Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-19

There was flicker of the purpling eyelids, a
slow movement of the lips.
"Eh?" said Bert, bending down hisxear. He
was sitting on the floor now He had taken
enc of Benisons limp hands in his own, and
trying vaguely to chafe some warmth
into it.
Benson made a movement that might have
been an attempt to shake his head.
Key" he breathed rather than said his
eyes looking down at his belt. There was an
other word; it sounded to Bert like wa"
but it trailed away uncompleted as the old
mans head rolled over and his face turned
dark
Bert waited. The scullery had become very
still of sudden. He didn't know why until he
realized that the curious jerky breathing had
stopped. 1t did not go on again. And Bert,
slowly beginning to understand what all this
meant. rose to his feet.
I'm on me lonesome for two months" was
his first thought. 1t did not dismay him; but
another did:
People might say done him in got to do
something about that"
Half an hour later all that remained of old
Bllly-all-a alone had been buried.
Bert had emptied the dsad mans pockets.
There was nothing much in them but bunch
of keys, pipe and bit of rock crystal,
prettily cut. In small secret pocket of the
belt there was another key, little fiat key.
"Thatl be the key to the wa whatever
he meant by that" said Bert internationally.
Il reckon I'd better go and clean that burned
pan in the kitchen before it gets all stuck
hard"
Through the long blue days he gardened in
the quarter-acre patch. He cleaned and tidied.
He labored faithfully. part of every day, at the
damaged masonry of the wall. And of an
evening, time hanging heavy on his hands, he
explored the house from corner to corner look
ing for something or other-he knew not what.
1T wasn't drink that KEEP him here" Bert
with he rr,rin chi 81 kI,A
uneducated. There's only enough for sickness.
1t wasn't drugs; there's none. He hadn't a
dog or a cat. He must have had something
to amuse him, like. Bit of a geologer, by the
crystal he had in his pocket; but that
wouldn't be"
lery. looking aimlessly at the table that stood
in the middle Of ia big table, fit to dine a
dozen at least Of those visitors whom Billy all
alone had never invited. This table was COW
cred, not with tapestry or baize but with velvet,
plain black velvet, fastened to the edge by the
ornamental nails
Bert had admired it more than once It
seemed to his crude taste, a handsome and
agreeable way of covering your furniture IF
only 1t was bit gayer," he thought-"crimSon
or blue, like"
He leaned across TO feel the texture and out
fell the crystal that he had found on the dead
man. He had put 1t in his pocket It seemed
J..
It o'clock. The sun poured hercely
through the open shutters. The crystal, rolling
across the table, was caught in the full flood
of that unbearahle spendor, and instantly
became its focus and its flame.
My goly!" said Bert Wills
He stood for a moment or two staring at the
wonderful thing before him. No strayed
chandelier crystal ever sent forth such rays of
orange, green and blue. Perfected by the
setting of velvet, caught at its amazing best
by the flood Of westering sun, the royal gem
shone confessed. diamond!
Bert wasn't staggered by it. No small thing
staggered Bert.
"Good-o," he said "Good-o This seems a
little bit of all right Now well find the rest
of them or bust"
Il bet. he thought, as he took the bunch of
keys and started, like Mrs. Buebeard, to hunt
through all the house, them were the little
things that kept him from going balmy Well,
I reckon they'll keep me from goin' balmy, too,
If can find them"
a T the end of day and q half Of hard
work he had found the little things"
Bert who was mo book hound" made up for
it. like most of his kind. by cat-like sharp
ness of sight and apprehension. He observed
that the Turkey mat before the wardrobe was
worn by the constant tread OF feet: told himself
that "a bloke who looked like that bloke wasn't
going to wear out no carpets before no mirrors
just to stare at himself" and swung open the
door with clear expectation of what he was
going to find.
The back of the wardrobe as he swiftly dis
covered. slid sideways. exposing the steel door
of a safe built into the wall.
The small, curious key that Benson had kept
in his belt opened the lock of the safe. And
instantly Bert forgot all about the mysterious
half-spoken word that had been on the lips Of
Billy-all-alone, when, not quite alone. he had
died.
The safe, q small one, was full to overlooking
with fiat leather cases. Opened, each one dis