The Ordway new era., 1920-02-06
By JANE BUNKER


n lXy LS~ III ~ u Lx- " ~
snatched Off her thin slipper. and the
last glimpse i got of her as / turned
the corner showed her ramrningit into
the crack of the front door TO hold it
open.
What she did next she told me later.
but / may as well put II in here. /
was out of sight when the man blus-
tered up TO where She stood in the
open door, looking up and down the
street for somebody to call.
You may as well tell that young
man of yours" growled he. that If he
don't let me in I'll break the door In"
81 don't think you will" she said
calmly. Now co.
mot till / get what I came for" he
ing 10 move it and finding il mysteri-
ously wedGed open
"well. you'n not do that this trip"
said she with spirit. He isn't there
and he wasn't there. He was in the
sitting room at the end of the hall
she pointed TO the seance room, the
door of which he could see stood
| open-"and while you We're trotting
upstairs he ran out for policeman.
If you don't believe it wait and see
for yourself"
At that the fellow seized her arm
and tried 10 pull her back into the
house and shut the door. but found IL
still wedged open. he could not see
with what, as he was on the inside.
But the moment he laid hands on her
she began to scream. Help Help!"
as loudly as ever she could.
He didn't wait to see what hap
pened-as q matter of fact nothing
happened. for there wasn't a soul in
sight on West End avenue when she
screamed.
@Tu have a squad Of police here my
self TO help you II that's what you're
after" he flung back as E parting
threat when he bolted down the steps
and disappeared around the same cor
ner that had just hidden me. But that
was the last she heard of him that
night. She pulled her slipper ont Of
the crack and shut the door. Then
she went all TO pieces and had cry.
As for me, when left the house. 1
crossed tire street, turned south and
into the first crosS-street came to. II
seemed as though everybody knew ]
| had mIllier dollars in my stocking
and was inst waiting to nab me. or
| hand me over to the next policeman
But as nothing happened became
| little more coherent, though I had the
feeling l was being followed all the
I Y eka
Ny whole energy of mind was bent on
giving my pursuer the slip. When at
last spied subway station jumped
OF the car. made a bolt of ii for the
stairs, rushed past the ticket chopper.
throwing q nickel into his box. board
ed a train that fortunately proved 10
be north-bound express; got of at
The next station and took local: got
out and took another express and got
out for good when the guard bawled.
.Huddn-n-forty-fift." walked round the
block where 1 live. and when there
wasn't living soul in sight ducked
into the front door Of my apartment
house.
The elevator was rafting down from
! upstairs but didn't wait for it tip
ioed up the stairs, the descending ele-
vator drowning the sound Of my steps.
! let myself in, put up the chain-bolt
/ and took a long breath Then my
knees suddenly crunpled up under me
and went all TO pieces IN a heap.
1t was almost two O'Clock before !
found strength enough to undress, and
1 was so dazy / could hardly get my
clothes of While | was doing il
had brief thoughts OF keeping on my
stocking and taking the diamonds TO
bed with me; but ! decided no
there's a limit TO ones obligations in
case like this: IL burglars come TO
| burgle-and have you ever noticed
how very near a burglar feels when
you have million dollars in the
housef-Tll let them burgle. I'll not
help, but I'll not hinder; life IS too
uncertain at its best So l set the box
on the edge of the dining room table,
conveniently, where burglars who
were looking for just such a shabby
little box filled with diamonds couldn't
fail to see It the instant they timmied
the front door off its hinges. or got
in from the fire escape, or crawled up
the Kitchen dumb waiter. or came
down the gas log into the fireplace.
And then / went TO bed-and slept
expecting TO find that box exactly
where i put it.