The Elbert County tribune., 1920-03-05

on rope to one of the other windows.
l thought of that and got ready to
knock him Off with broom or throw
pepper in his eyes IL he tried that trick
on me. And at last I felt l was safe
so long us stayed in. OF course.
All the time I'd been working. my
mind had pounded out duly the ques-
ton. "What had | better do nextT'
and the only answer seemed to be
must get help from some one-I had
passed the point where l could play
lone hand in the game and save the
diamonds. / had tried to telephone
several times without getting an an
swer. which at the moment didn't as
tonlsh me. 1t provoked me. though
that could not order something from
the grocer and the butcher for my din
ner. ! go out to dinner, but tonight.
not leave the fiat.
Outside the driZzle had settled to a
steady downpour. 1t was dark and
gloomy and my feelings were the same
as | opened some canned stun and got
as much of a meal as could with what
was In the house. | think ii was the
skimpiness of the larder at the time
that showed me as much as anything
else how important 1t was for me now
to get help-I had food enough to last
for n couple of days, and after that-tf
things kept on this way-how was I to
get it?
Billy Rivers was. of course. my
logical resource. He had seen the fat
the night before-he could start all
the protective machinery In the city
for me. With this resolution, I went
to the telephone. 1t was "dead"--my
connection was severed! / didn't need
to be told that monsieur had cut r,y
wires,
The full magnitude of my calamity
burst upon me and ! sat down on tile
nearest chair with flop. The bitter
fact of the whole situntion struck me
like blow on the head-Id let every
chance for protection or flight 20 by
me: the one remaining chance was
letter entrusted to my spy. Well, I'd
try that. anyway.
spent an hour in composing a mis-
sive to Billy that would tell him
great deal and monsieur nothing-lf 1t
fell into his hands-and this is what
came out of It:
"Dear Billy: I'm ready to sell you
that story promised. 1t is now near
y finished. hut l shall need some help
from you m arranging the climax.
Don't waste time telephoning-th
telephone is out of crder-but attend
tu 1t personally. This is an ambulance
Gull"
1t all hinged on the words "ambu-
lance CALI and If Billy would read
them hurry up" and then. taking
them in connection with what he'd
seen of the fat robbery, read. my life
is in danger
And would monsieur see it If the let
ter fell into his hay ndsi That was my
risk-and there you are,
l made three copies. directed one
to Billy at his office-I inclosed one in
a letter to Philadelphia to my brother
asking him to mail it there-I dropped
the third, carelessly, into the manu-
script of a short story, sent to maya
zine, hoping the editor would think 1t
an accident and kindly mail it for me.
1t WAS half past ten and was tagged
out. My last chance had come. "Would
George mail the letters?' l got quar-
ter out for hirn-I was afraid to give
him more and make him think the let
tiers were important and not the sort
of thing he mailed for me almost every
night.
! dragged one weary foot after the
other along the hall-I hated to let the
letters out of my hands now that
had them ready. "well. he's got to do
it! !" said firmly. and took hold of the
door knob and the Yale latch.
/ turned and pulled; turned the
other way round and pulled again.
was locked in from the outside and the
key was in the lock I was hard and
fast prisoner in my own flat
The immediate effect on me OF this
discovery is hard to describe My
head swan and the room went round.
and everything was all mixed up. and
kept repeating: Fire, If there's a
fire tonight I'll be burned like rat In
trapi'
And with that went to bed-there
was nothing else to do.
! was nearly as much astonishcd In
the morning to find the key gone from
the lock as I had been to find 1t there.
Apparently I was free to take that
eleven O'Clock train for Philadelphia