Cheyenne record., 1920-02-26
- JANE BUNKER


{ g
/ snatched OF her thin slipper. and the
last glimpse got Of her as ! turned
the corner showed her ramming 1t into
the crack Of the front door to hold It
open.
What she did next she told me later.
but may as well put 1t in here.
was out Of sight when the man sblus-
tered up to where she stood In the
open door, looking up and down the
street for somebody to call. ss
"You may as well tell that young
man of yours" growled he. that IL he
don't let me in I'll break the door In"
II don't think you WILL" she said
calmly. snow 60" Ts.;slfi.5t
mot till get what came for" he
said, taking hold Of the door and try
ing to move 1t and finding It mysteri-
ously wedged open.
"Well, you'll not do that this trip"
said she with spirit. she Isn't there
and he wasn't there. He was In the
sitting room at the end Of the halr'-
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 q policeman.
II you don't believe 1t wait 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. "Helpi Help"
as 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 soul In
sight on West End avenue when she
screamed. ~
"rn have squad of police here my
self to help you If that's what you're
after" he flung back a. . parting
threat when 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.
.
Az for me, when left the house. I
crossed the street, turned south and
into the first cross-street I came to. It
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 became q
little more coherent, though had the
feeling I was being followed all the
time. yet I couldn't spot my shadow.
My whole energy Of mind was bent on
giving my pursuer the slip. When at
last spied subway station I Jumped
of the car, made bolt Of 1t for the
stairs, rushed past the ticket chopper.
throwing q nickel into his box, board
ed train that fortunately proved to
be a north-bound express; got on at
the next station and took a local; got
out and took another express and got
out for good when the guard bawled.
"Huddn-n-forty-fift," 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 rattling down from
upstairs but didn't wait for 1t. I tip
tocd up the stairs, the descending ele-
vator drowning the sound Of my steps.
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 a heap.
1t was almost two o'clock before !
found strength enough to undress, and
was SO day could hardly get my
clothes of. While was doing It
had brief thoughts Of keeping on my
stocking and taking the diamonds to
bed with me; but decided no
there's 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
housef-rl let them burgle. I'll not
help, but I'll not hinder; life Is too
uncertain at its best. So 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
fall 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 went to bed-and slept,
expecting to find that box exactly
where put It
GAAPrER "