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

she wouldn't have brought back the
diamonds after the positive way I'd
refused them in the morning.
l kept telling myself, "Oh, well--Tll
know in the morning and I'll find some
way to meet it when it comes. Things
can't be any worse" and thus / fell
asleep without an inkling of the
muddle I'd be in before the sun set on
another day.
! I had gone to bed with quite bit
of crouch on Mrs. Delario--I think
anybody would have felt the same in
my place. l was perfectly willing that
she should keep her faith in Tibetan
masters or mahatmas along with the
emperor's diamonds, and / stood pre-
| pared to help her do both; but if l
were willing to make such cOnces-
sions to her it did seem as if she
.oughtn't to go throwing off her re-
sponsibilities and her diamonds on me
all the time! She didn't seem to feel
she owed me any consideration. Very
complimentary, of course, that was
the only person in the world she dared
| to trust; but I've found from expert
ence there isn't much in that sort of
compliment-fo the recipient. And
she hadn't even troubled herself to
explain why she'd brought them back
Ito warn me of what threatened
That was what ranked more than
anything.
| / walked up grouchier than ever
if she'd been there I'd have told her
what I thought about her! How was
| I to hide her diamonds now? l had
exhausted all my ingenuity with the
| hyacinths, so what between racking
my brains and nursing my crouch, l
| decided I wouldn't hide them at all.
and what / did was to turn them bot
tom side up under the cotton and fill
the rest of the box with pens and drop
it careIessly on the tray where it had
been, And when I'd done that was,
! to all intents and purposes, back in
| the same hole again. l went out
| and left them in the house they might
be stolen; if took them out with me
| I might be robbed.
| From being grouchy got mad at
her; and from being mad it was but
| a step to the idea that I was fate's
instrument to save the nation, and by
| the time I'd finished breakfast / had
decided to go to Washington immedi-
ately and lay the matter before the
president and let him attend to Ger
many.
1 had just settled the laudable in
| tention with myself when Billy
breezed in. He was rosy; he was cor
| dial-oh, veryl I'm free to say I've
never seen Billy quite so cordial since
the day I rescued him from maternal
/ spanks and curled his hair and
pressed his Fauntleroy subtitle day
| the boys threw him in the swimming
hole. But his young face was also
clouded with anxiety and he was
puzzled still at the stand I'd taken the
night before-that Mrs. Delario was to
keep the diamonds-and that I'd had
no chance to explain to him.
He said "Hello" four times and
pumped my hand off.
You're still alive, I see," he OBJ
served with a sweet smile.
Without waiting to hear what l had
to say he threw his hat on the table
and ratified off, swell, / got her back
| to the hotel all right-she was as-as
gay as anything all the way down.
Her father was standing III the door
looking for us guess he was scared
stiff that she hadn't come-and the
minute she saw him she threw herself
in his arms and went into Mysteries ]"
Billy's face puckered up with his
anxiety and his sympathy as I ex.
claimed, poor child"
81 couldn't do anything more so T.
evaporated," he continued. Didn't
even try to say goodby to her. Do you
think she'll think that was queer of
me?-go off without saying goodbye
He was anxious on this point.
"No. She's enough the lady to re-
gard it as great delicacy on your
part"
81 hope she WILL" he said fervently.
"But do you think the shock-last
night and all-was too much for her?
-Say-Tm worried" he looked at me
in an appealing way.
1 answered, amused, 81 suppose
that means you want me to go right
down to the hotel with you and find
ont all about her. / suppose maiden
aunt has nothing to do but go racing
off with jelly and make one big dra-
matte fuss-just as if fainting hero
] ines weren't the most ordinary occur
rences known to fiction"
"Ordinary!" gasped Billy. "a faint
like that ordinary? I never saw any
thing like it-and I've seen a good
deal-of life."
He jumped up and took a turn
about the room. Ee was annoyed. j
was amused--so much amused that ]
had forgotten my crouch on Mrs. Della
rio and that / had the diamonds and
meant to take them to the president
'Well-are you going down to see
how she is?" demanded Billy, wheel
/ ing and planking himself in front OF
me.
jibed. please put on your camel's
hair shawl and blInnit and haste away
to Beauty-in-Distress that / may in.
stantly know how she bore up under
the strain of meeting the hero and
how she liked his pink, round cheeks"