The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1919-11-21
By JANE BUNKER

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snatched Off her thin slipper, and the /
last glimpse got Of her as | turned
the corner showed her ramming 1t into
the crack OF the front door to hold 1t
open.
What she did next she told me later, |
but may as well put 1t in here. I |
was out of sight when the man blus-
tered up to where she stood In the
street for somebody to call.
"You may as well tell that young
man of yours growled he, "that If he
don't let me in I'll break the door in"
~ don't think you will,' she said
calmly. "Now go.p
"Not till l get what came for" he
said, taking hold of the door and try
Ing to move 1t and finding II mysteri-
ously wedged open.
"Well, you'll not do that this trip"
said she with spirit. "He isn't there
| and he wasn't there. He was in the
sitting room at the end OF the halr'--
she pointed to the seance room, the
door of which he could see stood
open-"and while you were trotting
upstairs he ran out for policeman.
II you don't believe 1t wait and see
| for yourself
| At that the fellow seized her arm
and tried to pull her back into the
4 house and shut the door, but found 1t
still wedged open, he could not see
with what, as he was on the inside.
But the moment he laid hands on her
she began to scream, "Help! Helpp
as loudly as ever she could.
He didn't wait to see what hap
pened--as a matter of fact nothing
happened, for there wasn't soul in
sight on West End avenue when she
screamed.
"Tll have a squad of police here my
self to help you If that's what you're
after" he flung back as parting
threat when he bolted down the steps
and disappeared around the same cor
ner that had just hidden me> But that
was the last she heard of him that
night. She pulled her slipper out of
the crack and shut the door. Then
she went all to pieces and had cry.
AS for me, when left the house,
crossed the street, turned south and
into the first cross-street came to. 1t
seemed as though everybody knew l
had million dollars in my stocking
and was just waiting to nab me, or
hand me over to the next policeman.
But as nothing happened became a
little more coherent, though had the
feeling was being followed all the
, time, yet / couldn't spot my shadow.
My whole energy of mind was bent on
giving my pursuer the slip. When at
, last spled a subway station jumped
off the car, made bolt of 1t for the
7 stairs, rushed past the ticket chopper,
/ throwing nickel into his box, board
ed train that fortunately proved to
be north-bound express; got off at
. the next station and took local got
out and took another express and got
out for good when the guard bawled
: "Huddn-n-forty-fif walked round the
block where l live, and when there
wasn't a living soul in sight ducked
into the front door of my apartment
house.
The elevator was rafting down from
upstairs but didn't wait for 1t. / tip
tood up the stairs, the descending ele
vator drowning the sound of my steps
Let myself in. put up the chain-bolt
and took a long breath. Then my
knees suddenly crumpled up under me
and went all to pieces In a heap.
1t was almost two O'Clock before
found strength enough TO undress, ant
/ was so day 1 could hardly get m,
clothes of. While l was doing 1t
had brief thoughts of keeping on m!
stocking and taking the diamonds t
bed with me; but / decided no.
there's limit TO ones obligations II
case like this: IL burglars come t.
burgle--and have you ever notices
how very near burglar feels whei
YOU have million dollars in tn,
house2-I'll let them burgle. I'll no
help, hut I'll not hinder; life is to-
\ uncertain at its best. So set the DO,
on the edge of the dining room table
conveniently, where burglars VIII,
\ were looking for just such shabb,
I little box filled with diamonds couldn'
fail to see II the instant they Jimmie,
the front door off it's hinges, or go
in from the fire escape, or crawled N
the kitchen dumb waiter, or cam
down the gas log into the fireplace.
And then / went to bed-and SLEPT
If expecting to find that box exactl
Is where put it.
III