Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1920-01-17

| news OF my departure Tor the eve
ming" and monsieur could creep IN
stairs, unseen by his all-seeing SPY.
We therefore took our prearranged
places
The fat was almost dark. One low
gas jet lighted the dining room and
showed the hyacinths on the table
so monsieur could see the moment he
entered the front door; a low light in
the bathroom showed at a glance
through the half-open door that no
body lurked within. The door to my
bedroom stood fiat against the wall /;
the kitchen door nearly so, and behind
1t Billy, jammed in between the refrig-
orator and the set tubs, was complete
ly concealed unless one entered the
room. A low light burned here, suf-
ficient to show the rooms apparent
emptiness. We calculated that mon
sieur would make a dash for the fire
escape when shot or the blank car
fridge from my bedroom and Billy was
then to greet him with the ammonia.
In my own room I stood pressed
against the wall just inside the door
way. In my right hand was the re-
volver.
Neither Billy nor uttered a sound.
The little metal clock echoed along the
hall, horribly loud. 1t chimed the half
after seven. / counted ticks--one min
ute gone. / counted and thought Of
hundreds Of things l meant to do, or
had forgotten to do, all the while
counting mechanically. Three minutes
/ gone--fOur-five--
A key slipped quickly, boldly, re-
CARELESS of the noise it made-my
lock! Not couldn't be, The lock
turned. A quick Illumination filled my
hall from the gas Jet outside and was
| gone almost before I had realized it.
The door closed. My heart jumped out
and ran about the floor and tried to
hide under the bureau.
remember thinking, Suppose II
| doesn't come back but stays away?
| Then poor Billy's done for-I can't
move a muscle without my heart !"
And all the time was thinking these
idiOtic things, heard the cautious in
domtable pad, pad, pad Of whispered
footsteps. They paused at the bed
room door for a glance within-noth-
ing there; paused at the bathroom
dOor-nothing in there; paused at the
kitchen door-nothing in there; then
made for the table.
The light blazed up in the dining
room and my heart came back with a
plop. Monsieur had turned up the light
| in order to remove the diamonds and
leave me to discover it, as it might
chance-tomorrow or a week from to-
morrow.
With the light, all my fear left sud
denly. / popped out of the bedroom
saw monsieur with the hyacinths in
his hand-f1red the blank cartridge
and yelled, Hands up!" and stood fac
ing him and between him and the door
with smoking revolver in my hand.
He said. "AIon Dieu took in the
situation-and bolted for the fire es-
| cape-got smashing blow from the
kitchen door as Billy jumped from be-
| hind ii and then half a glass of am
monia in the face. Two seconds later
we three were a writhing strangling
heap on the floor.
The next thing I remember, / was
sitting on monsieur amidships and
Billy was swapping handcuff. l
gasped and rolled off on the floor ;
| picked myself up from the inelegant
position by way of my hands and
knees, got wet towel and sopped
monsieur's face as fast as / could
though why / performed this humane
act so quickly, can't say; and as soon
as he stopped strangling-for a lot Of
the ammonia mad gone into his mouth
and very little In his eyes-Billy and !
dragged him to the dining room,
propped him against the sideboard and
opened a window.
/ believe that none Of the three Of
US uttered a word during the entire
| performance-Billy says ne can't re
member any; but one Of the strangest
| things was that the firing of the re
volver ELECTED no investigation from
| the populous house. All this might
have happened in the center Of Lara
7
/ the fall roundup for the amount Of no
| tice man or beast took Of 1t.
II was a faultless achievement.
And now we had monsieur-we had
captured him, as Billy said we should
all by our little own selves. He and
silently regarded the Grumpy creature
sitting against the sldeboard and then
for the first time the idea came into
our heads, "And now that we've got
him, what are we going to do with
/ himf"
looked at Billy and he looked at
me. We asked each other the question
with our eyes. AS for monsieur, his
fears had swallowed up his chagrin at
the indlgnlties heaped upon him.
Strange as It may seem, he was the
first Of the three that found his voice.
"Zere has been a great mistake" he
began, TO which Billy retorted:
at looks that way"
"Ah-c'est vousw breathed mon
e-3a1,r e.7dgIovIr, ~eoos.r. 1.-Two Fyiltr,