The Elbert County tribune., 1920-01-23
By JANE BUNKER

u ~ ~ "a ~ - ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ u
last glimpse got of her as 1 turned
the corner showed her ramming 1t into
the crack of the front door to hold 1t
| open.
What she did next she told me later.
but 1 may as well put 1t In here. 7
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 fell that young
man of yours growled he. 'that II he
don't let me in I'll break the door In"
II don't think you WILL" she said
calmly. "Now CO."
"Not till / get what came for" he
Ing to move 1t and finding 1t mysteri-
ously wedged open.
''Well, you'll 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 were trotting
upstairs he ran out for a policeman.
II you don't believe 1t walt and see
for yourself"
At that the fellow seized her arm
and tried to pull her back Into the
house and shut the door. but found 1t
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, 'Helpl Helpi"
rs loudly as ever she could.
He didn't wait to see what hap
pened--as a matter of fact nothing
happened, for there wasn't a soul In
sight on West End avenue when she
screamed.
'Pll have squad of police here my
self to help you If that's what you're
after" he flung back as a parting
threat wien 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 out of
the crack and shut the door. Then
she went all to pieces and had cry.
AS for me. when left the house, /
crossed the street, turned south and
into the first cross-street I came to. 1t
seemed as though everybody knew /
had million dollars In my stocking
and was just waiting to nab me. or
hand me over to the next policeman.
But as nothing happened l became q
little more coherent, though had the
feeling l was being followed all the
II In oh
My whole energy of mind was bent on
giving my pursuer the slip. When at
last spied a subway station jumped
on the car. made a bolt of 1t for the
stairs. rushed past the ticket chopper.
throwing a nickel Into his box, board
ed train that fortunately proved to
be a north-bound express; got on 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-fif walked round the
block where 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 1t. tip
tocd up the stairs, the descending ele-
vator drowning the sound of my steps.
i let myself in. put up the chain-bolt
and took long breath. Then my
knees suddenly crumpled up under me
and went all to pieces in heap.
1t was almost two o'clock before !
found strength enough to undress, and
/ was so dazy I could hardly get my
clothes off. While I was doing it I
had brief thoughts of keeping on my
stocking and taking the diamonds to
bed with me; but 1 decided no
there's a limit to ones obligations in
case like this: If burglars come to
burgle--and have you ever noticed
how very near burglar feels when
you have a million dollars In the
house?-I'll 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 shabby
little box filled with diamonds couldn't
fail to see 1t the instant they jimmied
the front door of 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 1 went to bed-and slept,
expecting to find that box exactly
where put it.