The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1920-01-30
Answer me instant1yr
n threw them out"

dWay-lue lOCASfnitu EauuCu NNC tuO
two keys, saying that the lock and the
bolt were all right and that was all. /
had paid him at the shop in order to
hasten matters at the house, for /
hoped, if possible. to get the job done
SO quickly that even George wouldn't
find out what l had brought the man
in for, I was still digging my fingers
into her wrist while he gathered up
his tools and he gave the two Of Us a
curious look, half amusement. half
wonder at my vehemence. before he
closed himself out.
As for Mrs. JimmsOn, she had been
too paralyxed with fright to move. The
instant the door was shut, ~T~drOpped
her wrist and made a dash for the
Kitchen. hoping The garbage hadn't yet
gone down. As 1 did it. I let out one
short unpleasant word. That word
was ~Damn I" and into It I crowded an
the pent-up feelings Of the last twenty
four hours.
1 saw her look Of horror as I closed
the door-she thought I had gone In
sane! Now, I'm not given to profanity.
but I am willing to admit that 1t may
have its uses on 0ccasion.-as for in
stance when your scrubber-lady has
just thrown away your million-dOllar
bunch of h%yacinths and didn't know
you wanted those faded things" Ny
one bad word, however, let off enough
steam for me to realize that I didn't
ever know If the diamonds were there
or not!
Hastily l pulled ont the papers and
rubbish and dumped them on the floor
and had just pOunced on the hyacinths,
when the front bell rang.
Were the diamonds safe? I didn't
dare at the minute to investigated
didn't dare ever to be caught with
them i'm my hands. Suppose it were
! monsieur, coming now in broad day.
light
The ring was repeated. ] grabbed
up a bit OF newspaper and rolled up
the bunch. examining it into the
kitchen saucepan on the shelf-an Op-
Grafton I hadn't more than finished,
setting the lid on as softly as I could,
when ] heard a mans voice shout my
NAME. followed by the words special
delivery"
Without waiting for Mrs. Jimmson
to decide if ii were safe to call me, /
stepped out and signed for 1t. As I
closed the messenger out I looked at
the address-the writing was unknown
to me and l was in the act of tearing
open the envelope, when Mrs. JimmsOn
sank on n hall chair and began to
, weep.
| "To think-Oh. to think-tO think"
she sobbed. ITS hard"
Eyes. it is hard for some people to
think" / observed. Jelly glaring at her
and running my thumb under the flap.
: Its hard-after all these years T.
1--we tried my best to p-p-please
YOU"
+ "No-you haven't. / have repeated.
ly told you never-under any cfrcum'
stances w%hatever-to throw away any.
thing in my rooms without first asking
me. Today, you have thrown away
some flowers that ] had reason ia
value"
"YOu didn't tell me-" she murmured.
"If you had given me the tip, now
told me you valued them"
""Do you think I have to tell my pri'
vate affairs to your" l cried holly.
II hope I'm a friend" she inter,
rupted at the word. III I'd seen any
tits not your place to see reasons"
she took Il step toward the kitchen
at the reminder-''but to obey orders,
I'm under no obligation to give you
! reasons why j value flowers or why ]
don't"
The indignation faded ont Of her
thin face; d CLEAN of real intelligence
took its place, and this is what she
said when l stopped for breath:
SIN awful sorry / touched those
flowers. AS true as l stand here. l
nee thought it might be a geR
tleman friend give them to you"
With that she started for the
hitCICn Il All i dul hCCP-
ing you from reading your special de-
livery" She smiled knowingly.
Gentleman friend. In those words
all IA explained and forgiven be.
tween the two of us-there was moth
ing but kindly sympathy-wOman to
woman, you knOw-as she said them.
She closed the kitchen door tight
knew it was the better to wreathe me
In new haloes and fresh glOries Of rO-
nance! l could have wrung her neck.
Gentleman friend. indeed! The one
gentleman actively interested in me
was after me with a knife and had
threatened me with a revolver.
l had forgotten all about the letter
still in my hand. and thought only of
the diamonds.
The front bell rang as Jmmson
crossed the sill. She stepped back and
,Irn sf che rIr~,1ll -- A,~A ~-k->1