The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1920-02-19


news of my departure ''for the eve
ming" and monsieur could creep up
stairs, unseen by his all-seeing spy.
We therefore took our prearranged
places.
The fiat was almost dark. One low
gas jet lighted the dining room and
showed the hyacinths on the table
so monsieur could see the moment he
entered the front door; n low light In
the bathroom showed at glance
through the half-open door that no.
body lurked within. The door TO my
bedroom stood fiat against the wall;
the kitchen door nearly so, and behind
II Billy, jammed In between the refrlg-
orator and the set tubs. was complete
ly concealed unless one entered the
room. A low light burned here. suf-
ficient to show the rooms apparent
emptiness. We calculated that mon
sieur would make a dash for the fire
escape when / shot on the blank car
fridge from my bedroom and Billy was
then to greet him with the ammonia.
In my own room / stood pressed
against the wall just inside the door
way. In my right hand was the re-
volver.
Neither Billy nor I uttered sound.
The little metal clock echoed along the
hall, horribly loud. 1t chimed the half
after seven. counted ticks--one min
ute gone. l counted and thought of
hundreds of things l meant to do, or
had forgotten to do. all the while
counting mechanically. Three minutes
gone-four-five--
A key slipped quickly. boldly. re-
gardless of the noise 1t made-my
lock- Mott couldn't bel The lock
turned. A quick illumination filled my
hall from the gas jet outside and was
gone almost before I had realized 1t
The door closed. My heart Jumped out
and ran about the floor and tried to
hide under the bureau.
I remember thinking, Suppose
doesn't come back but stays away
Then poor Billy's done for-I cam
move a muscle without my heart !
And all the time I was thinking these
idiotic things, l heard the cautious In
domitable pad. pad. pad Of whispered
footsteps. They paused at the bed
room door for glance within-noth
ing there; paused At the bathroom
door-nothing in there; paused at th'
kitchen door-nothlng Ia there; theI
made for the table.
The light blazed up In the dinini
room and my heart came baok with
plop. Monsieur had turned up the ligh
In order to remove the diamonds an
leave me to discover It, as 1t Nigh
chance-tomorrow or O week from tc
morrow.
With the light, all my fear left sud
denly. / popped out Of the bedroom
saw monsieur with the hyaclnths II
his hand-fired the blank cartridg
and yelled, Hands upi" and stood fao
ing him and between him and the doc
with a smoking revolver IN my hand.
He said, Mon Dieu r"-took In tn
sltuation-and bolted for the fire es
cape-got a smashing blow from tn
kitchen door as Billy jumped from be
hind 1t and then half glass Of an
monia in the face. Two seconds late
we three were a writing stranglin
heap on the floor.
The next thing remember, wa
sitting on monsieur amidships an
Billy was swapping handcuff.
gasped and rolled OF on the floor
picked myself up from the inelegar
position by way Of my hands an
knees, got q wet towel and soppe
monsieur's face as fast as could
though why I performed this human
act so quickly. can't say; and as 500
as he stopped strangling-for a lot Q
the ammonia had gone into his mout
and very little in his eyes-Billy and
dragged him to the dining room
propped him against the sideboard an
opened window.
believe that none Of the three Q
us uttered a word during the entii
performance-Billy says he can't r.
member any; but one Of the strangei
things was that the firing Of the r.
volver elected no investigation frol
the populous house. All this migf
have happened in the center Of Lari
mile plains in snowstorm the day aft'
the fall roundup for the amount of n
tice man or beast took of II.
II was faultless achievement.
And now we had monsieur-we ha
captured him, as Billy said we shoul,
all by our little own selves. He and
silently regarded the crumply creatur
sitting against the sideboard and the
for the first time the idea came Int
our heads. "And now that we've gc
him, what are We going to do wit
himr
looked at Billy and he looked 9
me. We asked each other the questio
with our eyes. AS for monsieur. hi
fears had swallowed up his chagrin 9