The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1920-09-03
CHAPTER xl.-contjnued.

CHAPTER Continued.
III
! was obliged to spin some sort of a
plausible yarn to save appearances,
and when handed him my letter with
the dime and begged him to mail 1t
for me knew was saved. But
have never vet attempted to count up
the lies those diamonds cost mel
1t was gov a little after ten and
there was nothing for me tn do but
wait and shiver. began to think CO.
herently-tO appreciate what monsieur
himself would be getting into by call
ing the police or the customs authori-
ties to help him steal Mrs. Delario's
diamonds.
And vet saw perfectly he could do
It! Where he had her was that she'd
struggled the stones. He knew it,
knew it-Claire knew 1t. And IL he
were bold enough to steal them from
her in just that way wasn't sure but
she was timid enough to let him do it.
I suddenly remembered what George
had told me about his renting the fiat.
why. the man was here before we
wcre!" exclaimed. "He took q fastes
steamer-he was all ready to carry
through the job when we landed"
And with that suddenly remembered
another thing that had entirely slipped
my mind: while our baggage was being
examined-Or rather not examined
and Claire was weeping-and every.
body was flying round and asking ev-
erybody If he'd seen her mother-an
elderly man in big fur automobile
coat. the collar up about his face and
his cap down over his brow-a man
with flowing white beard and flash
ing. black, beady eyes-a man on
crutches-had stood opposite us,
watching. AS looked at him had
the quick impression that there was
something wrong about him-that he
was there, perhaps. to steal from the
incoming baggage In the confusion.
The next moment my eye fell on a
turquoise.beaded slipper - hers or
mine. ! didn't know which-that had
fallen down between our suitcases.
The old gentleman hid his eye on It
also. saw his hand come out of his
big pocket and reach. cautiously, slow
~. My own hand shot out and grabbed
the slipper from under his nose. and l
gave him double-barreled glare. l
hadn't finished the glare when my
cousin came hurrying to tell me to be
quick. our baggage was through.
I had. as ! say. forgotten the whole
incident, but-THE MAN IN DIS.
GUlSE WAS MONSIEUR DE RAVE.
MOL.
I knew It then-he confessed 1t
later; he had expected to get those
diamonds into his clutches while they
were actually going through the GUS
ton,s inspection! I bounced out Of my
chair with one glad whoop-"Eure-
ka I'll have found it," and pranced
IN nay bedroom. Lhad the key to the
whole puzzle-"one Of those slippers !"
When l asked Mrs. Delario that aft.
rrno0n OF Or the telephone how she got
.1e diamonds through the customs
souse she replied. zone of those slip
pers We got in Paris Is lost" Those
were the words she said; what she
really communicated was 81. one
Df those slippers we got in Paris
Il lost" The tones of her voice-the
signtficant pauses-had been ignored
By me then. But add 'in' and drop
A1s lost" and she answered my ques.
Eton-she told me as plain as plain
tould be that she had struggled the
diamonds through the customs house
In one of the slippers"
Easy enough! l snatched them from
reside my bed. Easy enough-with
hose high insteps. So that was how
he did it!
Claire had been shopping till she
ound out where the diamonds were
hat was what her father sent her over |
or. But she was not to steal the dia. |
nOnds herself-the risk of her being |
aught with the goods was too great
hat was her fathers job; she was to
i've the signal-he was to get the
tones. And why hadn't her mother
net her, unless to create the c0nfu.
lon for Mrs. Delari0 and me that
'ould make 1t possible for him to turn
he trick? Why had he come over BY
faster steamer except to be ready
Or it,
It's precisely what he did. learned
oil later. He came over ahead OF
s. passed himself OF In disguise. and
Drged credentials as an Italian gov.
secret service agent tracing
n old master that had been recently
tolen from one Of the italian museums
nd that was known 10 be coming to
merica - smuggled. of course I'm
barge Of certain woman, whom he
new by sight. /,
To carry out this pose he had al
lady met several incoming steamers
i'd he was prepared to step up to | j
rs. Delario. demand to search her
lggage and then-one turn Of his I
md and he could have walked of
18th her diamonds In his pocket. shed q
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