The Taney County republican., 1920-04-01
Diamond
Cut
Diamond
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
EaM6HgEsa5 or 8 ES1KA
By JANE BUNKER
8&%0S1S1911 x1911&&%&V%HH<
opyriaht by the Bobbs-Msrrill Company

HbEt hdS Out luluk' anu uHNCh iva
luntly, "Your father came over ahead
( us on q faster steamer He was on
he wharf In disguise when We ar
ivedf'
She blushed furiously and STAN
nered, "Y-yeS-he was there" and
.dded hastily: "Put didn't know he
VHs there. He told ME there would be
Omeone--to take charge-when gave
he signal that everything was all
ight--"
"Oh, there was a slgnalw
"Of course. l had 10 let the other
ne know who had the box"
"You mean you had to let your fa-
her knOw7"
1T was papa-but I didn't see him"
"What did you have 10 let him
;nowf"
whether It was you or Mrs. Della
TO-"
How did you manage thati"
II set my little handbag on top OF
he suitcase--that said the box was
here. Then I drew OF my glove
hat said. in n slipper 1t wasn't
iery hard to remember"
"And you had given the signal when
picked up the slipper"
"Yes-and was so frightened. I
lidn't know but papa would be
dlled."
"And you went home with Mrs.
Oelario and tried to see II she had the
light slipperl"
"Yes-but never found out"
She looked as II she were dying to
Isk, "Have you found Outf"
was 80 afraid she would that ]
ended the cross-examlnation hastily by
asking her what she heard from her
mother and signalcd BILLY to chip into
he conversation md make Talk as fast
as he could; and after she'd replied
about her mother-that her GRANDPA
ther was still dying and her mother
Jared not leave-she turned TO Billy
az though she had really only just then
become aware OF his presence, and
they soon were chattering away like
magples and the bushes were mostly
On Bllly's checks. For which he might
be forgiven. He was just twenty-five
and che was Just sixteen; but In three
years--dear me, what beauty shb
vas going TO bs-what man-killerl
left them 10 themselves, going to
my bedroom on some pretext or nm
other while one quarter Of an hour fol-
lowed another, and stll monsieur did
not return. At nine Claire began to
be restless; at quarter after she blurt-
ed out, "Do you suppose anything has
happened to papa1"
had been sUppOslng II for half an
hour--he'd had time TO make twenty
trips to the telegraph Office and back
but managed to say renssuringly,
Why, whnt could happen?' and Billy
supported me with a fine courageous,
Nothing could have happened-he's
/ mamie knows how to take care Of
himself" and was rewarded with a
look. Even nt sixteen Clalre's looks
were valuable-Billy wouldn't have
/ sold that to another fellow for u ten
/ dollar bill.
The elevator rumbled up, and I
cried, There he isl think"
Il George presented me with two
notes and the information TINT an au.
u 5tomobile was downstairs waiting.
Il I handed one note to Claire, tore
8open the one addressed 10 me, and
5read:
Il I'm sending car for my daughter.
'}Will you ask Mr.. Rivers 10 escort her TO
The hotei7 II IS necessary that say some
few words TO you alone. / beg you TO
1await me.
4 1t wns signed. "H. de Ravenol."
Il had barely finished this when
aheard Claire give n cry, "Mamma is
3dead!" and l looked up Just In time
Ito see her throw out her arms and
3swoOn away at my feet.
4 People faint away In this story like
THE heroines Of mid.Victorian 70.
nance, but I can't help IT, Anyway,
II warned you there was another faint
coming, which faint was, under the
circumstances, natural enough.
To be exact, Claire swooned at my
feet via BlIly's arms. The intention
was all on his side, however-he
caught her as she was regardlessly go.
! ing and let her down. A light bur-
den.
"Got any smelling salts7 Quick IL
you have. Some water, II you haven't"
be ordered.
I couldn't help an Inward snort at
the cool way in which he took the pro-
lpristorship Of the situation in my
h0Use--a snort tempered with good
lnatured elderly amusement az his i'm
1petuosity and its justifable cause. He
Twas nearly as pale as Claire and
sdreadfully agitated. But I was already
running TO the bathroom for the water
10 revive her. ss twenty-four hours
previous I'D run for water to assuage
the ammoniacal agOnies Of her dear
papa.
Billy was on his knees. From under |
'one protruded the note that had
caused the damage. ] went down on !
my knees and applied the wet towel, /
Billy fjshed forth the note and with !