Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1920-02-18


and locked the door on us before we
exchanged a syllable.
We sank into chairs. felt as If a
tidal wave had swept from under me
and left me not even hanging up in
coconut tree but sitting still in peace
full security. 1t was she who got US
down from the high peaks to the levels
where conversation can go afoot with
out falling off, by asking, "And how
are you-after it all?" to which / re-
piled, But how are you-after it all?'
and we 5otn laughed.
Her laugh died away into an indig'
nant fIown. "You never heard any
thing like it," she cried. HE came
here with a detective-and it wasn't
five minutes after you got out of the
house, Monday-and accused me
me of stealing Claire's bracelets J"
"Bracelets?" l echoed.
"YeS-me."
l said "Oh," slowly. / hadn't ex-
pected she'd grind the word jewels
quite so fine.
Did you ever hear anything quite
so outrageous?" she rushed on. ITO
come here and say I robbed his child
| of jewelry 1 don't believe she had
any jewelry, anyway-it was all
| trumped-up story to get something out
of me; but was so indignant" and
| she poured out the whole tale.
| swell, it's all over" she concluded.
81 didn't care how much monsieur
searched-I knew l hadn't robbed
| Claire, and l knew that so long as
you had my diamonds they were safe.
1 didn't worry after the first day
or So" ~
She said my diamonds" and now
1 had to tell her!
Mrs. Delario there seems to be
misunderstanding about those dia-
monds," l began suavely.
She gave a start and asked, allow,
misunderstanding? You mean they're
not worth all you said? Well-you
didn't tell me positively they were
worth-that." She seemed to hesitate
at "a million dollars" which is what
l said.
! - y
the worst of it: they are worth it
that's what made them shining targets
for that thief"
"Thief!' she cried. "You say
thief, tool Then he was, after all y
She was very much excited, and re-
peated the word several times with a
kind of joy and ran on rapidly: II
wouldn't tell you what 1 thought about
him, but l knew he was thief. I
knew it in Paris-I knew it in Ant
| werp-it was in Antwerp-after I'd
made all the arrangements to bring
Claire over-that heard it clairaudi-
| emily, DE Ravenol is a thief l knew
| it herein this very room-the first
time he came" And then she smiled
at me benignantly: "And thanks tc
you he didn't get my diamonds, so
we're safe-Claires safe-she'l never
know the truth about her father from
me.
"Claire never had any jewelry-the
| whole accusation was trumped up to
get the chance to rob me. But how
under the sun did he know / had those
diamondsW
'He says he put them Thereon at
least Claire did-in your slipper"
blurted.
Her hands flew to her heart.
"Never!" she cried. "Never in the
world !"
Sand he says they're his" I persist
ed, feeling I'd got my opening at last.
1 put it that way partly to disabuse
her mind Of the idea that monsieur
was a thief; partly to save her from
the too sudden shock of the Emperor
William. I saw I'd have to let her
| down gradually.
They're mine," she returned vehe-
mently. 81 swore to you they were
| herein the sight Of God-they are
mine. Consider" her tone was al
appeal now, eff they had not been
mine-if had stolen them from
Claire-would I have shown them to
you? Would have asked you to help
me dispose Of them?"
I was forced to admit, 'No-of
course mott had already taken that
into consideration.
"Yes-I grant you that you honestly
believe they're yours" I admitted.
''But what I've got to know is, how
they came to be yours"
| She told me then, hesitating no
longer, the unbelievable story-unbe-
lievable by every modern standard and
from every scientific point Of view.
explaining why she'd preyaricated in
the first instance about her uncle. It
wasn't, after all, quite what you'd call
by so harsh name as lying.
CTO BE CONTINUED)