonds there.
| Water wouldn't hurt the diamonds !;
hut who would ever think that anyone
would be silly enough 20 put them
in It'll So I sot glass common
white glass that would show the
stems-set the hyacinths in the middle
Of the table and polsed the diamonds
down among the sienna. The rama
string held everything In place and
there you arei
+ Ny real trouble was in disposing of
the box. / could have burned 1t and
been done with 1t. but to keep 1t vas
80 much more sportsnlanlike: to enjoy
my game-as I was feeling It just
them saw must, above everything.
be sportsmanlikA To this end, there
fore. / must disguise the box, put II
where Mr.. Thief-or Mr.. Detective
or Mr.. Chief Of Police, when he came,
might take II in his hand and cast II
from him as . thing Of naught in his
search for Mrs. Dslario's diamonds
1 With an odd bit Of shiny blue paper
happened 70 ind In the drawer
where keep odds and ends q paper
and my scissors and library paste ]
transformed that box 20 the fairies
wouldn't know it. After that flled II
up With pens and set It conspicuously
on the trny with my pencils, penhold
ers and other things of the sort. sci
It 30 you could not help seeing 1t II
you tried! Az q last touch-which II
seemed to require for arts sake---I cut
part of pen advertisement out Of
. magazine and pasted 1t on the lid
For the first time. then, took note
Of the clock-it was twenty minutes
past two-Td frittered away almost
an entire day on some one elses af
fairs instead Of my own bread ant
butter, and there lay the pile of proof
not half done, that I had hoped Il
have of by night
/ hastily made cup of chocolate
slapped together few sandwiches
and. reading as munched. tried Il
make up for lost time; and 1t was no
till had finished eating that remem
bered to put away my coat and ha
sAASAS AUu SAiO"A OA Ou TIC uktuus
I carried them tony bedroom ant
pulled open the wardrobe door. II
the bottom of it lay the three tur
Quoise-beaded slippers!
4 My coat and hat fell out Of m!
. hands on the floor and sank down OF
the bed. I was not merely mystified-
was frightened. How had they com,
there?-and when? They were no
there when I took out the coat In tn,
morning to go to Mrs. Delario's-t,
that / knew I could swear. for in m!
hurry to be rid Of her diamonds l hat
snatched the coat out and dropped II
, and couldn't have missed seeing tn,
slippers then, any more than hat
missed seeing them now.
Now, under ordinary circumstances
finding the three slippers in my ward
robe wouldn't have upset mel shoult
very likely have thought 1t laps,
Of memory and let n rO at That. hu