The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1920-01-23
CHAPTER xIl.-contInued.

Which thought Iwas---consiuerlng;
but | didn't mean to let him see /
thought so. Without waiting for any
more compliments / finished, "You see,
you'd discovered you couldn't get In
while was In, so IL you wished to get
In, you had to come while / was out
and gave you the chance. Perfectly
simple"
"a mere decoy-such as anybody
might use" Billy tossed at him.
II hope you're conylnced---lt was a
mere decoy.n said !, pointing to the let
ter In his hand.
"Ycu have convinced me-" he re-
piled bitterly, looking at his hand
cuffs. permit me to congratulate you,
madame. You are re first person-man
or woman-in Europe or America
who has caught De Ravenol In trap.
Madame, you are clever--you are
brave-you are q so sagacious intel
lect. And now, madame, permit me to
ask you. what are you going to do wis
meT
II wasn't so much what he said as
the way he said 1t that drove sud-
den chill through my bones. I'd been
asking myself that for several min
utes; but as monsieur put It, 1t vas,
well-like pulling up fishing line
when you think you've got bite and
finding you've got piece Of forest in
tow. had to say something, however.
and this was the thing that seemed
called for:
"Give you up to the police"
Monsieur rose unsteadily to his feet
and holding out his manacled hands to
me-and he was really impressive in
spite Of his being so rumpled and
sloppy--he slowly uttered MADAME,
before you call In re police, I have
somesIng of great Importance to your
self to communicate"
He paused. nodded.
"ZosE DIAMONDS WHICH HAVE
BEEN STOLEN BELONG TO ZE EN-
PERoR OF GERMANY"
With those words monsieur actually
turned the tables on us 1t was at
once his statement Of our mistake and
our misfortune. Billy says he "saw
warships carving Atlantic waves" I
saw an army with banners. And be-
hind ali their immediate significance,
stood an ironclad background that
spelled determination. A minute be-
fore we had been dealing with a man |;
now we were dealing with power,
I am free to admit that neither Billy
nor doubted the truth of the state
ment once II was uttered-there was
an atmosphere about monsieur and his
manaeled hands that carried convic-
ton; and while many details were still
unexplained, his statement did explain
the diamonds. Which was the main
thing, for I'd always said they never
belonged to any but a crowned head,
There are some things In this world
much too large for private parties to
carry the responsibility Of And SO
completely was captured by an ade,
,quately explained ownership that was
almost ready to pull the diamonds
from their hiding place at the bottom
of the sldeboard drawer and send them
hack--per monsieur--to the Emperor
William with my compliments, when
Billy burst out, where's your prooff
In a way that struck me as irreverent
not TO say rude.
Monsieur repressed sneer and re
piled that certain proofs would be
forthcoming at the proper moment
and that meanwhile, throwing himself
upon our mercy and to illuminate the
mistake we'd made, he would tell us
eyerything--and would start with the
legend of the so precious stones.
Once upon a time, about the four
teenth century, or so, there lived II
one of the states comprising the now
United Fatherland, very powerful
| grand duke or kinglet, with two grown
sons; and in another neighhoring prov
tnee the size OF Greater New Yorl
lived another very powerful duke, VIII,
boosted a beautiful daughter.
Those We're the days when war wa
cheaper than peace. But since wa
between these two kinglets would in
evitahly lead to the total extermina
ton OF both parties and leave nothing
to show for their prowess but heap
OF fire-scorched stones and few half
wltted peasants-who had no right {,
be alive, anyway--these wise klnglet
bethought them that by uniting thel
forces-and incidentally son and
daughter--they could together conque
the surrounding territory for as mucl
as ten square miles.
Now, Oscar. the prospective bride
groom, was busily engaged in a dra
matte border war with powerfu
duchy the size Of Nantucket, so Their
was naught for II but to dispatch tn
handsome younger brother, Fritz, I
plight his brothers troth by proxy.
The dates were set, and all SCENE
moving along its appointed eours,
when post-haste comes trusty mes
senger and delivers himself OF IN
tale he has ridden all day TO bring
. that Oscar has been smitten throug