The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1920-07-09
CUT DIAMOND
Jane Bunker

Oalr SQ8Wl anu Duuull duu AdSSc dWdy
to Beauty-in-D Distress that I may In.
stantly know how she bore up under
the strain Of meeting the hero and
how she liked his pink, round cheeks"
Billy gave me q vicious grunt and
strobe across the roOm-he wanted to
say something ugly to me but he didn't
dare, seeing how I held his fate in my
hands.
"Oh, Billyr" I cried, suddenly re
membering the latest news, "she
brought back the diamonds last
night"
claire came back? Good heavens 7"
he sank into the chair.
claire? OF course not. Mrs. Della.
RIO" And I told him how she'd
whipped in and out like a spook while
he and Claire were going down in the
elevator. Then for the first time j
showed him the diamonds.
"LOve and pumpkins !" he ejacu.
lated, overcome by the sight. swell,
II this doesn't beat the Arabian
NightsY Are they real-real? Not
paste? Why, If they're real they're
worth about a million dollars"
"And haven't l been telling you that
all alOngY" I asked testify. Billyr
words and tone gave 1t pretty well
way that he hadn't believed it all
along, no matter what I'd said and
he'd pretended.
"Y-yes, / think you have" he admit
ted, rather stammeringly. But OF
course-yOu realize thar a million dek
lars is a-er-a pretty big order for a
chap In New York to eat at a 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! Well.
save my shoestrings! l don't wonder
your nerves are on edge!
l let this pass about my nerves and
gave him the story she'd told me Sun
day morning about the mahatme
sending her these diamonds through
the air and putting them in her slip
solutely, religiously, as hers.
1.-THE wOman's crazy" was the curl
way he disposed Of her, and added
to mitigate this harsh judgment, 20.
else she's a thief"
ashes neither n thing nor the
other" 1 defended sharply. "She's
merely deluded-the same as tens ot
thousands OF other people have been
deluded about things they believed
In"
"Crazy," he repeated with cOnvic-
ton.
l could only shrug-all I've ever
been able to do; that was her incOr-
rigible belief! l wasted no more time
on it 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 ont Of his chair and
began exc,rsdly pacing the floor. His
first words were, "Why you can't do
that 7"
"Oh, 1 see all the risks I'm running
Of getting there alive"
"RisksY" he echoed, as II he hadn't
given them q thought. But how
much are you going to tell about this
AFFAIR.""
Everything, of course-I mean v
erything / 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
q mess like this, are yOu?"
1 didn't answer Immediately, and he
ramped on, II ask you-are you going
to do it? Are you going t. be party
to such a-such an OutrAgeT
IF I don't put the case to the presi-
dent what am / to do? Here I am
S6OO1CU VIII Tic OAoNAVSNC
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 / was really angry,
and raped out. III Il thought you
were serious, Billy, I'd ask you to
leave the house. Your suggestion IL
that / frankly become a thief. and
your solution is not only criminal
but-idiotic. What would it accom-
plish? with so many people know
.ing?"
/. neutrality-suspicious. me n thing" |
he pleaded. you'll wait-you wont1
try to see the president today-you
won't rush OF without telling me
you're going"
I was willing to grant this and sug
gested that he 60 down to the. hotel