The Jasper news., 1920-02-05
By JANE BUNKER

JlDeu. Pleaee put on your Gamers
hair shawl and bunnlt and haste away
to Beauty-in- Distress that I may In
stantly know how she bore up under
the strain Of meeting the hero and
how she liked his pink. round cheeks"
Billy gave me a vicious grunt and
strode across the room-he wanted to
say something ugly to me but he didn't
dare. seeing how held his fate In my
hands.
"oh. BillyI" cried, suddenly re
membering the latest news, "she
brought back the diamonds last
night r.
"Claire came back? Good heavens I"
he sank into the chair.
"Clairef OF course not. Mrs. Della.
rio." And 7 told him how she'd
whipped in and out like a spook while
he and Claire were going down 10 the
elevator. Then for the first time J
showed him the diamonds.
"Love and pumpkins he ejacu-
lated, overcome by the sight. swell,
II this doesn't beat the Arabian
NlghtsP Are they real--real7 Not
pastel Why, II they're real they're
worth about a million dollarsl"
"And haven't been telling you that
all alongT" 1 asked testify. Biliy's
words and tone gave 1t pretty well
away that he hadn't believed It all
along. no matter what I'd said and
he'd pretended.
"Y-yes, think you have" he admit.
ted, rather Etammeringly. "But Of
course-yOu realize that million dol.
lars Is a--er-a pretty big order for n
chap in New York to eat at sitting"
He spread them out on his hand. NUT
terlng to himself. Finally he brought
out: "And you've got these-herei--
all alone In the fat with you'll Well,
save my shoestrlngsl ! don't wonder
your nerves are on edgep
I let this pass about my nerves and
gave him the story she'd told me Sun.
day morning = about the mahatma
sending her these diamonds through
the air and putting them 10 her slip
per; and how she claimed them. abb
solutely. religiously, as hers.
"The woman's crazy" was the curt
way he disposed Of her, and added,
to mitigate this harsh judgment, "Or
else she's thief"
"She's neither one thing nor the
other" defended sharply. "She's
merely deluded-the same as tens Of
thousands Of other people have been
deluded about things they believed
in."
"Crazy," he repeated with convic-
tion.
could only shrug-all I've ever
been able to do; that was her incOr-
rigible belief wasted no more time
on II then, for our question was what
TO do next. and went on to tell him
how I'd decided to take his advice and
lay the matter before the president.
To my establishment. instead Of the
warm commendation I'd expected from
Billy at taking the advice he'd urged
on both my duty and my common
sense not forty-eight hours before
and remember. I'd barely restrained
him from rushing or on the midnight
train-he popped out Of his chair and
began excItediy pacing the floor. His
nrst words were. "Why. you can't do
thGtI"
"Oh, / see all the risks I'm running
Of getting there alive"
"Risks" he echoed. as II he hadn't
given them a thought. But how
much are you going to tell about this
AFFAIR.""
Everything, of course-I mean ev-
erything know. The government will
have to undertake 10 nnd out the
rest"
He plunked himself in front Of me
and demanded, "You aren't going Ia
. let Miss de Ravenol get dragged into
: mess like this. are your"
] didn't answer Immediately. and he
ramped on, II ask you-are you going
to do it2 Are you going to be party
: to such a-such an OutrageT
'If don't put the case to the presi
dent what am to dof Here l an
saddled with the diamonds"
swell. Just keep them YOURSELF" hC
bluntly offered, as his solution OF the
dificulty. Keep them-put them IN
the safe depOsit-and let things take
their course"
For a minute ] was really angry
: and raped out. III | thought yoV
were serious, Billy, I'd ask you t
leave the house. Your suggestion Il
0 that Ifrankly become a thief. anC
! your solution Is not only crlmina
! butAidlOtlc. What would It accom-
!. pfshf with 50 many people know
Nngf""
"wsll-say-promiss me one thing.