Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1920-02-25

tissue paper to save her fathers life,
and If it was found on her he'd be
put to death; but if it was found on
you or me-all right-we couldn't ex-
plain, for we didn't know anything"
"And do you believe that?" Mrs.
Delario demanded, her face a picture
of amazement-at mel
With that went through the whole
story of my experiences with mon
sieur, adding no comments on her
story, but telling only his and Claire's
and the legend of the diamonds.
1t took a long time---it took a long
nerve. While talked I did not once
look at her-I would not witness the
defeat of her deep religious convic-
tons and the dissolution of her hopes.
| ended alphabetically, $50 you see, ac-
cOrdlng to that, the diamonds really
belong to the Emperor William"
could not bring myself to come out
with it flat-footedly and say they posi-
lively did.
"WelI?"
Her tone was so peculiar that I
looked up quickly. And her face was
study. She was obviously puzzled,
but amazement still held its ground
amazement at me; pity at me, too, for
my credulity. And a moment before
had been almost ready to shed tears
over heri
"He's cleverer than I thought" she
commented. "Much. Oh, very much
cleverer-if he can deceive you like
that.
"And he's much more dangerous
than / thought-he must have very
powerful occult influences working
with him, or very remarkable psychics
on the earth plane who can get names
and dates. And it all shows how care
full I've got to be. I'm glad you
told me. 1 see how must guard N.Y.
self"
| I experienced a strong revulsion of
| feeling toward her-her manner of TAX
| ing what I'd, told her gave me posi-
| tive shock. I'd wasted both my SYM
pathy and my reasoning powers on
! her. And saw the Vaccinations she'd
| be the center of-the wrath of the
Emperor William, that I'd been
| threatened with, bounding her, perhaps
| to death. / must save her from her
| own folly-I must convince her in
spite of herself and for her own good.
If I didn't De Ravenol would before
! he got through with her, and hated
| to think what he'd do: he had too
| much at stake himself to care what
happened to her.
But wait a minute" I struck in
boldly; you're forgetting that you
wore the slippers on the steamer-that
knocks Paris: the diamonds could not
have been in the slipper when you
bought it--or while you were in Paris"
"Why, so I did," she admitted. And
| I thought for a second that she wa
vered-that 1 had given her belief a
| serious blow. But if 1 did it rebound
| ed Immediately. "And that makes it
only the more wonderful ~ she cried,
and repeated it with delight at the
| clenching discovery. She did not no.
tice my dry and somewhat disguised,
sit certainly does" but dubbed on ::
"It only goes to show their powers
their all-seeing, all-helping powers
They made me the gift in Paris, and
| then, seeing it might be discovered too
soon-at a time the knowledge I pos
| sessed such wealth and was smuggling
| Though 1 didn't know 1 was SNUG
| Cling it-but I should have felt ought
/ l. I,o
| if I had known it on the steamer"
| I cut in with positive violence: "You
mean they-whoever they are-put the
/ box in your slipper in Paris, then took
! it out on the steamer so you could
wear the slipper-and then put it back
after you had worn the slipper? You
| mean that?"
Certainly. Why not?" she answered
calmly.
1 declare I could almost have sworn
/ at herl "Why not! p 1 gasped.
''Why-notY" she repeated, looking
/ at me darkly. "If they can put it
/ there they can take it out-that is
| simple everyday reason. Why you
| yourself gave me the proof you told
me it was once in the other slipper
the one you carried off"
/ In the face of such arguments, seri-
ously put, was helpless.
IF they didn't, who did?" she de-
/ manded. Remember - Claire never
told you she did-that's what he says
and he's a consummate scoundrel,
capable of any fabrication Of the truth
10 gain his ends and rob a defenseless
woman"
Her question and her face both chal-
| lenged me-demanded the blow direct /;
but ducked the issue in a general pro
test.
But really, Mrs. Delario. you know
"a million dollars worth of dla-
monds don't-just happen"
'sThat's what makes it so wonderful
that it did happen-and to me to
humble little me, who never could have
expected it, Her eyes glowed with
| mystic fire.