The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1920-02-27
UATI%U
CUT DIAMOND
= Jane Bunker

$3.50
me, ~ ainf take 90 letter and no
3, check"
I rushed to my study, and this fs
the letter ] dashed off TO Billy:
: Dear Billy: That affair is now life and
death. Come at once-but tell Moody TIL
you've seen me. Bring two good revolv-
ers. Don't bother with the telephone-my
wires are cut and Pm a prisoner being
starved to death in my 7v1 Naa
/ Biily-this Is the biggest s~tory-and no
mance-you ever struck. When you get to
the house the elevator boy will tell you
I'm not at home. It's a lie-I'm upstairs:
II he refuses to bring you up. walk. III
he tries to prevent your coming up-or II
he calls on the detective sitting in the
lower halI-go to the nearest police sta
ton and get . couple Of men. But don't
do this till you've tried every other pos
sible way Of reaching me. Try 1t by the
roof Of the fiat house next door.
Drop everything and come-only don't
drop the revolvers-mipe was taken that
night. And Bflly-you'd better leave a
sealed envelope with some friend telling
where you are and that II you don't teie-
phone in-say-three hours he Is to come
to the house with the police. But keep
this secret, and for heavens a hurry.
and IL you can as easy as not bring me
something to eat-Tm out Of everything
but four rolls and three sardines. Only
hurry.
! addressed this to Billy at his Of
fee, found a ten-cent piece for special
delivery, and hadn't more than just
got ii ready when George spryly
brought up the postInan.
vas obliged to spin some sort Of q
plausible yarn to save appearances.
and when l handed him my letter with
the dime and begged him to mail it
for me ] knew 7 was saved. But I
have never vet attempted to count up
The lies those diamonds cost me!
1t was now a little after ten and
there was nothing for me to do but
wait and SILVER. ] began to think CO.
h~erentiy--to appreciate what monsieur
himself would he getting into by call
! ing fne police or ne customs authori-
lies to help him steal Mrs. Delario's
diamonds.
And yet I saw perfectly he could do
il! Where be- had her was that she'd
~srnuggled the stones. He knew it
knew it-Claire knew it. And II he
were UUiu tliuUSIt III Stcdi luCui "
her in just that way l wasn't sur but
she was tiniid enough TO let him do it.
suddenly remembered what George
had told me about his renting the fiat.
"NVhy, the man was here before we
were - I exclaimed. He took a faster
Steamer-he was all ready 70 carry
through the job when we landed! y
And with that l 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
bsdy was flying round and asking ev-
erybOdy If he'd seen her mother~an
elderly man ia a big fur automobile
coat. the collar up about hls face and
his cap down over his brOw--a nan
with 9 flowing white beard and flash
ing. black, beady eyes-0 man on
crutches-had stood opposite MS,
watching. As I looked at him l had
the quick impression that there was
a0r,cttir~ WRONG about h;ns-that m
WAS there. perhaps, to steal from TIT
- nHSS0GS - ohN
The next moment my eye fell on q
turquoise-beaded slipper hers OF
mine. / didn't know which-that haC
fallen down between our suitcaseS
The old gentleman had his eye on II
also. l saw his han come out OF his
big pocket and reach, cautiously. slow
ly. My own hand shot out and grabbed
the slipper from under his nose, and
gave him a dOuble-barreled glare.
hadn't finished the glare when ~!
cousin came hurrying to tell me to he
quick, our baggage was through.
had, as I say. forgotten he whole
incident, but-THE MAN IN DIS
GUISE WAS MONSIEUR DE RAVE
MOL.
= knew it then-he confessed II
later; he had expected to get those
diamonds into his clutches while they
we're actually going through the Gus
toms inspection! ] bounced out OF my
chair with one glad whoop-"Eure
ka IL have found it," and pranced
TO my bedroom. l had the key TO the
whole puzzle-'one of those slippers!
When i asked Mrs. Delario that aft
ernOOn over the telephone how she got
the diamonds through the customs
house she replied, "One Of those slip
pers we got In Paris is lost" Those
!. we're the words she said: what she
7 really communicated was .. f. . one
of those slippers we got in Parfs +.
is lost" The tones Of her vOice-the
significant pauses-had been Ignored
by me then. But add 'in" and drop
lis lost" and she answered my ques.
I tion-she told me as plain as plain
, could be that she had struggled the
. diamonds through the customs house
: Gin one of the slippers"
!, Easy enough! / snatched them from
: beside my bed. Easy enough-witt
. those high insteps. So that was how
che Is1 iff