Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-16
ahead I'll get you down il I have to

ahead. I'll get you down if have to
| carry you"
But it's utter folly" she protested.
At that moment another group. two
women and man. stumbled by them,
! feeling their way back to the summit.
See" she exclaimed. there are more
who have given 1t up. We can walk
/ back, dry out and wait for daylight.
/ People below will understand"
He stubbornly negotiated another
corner. When the car was crawling
along again he spoke. grimly:
. There isnt enough charity in the
/ whole world-in that part Of 1t you
and ! inhabit-to make room for any
/ sort of decent understanding OF how
a pretty woman might be caught and
remain till daylight on La Turbie.
You can stand a mysterious escapade
in the night with Prince Michael, but
not with me in the mist at noun
tain-top clubhouse where you have to
wear mask to save your face. Some
I could. with some IT wouldn't matter.
you couldn't, and you count"
! She bit her lip, and was silent With
A petulant gesture she brushed away
/ the moisture that hung in great,
! glinting beads on her eyelashes. Sud
denly she was startled by light that
! appeared weirdly in the middle OF the
| road almost at their front wheels,
waving slowly to the right and left.
| Somebody smashed, / suppose"
/ kenilworth muttered. and. jammins
in his brakes. brought the car to a
| stop. Heavy, forbidding faces emerged
from the fog on either side of them.
Joanna cried out. kenilworth, with
an oath. Iunged across her at the head
e ~, -, IT. h.,t
! his arms were seized in an iron grip
and twisted dexterously behind him.
a cultural voice, speaking a mixture
of Monegasori and French. COM
ma nded:
Monsieur and Mademoiselle will be
good enough to step from the car
Like -" kenilworth exclaimed
and struggled, but the grip on his arms
left him powerless. The lantern was
| brought closer. BY it's pale light they
| saw that dozen men surrounded the
/ car and that firearms cleaned DULY
/ in their hands.
! After her first cry of alarm Joanna
sat rigid. Something of her fright shone
| in her eyes, and kenilworth was con-
/ scious that her face was pale. Other
wise she gave no sign. The gruf voice
| of the leader of the evil crew was
heard again
! 1T was ordered that you both de-
4 scend. We have not great patience.
/ The mademoiselle need not fear"
kenilworth advised Joanna to step
out quietly. We must go through 1t,
| suppose" he grumbled. They prob
ably will rob US with thousand par
dons and then politely let US 60. These
mountain brigands are thorough gen
| tlemen as a rule"
The one who had been holding onto
Joanna's wrists released them when
she was in the road. She ran around
| the car TO kenilworth's side and from
this position glared denantly at the
I footpads who surrounded them. One
Of them caught the red sparkle of the
enormous ruby that lay against her
throat, from which her wrap had
fallen. She instinctively flung up her
hand TO cover ii. The bandit smiled
and bowed calamity. "A pretty thing.
mademoiselle, he said in the native
patois. 'Mademoiselle s neck does not
require such an ornament. however"
kenilworth cursed at him, which
only brought another ironic bow. The
men closed in around the pair and
they were ordered to walk with them.
They were marched off the road, past
a hut which kenilworth recognized as
( the one before which the big car
ahead of them for the first portion of
their ascent had stopped and dropped
( behind them. Behind the hut they
entered cluster of pine trees and
then crossed an open space of soggy
| bush stub. A low. barn-like building
| doomed out OF the mist before than
and they were ushered through a mar
row door
Inside the building was startling
scene. In the dim light shed by a
dozen lanterns placed about the
earthen floor they saw half a dozen
men and women. whose costumes and
dominos proved them to have been
reyelars at the clubhouse, lined up
against the walls, the men standing
! stif1y at one side. their hands bound
hehlnd them. the women in an excited
group. Armed ruffians guarded the
! women at one side and the sullen men
at the other. kenilworth was ordered
! TO take his place among the men For
a brlef moment he gave signs of at
tempting fight, but Joanna murmured
reassuring word to him. and. with
/ out awaiting the command from their
( captors, moved over TO join the group
/ of women.
AS Kenilworth had prophesied, the
bandits robbed their victims with pro
fuse apologies uttered in their gut
i tural tones. They seemed, however. 10
/ he strangely inefficient in their plum
derlng. The man whose hands explor-
/ ed kenllWorth s inner pockets did not
j discover his wallet. in which was a
sizeahle sheaf Of bank notes, nor his
platinum and diamond studded watch
( IN the watchpocket beneath his waist
/ coat. A few gold louis and an English
pound note in his change pocket were
conhscated. His pearl dress studs were
not noticed. Curiously. he observed
that the other robbers. relieving the
/ other men of obvious valuables. il.
nored costly pearl studs.
ON the lapel of one victim a tiny
decoration built around huge dia.
! mond was unnotiCed
The same incongruous carelessnesS
! prevailed at the plundering of the
women. Their fingers brushed lightly
over cleaning threats: they begged a
pardon for every jewel. of which they
took only those that sparkled IA.
gravity. \ pretty young woman-a
very pretty young one with the small
angular face and smooth eyelids of
an early Madonna - dropped to her
knees Historically when rough hand
reached to sapphire pendant which
hung deep on a hare chest. from
which, in her excitement, she had
almost torn the already scant reach
of her gown. Please" she pleaded
to the bandit do not take my neck.
let 1t is of small value. have hid
den diamonds that I will give YOU
My necklet is a reminder of my hus.
band
The evil fellow gave her his fingers
u