The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-03-18

| elevator. linen Tor the nrSt Line
showed him the diamonds.
"Love and pumpkins!" he e1acu-
lated, overcome by the sight. "Well'
If this doesn't beat the Arabian
Nightsr Are they real-real? Not
paste? Why, If they're real they're
worth about a million dollars!"
"And haven't I been telling you that
| all along?" / asked testify. Billy's
words and tone gave it pretty well
away that he hadn't believed 1t all
along, no matter what I'd said ana
he'd pretended.
"Y-yes, think you have" he admit
ted, rather stammeringly. but OF
courSe-you realize that q million dol
lars is a-er-a pretty big order for
chap in New York to eat at sitting"
He spread them out on his hand, NUT
tering to himself. Finally he brought
out: "And you've got these-here =
! all alone in the fiat with you'll Well,
save my shoestrings! / don't wonder
your nerves are on edge!"
/ let this pass about my nerves and
| gave him the story she'd told me Sun
day morning - about the mahatma
sending her these diamonds through
the air and putting them in her Slip
per; and how she claimed them, abb
solutely, religiously, as hers.
"The woman's crazy" was the curt
way he disposed of her, and added,
to mitigate this harsh judgment, "Or
else she's thief"
"She's neither one thing nor the
other," defended sharply. "She's
merely deluded-the same as tens of
thousands of other people have been
deluded about things they believed
| In"
Crazy" he repeated with convic-
ton.
I could only shrug--all I've ever
been able to do; that was her incor-
rigible belief! wasted no more time
ON 1t then, for our question was what
to do next, and went on to tell him
how I'd decided to take his advice and
lay the matter before the president.
TO my establishment, instead Of the
warm commentator I'd expected from
Billy at taking the advice he'd urged
on both my duty and my common
sense not forty-eight hours before
and remember, I'd barely restrained
him from rushing off on the midnight
train-he popped out of his chair and
began excitedly pacing the floor. His
first words we're, "Why, you can't do
that!'
"Oh, see all the risks I'm running
of getting there alive"
"Risks?" he echoed, as if he hadn't
| given them a thought. "But how
much are you going to tell about this
| AFFAIR.""
| Everything, Of course-I mean ev-
erything l know. The government will
have to undertake to find out the
rest"
| He plunked himself in front of me
and demanded, you aren't going to
let Miss de Ravenol get dragged into
a mess like this, are you?"
| I didn't answer Immediately, and he
ramped on, II ask you-are you going
| to do it? Are you going to be party
| to such a--such an outrageY
IF don't put the case to the presi-
dent what am to do? Here 1 am
saddIed with the diamonds
swell, just keep them yourself" he
bluntly offered, as his solution of the
difficulty. Keep them-put them in
the safe deposit-and let things take
| their course"
For a minute l was really angry,
and raped out, eff I thought you
were serious, Billy, I'd ask you to
leave the house. Your suggestion is
that I frankly become a thief, and
your solution is not only criminal
but-idiotic. What would it accom-
plish? with SO many people know
! ing?"
"Well-say-promise me one thing"
| he pleaded. you'll wait-you won't
try to see the president today-you
won't rush off without telling me
you're going"
1 was willing to grant this and sug-
| gested that he go down to the hotel
at once and see how Claire was.
You'll not Gomez" ne asked, taking
1 Illc lldl, ChO OSICClSu very lulA6u
feelings in his question: there was a
| good chance he might not see her at
all unless went with him.
"How can I go off and leave these
things alone in the house?" I pointed
to the blue box.
At that moment the front bell
rang and / found George glued to the
button to tell me, "Why, thez a gentle
mn downstairs say he like to see you,
but he don't give no name, an I tell
him / can't say if you's home err out,
| but I'll go up an see.'
| "Has he ever been here before?"
| These are the times when l appre-
! ciate Georges virtues
"Nom-he amt never called here
before-fer you ner nobody. He tried
| to crowd into the car an come along
up with me, an tell him if he don't
stay where he is till find out is you
home he don't find out at all," and
| George grinned as if he saw quar-
ter dangling over my left shoulder.
That's right, George" 1 was warmly
encouraging. 'Tell him I'm not at
home. That's positive-don't come up
again to see If maybe I've come home"
and while gave all these instruc.
lions Billy came ramping along the
hall "HQIlO. GpOrgQ--Uaif--T' 0oino