Emmons County record., 1920-02-05

I'LL. IL WGS all tIle OlU SCOuuuTel VI
'mossoo.'"
Claire seemed ready to end here. but
I wasn't ready to have her. What was
I to tell monsieur? My turn was COM
ing in a minute, and what was to
say? I kept on with Claire. "Then so
far as you know, the box came through
the customs house in one of those Slip
pers? And what were you to do after
..hat?"
The words were hardly out Of my
mouth when the front bell rang and
George handed In telegram addressed
to monsieur.
Monsieur tore open the yellow enve.
lop and rapidly scanned the message;
frowned; hesitated; started to speak
and stopped; looked at me inqulr-
ingly; asked if there was telegraph
office near and when told him where
1t was excused himself from our ccm-
pany to "send an immediate and ur-
gent reply" and instructed Claire to
answer every question might care to
put and with that he hurried off with
the curt ceremony Of one who expects
to be back on the quarter-hour stroke.
There was, however, but little more
l needed to discover from Claire; still
there was one thing, and asked her
bluntiy, "Your father came over ahead
of us on faster steamer? He was on
the wharf in disguise when we ar
rived?"
She blushed furiously and stam-
mered, "Y-yes-he was there" and
added hastily: "But didn't know he
was there. He told me there would be
someone-to take echarge-when gave
the signal that everything was all
right"
"Oh, there was signal!"
"Of course. I had to let the other
one know who had the box"
"You mean you had to let your fa-
ther know?'
"It was papa-but I didn't see him."
"What did you have to let him
know"
whether it was you or Mrs. Della
rio."
II set my little handbag on top Of
the suitcase-that said the box was
there. Then I drew off my glove
that said. in slipper 1t wasn't
very hard to remember"
sand you had given the signal when
I picked up the slipper?"
"Yes-and was SO frightened. I
didn't know but papa would be
killed"
"And you went home with Mrs.
Delario and tried to see If she had the
right slipper?"
"Yes-but I never found out"
She looked as If she were dying to
ask, "Have you found out?"
I was so afraid she would that I
ended the cross-examination hastily by
asking her what she heard from her
mother and signaled Billy to chip into
the conversation and make talk as fast
as he could; and after she'd replied
about her mother-that her grandfa-
ther was still dying and her mother
dared not leave-she turned to Billy
as though she had really only just then
become aware of his presence, and
they soon were chattering away like
magpies and the bushes were mostly
on Billy's cheeks. For which he might
be forgiven. He was just twenty-five
and she was just sixteen; but in three
years-dear me, what a beauty she
was going to be-what a man-killer!
I left them to themselves, going to
my bedroom on some pretext or an
other while one quarter of an hour fol-
lowed another, and still monsieur did
not return. At nine Claire began to
be restless; at quarter after she blurt-
ed out, ''Do you suppose anything has
happened to papa?"
I had been supposing it for half an
hour-he'd had time to make twenty
trips to the telegraph Office and back
but managed to say reassuringly,
"Why, what could happen?" and Billy
supported me with fine courageous,
'Nothing could have happened-he's
a mamie knows how to take care of
himself" and was rewarded with
look. Even at sixteen Claire's looks
were valuable-Billy wouldn't have
sold that to another fellow for ten
dollar bill.
The elevator rumbled up, and !
cried, "There he isl think"
George presented me with two
notes and the information that an au-
tomobile was downstairs waiting.
I handed one note to Claire, tore
open the one addressed to me, and
read:
I'm sending q car for my daughter.
Will you ask Mr.. Rivers to escort her to
the hotel? 1t is necessary that say some
few words to you alone. I beg you to
await me.
It was signed, "H. de Ravenol.''
I had barely finished this when I
heard Claire give cry, mamma is
dead" and looked up just in time
to see her throw out her arms and
swoon away at my feet.
People faint away in this story like
the heroines of mid-Victorian ro-
a