Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1920-03-03


/ liStened-I must have been mis-
taken-though I'd only barely closed 1t
and was turning out the hall electric.
The elevator that was taking Claire
and Billy down was still on its way.
Could monsieur have walked up?
The raps were repeated-unques-
tionably on my door. Without wait
ing-or even thinking to call through
and ask who was there-I threw the
door open.
Mrs. Delario whipped in and closed
it behind her.
Her face was almost concealed by
a heavy black veil, but I recognized
her and cried out, "Why, Mrs. Della
rio Z" in utter amaZement. What I'M
der the heavens had brought her there?
She laid a black-gloved finger on
her lips to signify silence; she thrust
something in my hand; she opened the
door and whipped out as she came,
shutting it in my face.
She hadn't uttered a word-she had
barely caused a sound; even the door
closed behind her noiselessly. 1 tore
it open as my first impulse-when /
got my breath-thinking she'd be wait
ing for the elevator. In the few Sec
onds of my establishment she had gone.
1 checked a call to her-"Mrs. Della
rio''-and listened for descending foot
steps on the stairs but heard nothing.
sank into a hall chair, quite I'M
nerved-cOming on top of what I'd
been through that day, feel I'd have
had a justifiabie cause for faint on
my own account; only 1 didn't swoon.
kept asking myself: If it weren't an
apparition how did she know which
door to knock at? / have no door
plate and she'd evidently not asked
George-he was taking the car down
with Claire and Billy at the moment
Mrs. Delario popped in. 1t didn't oc-
cur to me at first that she'd probably
seen me, from the corner of the stair
way, close that door after saying
goodby to the others. There had been
three raps-classic apparitions always.
believe, rap thrice when they wish
to enter your abode-they do not con-
descend to push a button; and then
she'd noiselessly whipped in and put
something in my hand
1 became conscious of hard object
held-the fatal box.
You could have knocked me over
with a feather! Impossible that she'd
brought it back! / dashed for the din
ing room where the light was and
pulled off the cover of the box. There
lay the diamonds
With a sweeping gesture I flung
them on the table-in one fell swoop
I'd been tumbled off my lofty perch
and had become victim once more
just q disconnected, worried victim, re-
sponsible for the fate of nations!
And having thrown them down-one
of them fell off the tablet snatched
them up-monsieur would return at
any minute for that private interview
with me, and now what was l to tell
him? l no longer had the gem-free
conscience of an hour ago-I had the
diamonds
But l might have saved my ago
nies-monsieur did not return that
night-he had other fish to fry.
The canny cleverness of monsieur's
next move gave me when 1 knew it
such keen intellectual joy that I for
gave him everything.
He had argued it out thus: Either
/ should succeed or should fail with
Mrs. Delario. If 1 failed it would be
for one of two reasons: either she de-
MED all knowledge of the diamonds,
or she had confessed to me yet had
been able to bind me to secrecy. But
in either case he would read my sue
cess or failure in my face the moment
he greeted me.
My face was blank. He hadn't ex-
pected to find it that way, but so it
was-nOt hint did / give him, first
when I opened the door, or later while
l talked with Claire. In fact, inside
of fifteen minutes he became con-
WINGED that so far as was concerned
my mission was a failure and I was
hedging for time and unwilling to con-
fesS it.
He was prepared for my failure-his
chance of trapping her lay in his see
ing her before l could communicate
with her after seeing him. With a
fake telegram, delivered by George at
a precOncerted moment to serve as
monsieur's excuse to leave the house,
and also as a pretext to leave Claire
in the house, keeping guard over Billy
and my self-none Of the three of US
suspecting it-monsieur had taken his
waiting automobile and swooped down
on Mrs. Delario