White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1935-09-05

full rings; and an oval brooch, its
emerald center surrounded by tier af-
| ter tier of brilliants.
| Sylvia panied breathless She had
never seen such gems, much less held
them in her hands. How she longed to
slip the rings upon her fingers and
try the effect of the diamonds about
her slender throat!
Prudence, however, overmastered the
impulse. Marcia might return and sur
prise her at any moment. Before that
the treasure must be returned to the
place from which it had been taken
Gathering the rainbow heap together,
she reluctantly thrust it into it's blue
leather case, snapped the catch, and
| placed it once more under the brick.
Then with relief she stood up and
| wiped the perspiration from her fore.
head.
It was not until she was again In her
chair book in hand, and struggling to
quiet her quick breathing that she dis
covered she still held in her hand the
| handkerchief that had been wrapped
| about the jewel case.
It was mans handkerchief of finest
linen and one corner bore the en-
broidered initials s. G. H.
| She had known it all the time!
| There was no need to be told the
| jewels were his. What puzzled her
was when he had found time to hide
them. He had not, SO far as she knew,
been left alone moment and yet here
was his booty safe beneath the floor.
= She rated it as booty, because there
could be no doubt he had stolen it. He
had stolen it from that Long Island
estate, escaped in his speed boat and
here he was-here, under this very
roof!
| A robber-that was what he was
| A robber-a bandit, such as one saw
J in the movies
That explained why he was so we'll
dressed, so handsome, had such fas-
cinating manners. He was a gentle
man burglar.
All up-to-date villains in these days
were gentlemen. Not that she had
ever encountered villain in the flesh.
Still, she had read romances about
them and was there not one in every
moving picture? They were not difficult
to recognize.
| 1t was exhilarating A
thief in the room overhead! Think of
it! The very thief for whom all the
police in the countryside were search
ing! He was no small, cheap type of
criminal He did things on big scale
so big that radio announcements had
been broadcast about him and no doubt
at this instant detectives and crime
inspectors were chasing up and down
the highways; dashing through cities;
and keeping telephone wires hot in
wild search for the gentleman asleep
upstairs!
Why, that very morning had not Eli
sha Winslow, the Wilton sheriff, who
had frankly admitted he yearned for
excitement, helped undress the wretch
and put him comfortably to bed? The
humor of the situation almost over
came her.
1t seemed as if she must have some
one to share the joke. But no one
should. No! Nobody should be the
wiser because OF her. The poor, hunted
fellow should have his chance.
1t was a little venturesome and
risky, She admitted, to obstruct justice
and should she be found out she would,
without doubt, be clapped into jail.
Still she resolved to take chance
After all, who could prove she had
known Stanley Heath to be what he
was? Nobody. She would not even let
him suspect it.
| The important thing was to await an
opportunity and soon-before he was
able to be about-return the hand
kerchief she held in her hand to Its
place beneath the brick. Then all
would be well. This should not be diff
flcult. 1t would be quite easy to get
Marcia to take up Mr.. Heath's supper.
In the meantime, the situation was
intensely amusing. It's danger APP
pealed to her. She had always en-
Joyed halr-breadth escapadeS. ANY,
thing but dizziness. That had been the
trouble with Alton City-it had been
dull-deadly dull.
But Wilton was not dull. In spite
of the fact that only this morning
Elisha Winslow had complained the
town was in need of a stirring up, it
seethed with electricity. If she chose,
she could hurl bomb-shell into its
midst this very minute. But she did
not choose.
Instead she intended to play her own
quiet game and keep what she knew
to herself. She wodered why Per-
haps she was falling in love with this
adventurer. Yes, that must be it. She
was in love with HMM love with a
bandit!
Sylvia's imagination had travelled so
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