Show 5 5 1 S w wt t S S I Do Diamond au lam on d' d dC C Cut D Diamond d u I S I C By JANE BUNKER S Copyright by the Merrill Hobbs Bobbs Company S S WW w wm s OUR HEROINE BECOMES A PRISONER S Synopsis While While In Vevay where Switzerland the staid proper spinster who tells this story is spending a vacation she Is asked to allow Claire tie tle to be her companion back to the United States but because of dislike for tor the girls girl's father she refuses Later on on meeting them on the boat she discovers Claire In care of ot a a. Mrs Delano whom she had met when they were purchasing a pair of ot slippers exactly alike and which figure prominently prominently neatly In subsequent events In the confusion contusion at the New York customs office the spinster carries off on one of Mrs Delano's slippers She returns the slipper slip slip- per the next day and Is shown hown some diamonds worth a million dollars which Mrs D Delano larlo admits were smuggled A man claiming to be an officer arrives with a warrant arrant for tor the arrest of ot Mrs Delano's son on a charge of ot stealing the diamonds She outwits him and persuades the spinster to take the jewels home for tor safe sate keeping Next day she returns the jewels but learning that Mrs Delano's son has been she agrees to keep them for tor a while She hides the stones In a bunch of hyacinths Ov Over r th the telephone De Informs her Mrs Delano has met with an ac accident and urges her to call at once She Is met by De Do who claims that the diamonds are his stolen from Claire on the boat and demands their return Our heroine defies De Dc Returning home she finds that her flat fiat has been ransacked She discovers that De Do has an apartment In the same building l CHAPTER X 10 10 A Prisoner Alone at last I That was my first feeling as I sank into my easy chair to collect collect- my any thoughts thoughts with a million mil mu- lion dollars dollars' worth of diamonds diamonds alone alone on the sixth floor with monsieur oc occupying oc oc- lawfully the flat directly under under un un- un der del mine I And what wa was I to do Obviously Ob the first thing was to hide them and since they'd been safe safe once in the hyacinths I wasn't going tempt fate by c changing the time place S So SoI I put m my fresh bunch lunch in water poked the tho diamonds amon among among the stems and threw th the old bunch away Soon done don done but but my real problem lay Iny in barricading m myself self so that monsieur monsieur monsieur mon mon- could not get in again Rem m- m her ber he had the use of the same same fire escape and waiter dumb-waiter shaft to say nothing of ot the hall stairs stairs stairs-he he could come conic and go go in the house as he pleased S The waiter dumb er I counted out became because be- be cau cause came se I could easily wire up the catch and make It impossible for anyone to open the door from the shaft side without actually breaking the door off ott its hinges hinges hinges-a a most unlikely thing timing for monsieur t to attempt Fortunately I kept a kit of tools in inthe inthe in inthe the house house Im Im I'm not one of your our helpless helpless help hep- less women w who ho cant can't drive a nail nall or sink a screw screw and and my next a act at t was to take the small chain chain bolt bolt that had been on the front door and put it on the time hallside of ot the time kitchen door Then I changed the keys on this and and th the tha bathroom bathroom bath bath- room room doors to the hall hail side From Froni the fire escape monsieur could enter only those two r rooms rooms oms and with their doors I locked locked and and one chain bolted on bolted on him he would have to break them off their hi hinges to get at me that way The om window windo didn't give me much concern Time Tiie sash was stuck fast by the last painting and I couldn't raise it myself the glass was too thick to be cut readily and I didn't believe monsieur would advertise himself to the neighborhood by breaking It But Dut ButI of nails nalIs above e the time I e drove a couple couple of sash just for luck and then gave my attention to the kitchen window Since hed he'd gone out that way hed he'd very likely try it to come back b by The glass was thin thin thin-he he could cut it out easily he he could even smash it and come through so quickly that nobody I 00 W S ig p I I I What Was I to Do would see him But all right monsieur thought I Im I'm going to give ive you you yo r moneys money's worth worth Ill Ill I'll make you jou OU stand standon on the fire escape long enough for the neighbors to fo get a good lo look k at lit t you I Had a 8 couple of ot rolls of ot picture wire ire end and J tacked this across across' the ash no nos across the because e I sel wired in want ant to find myself itself ne ce vs wired out It Th- Th wire ma mad mack a considerable network almost impossible to get through without a It pair pir of wire nippers nipper and I doubted ver very verj much If hed he'd he car carrying carIng Ing such things in his pocket and when I had nailed down the sash as I have sad In Inne inne ne bathroom l i tel felt secure n m illS retreat re reo re- re treat reat There was now how no Wit win for tr a u I I I. I amen iian to V vat v P f P s 's 11 In In ii unless I. I I that is he ime came down from the roof root on a rope to toone one of ot the other windows I thought of that and got ready to knock him off with a broom or throw pepper in his eyes if it he tried that trick on on me me And at last I felt I was safe so so long tong as I stayed staved In In of course I All AU the time time Id I'd been working my mind salad had pounded bounded out dully the question ques ques- ion tion What had I better do next an and the time only answer seemed to be I must get help from some one one one-I I had p passed the point where I could play a alone alone alone lone hand nand in the game and save the time diamonds lamonds I had tried to telephone several times without getting an answer answer an an- which at the moment momert didn't astonish astonish as as- me It provoked me though that I could not not order something from the grocer and the butcher for my din din- ner I go out to dinner but tonight even h had d I been so minded I dared dare not leave the flat fiat I Outside the drizzle had settled to a steady downpour It was d dark rk and gloomy and my feelings were the same sime as I opened some canned st stuff ff and got gotas gotas gotas as much of f a meal ameal as us I could with what was in the time house I thInk it was time tile skimpiness ss of the larder at the tim that showed me as much as an thing else how important it was for me me n now now w to get help help I I had food enough to to last for a couple of days days and after If I that if things kept on this W way how how how was I foget to fo get it S Billy Rivers was as of ot course my ray logical resource He lIe had s seen en the time fiat flat fiat the night before before h he could start nil all the protective machinery ryn in th the city for forine me With this resolution went to the telephone It It wa was dead dead my my connection was severed I didn't need to be told hat that mo monsieur si ur had cut my S SS wires S The full magnitude of my c calamity iam y burst upon me me and I sat down on the the therl rl ri rest chair with a flop T The e bitter f fact ct of ot the whole situation struck me melike like blow blow Jd Jd Id I'd Iet let a op the he beau every chance for protection or or flight g go gO by me the time one remaining chance vas was a aletter aletter aletter letter entrusted to my sP spy Well Veil Id I'd try th that t anyway S S SI I spent an an jour our In composing a missive mis sive sI to Billy BlUy that would tell him a ii great Ireat deal and anti monsieur lf nothing If it t fell into his his' hands hands and and this is Is is' what came cime out of it S Dear Billy Im I'm ready t to sell eil you that story I promised It is now near near near- I I ly finished but I shall need some help from you in arranging the climax Dont Don't w waste ste time telephoning telephoning- the telephoning the telephone is out of order order but but attend to it personally This Is an ambulance cail caI It all aU hinged on the words ambulance lance lance- call can and if Billy would read them hurry up ax and then taking t them tHera in connection with what hed he'd seen sen of ot the Hat ilat robb robbery read My Iy life Ufe 1 is in danger S SAnd And would monsieur see it If the tho letter letter let let- ter fell into his hl That was my my risk risk and and there you are arel arelI i I made three copies I directed on onto one oneto oneto to Billy DIlly at hIs lila office I office I one in inn ina in ina a n letter to Philadelphia to my brother asking him to mail It there there I I dropped the third carelessly into the manuscript manu manuscrIpt manuscript script of ot a short story sent to a n magazine magazine magazine maga- maga maga maga- zine hoping the editor would think Itan it itan an accident and kindly mail mall it for me It was half past ten tea and I was fagged out nit My Iy last chance had imad come Would Woud Ceorge George man mall the letters I got a quarter ter out for him hIm I I was afraid to give him more and make him him think the letters letters let let- were important and not the sort of thing he mailed for me almost every ery I night S 5 I 1 I dragged one weary foot foo after the theother theother i iother other along Ute time hall I hall I hated to Jo let the letters out of m my hands now that I had them ready Well hes he's got to do doit doit it iti I said I firmly and too took hold of the thedoor thedoor the door knob and the Yale latch I turned and pulled turned the theother oth other r way round and pulled again I Imas Iva Iwas was va mas locked in from the outside and the key was In the lock I was hard and fast falIt a prisoner In my in-my my own flat The immediate effect on on me of f this dl discovery overy is hard to describe Mj My head swan swam and the room went round and und everything was as all un mixed up and andI I kept repeating Fire If theres there's a afire afire fire Til r-a il be burned like Uke a rat in ina a trap And with that 1 went to bed there fed there was nothing else to do I was nearly as much astonished d Inthe in inthe the time morning to find the key gone gone from the time lock as I hail had been t to find it there sher Apparently I was w free to fake that eleven Eln n 0 o'clock cram for til t tit the fak fiske i fr t. t I I i brother had requested me to to-I to 1 was free to put the diamonds in my stockIng stock stock- Jug Ing and step out into the Into the Great Unknown Unknown Unknown Un Un- known Only Only Only-I I wasn't such a fool foolas foolas as to do it itI I could and did however however however how how- ever give George m mv amy loiters letters to moll mall One thing tiling was now clear to as tome me as lon long as I stayed In the fiat flat I was comparatively com com- v safe safe safe-l I must make my may main play that filly Billy had got my letter or that somebody would call Though of course George would say I was out out out- he was paid for that by monsieur In this manner Q of living living to togo togo togo go out and being unable to communicate communicate communicate cate even with the grocer two grocer two days wore away to be exact from Tuesday Tuesday Tues Tues- day night to Friday Frilay morning And they were enlivened by some InterestIng Interesting interesting Interest Interest- ing experiences On the time second night I was awakened by the s sound und of a latchkey working at my amy front door I tiptoed into the tile hall hail and listened I cant can't say I was frightened The chain chain- bolt was on and the only way It could be got off was by first shutting the thedoor thedoor thedoor door tight tight meant It could not be worked back with a wire I had seen to that when the locksmith put Dut It in Nothing came of this tills attempt to fit fita a key to my new lo lock lok k and I got comfort comfort comfort com com- fort out of the thought that It proved monsieur regarded the fire escape ns much too public for his performances I had given George my letters to toman man manon mall on on Wednesday morning but as Thursday wore away and Billy DUly didn't come 1 I saw what I was in for for I I was to b be ed starved Into leaving the flat I Iw Iwas Iwas w was as already weak for want of food I suppose my belle belie bellet In imminent star star- had something to do with It but 1 Ut as is a matter of fact I had had nothing nothIng noth noth- ing ng that could be called a square quare meal since Monday night at the tIme restaurant and I hadn't eaten much much then then then-I I was wast t too o excited over o my encounter with monsieur r. r Oh how I 1 wished Id I'd eaten that egg Mrs J boiled for me mett me- me it tt might have saved my life I Yes I 1 Iwas Iwas was weak with hunger and by Sunday night there would not be a mouthful in b the time house to eat It was now Thursday Thursday Thurs Thurs- day clay That night monsieur picked the new newY Y Yale le lock on the front door How Hov long hed been working at it before before I woke up up I cant can't say and I might never have known it at all ull i if he lie hadn't accidental dropped his bunch of keys on the tiled d floor Their tinkling awoke me I knew new on the Instant instant instant in In- stant stant what it it was and lay perfectly still while I felt feU him listening for fot a n sound sound from rpm me me nb t to show show- that 1 I wa was awake awake I should say I lay there fifteen fifteen fit fit- teen teen minutes before h he went on with his Job S Softly I cr crept pt out of bed I tiptoed d. d through the hall hail and um l placed myself ha back k of the thedoor door Mor where he could n not t tsee see me should he get it open We stood thus thus' possibly five minutes minutes Ills his work lighted by th the hall gas Jet I In total darkness while witlie ke keys s slid into into tho lo lock k slid out and clicked against the he bunch he had in in- his hand It It was a large bunch judging from th s sound und Tim The sixth key k did It The Yale lock turned once once twice lIe He withdrew the key and I heard him taking It t off orr the ther r ring ling ng and nd dropping the tIme ti bunch Into his pocket II He lIe put the the key once Onee more Inthe In Inthe Inthe the lock arid and again 1 to make sure It was was not till tiB then that he unlocked ked the time lower lock time the the one one he kept m me prisoner oner with Hed He'd never once given me mae 1 time the IC chance to pop out on I him lm till he le was Ins ready to pop In on me I And now he was was ready rady Th The key turned turned the the door handle turned A strip of light showed ved over his heat head anc and slowly widened d. d The Time The chain chain holt bolt slid sUd and slid almost noiselessly along Its socket Docket Then hen it stopped I think he l hadn't nt noticed d It at first first- he had bad turned the gas low and as as' as he stood he cut CUtS off oft the time light tight When the thedoor thedoor thedoor door suddenly stopp stopped d he ime moved aside to see what was hampering him I Is s saw w the glitter of the brass chain He lIe saw It too Then darkness again and andI I 1 felt rather than saw his fingers come come through the crack and feel the chain Next came the whole hand and andI I worked 1 at lt the chain chal chain but but but the farther he pushed It back the the tighter closed I the door It was was was' m meant meant ant to be be that I way but he didn't yet know knoY it He lie e bared his arm and thrust It through the crack and felt along ulong the slot to the hole in the end This was amy my chance to give gh-c him one with the hairbrush hairbrush but but ut I Truth t tb tell I was too paralyzed with excitement I Iliad had m my chance and let It go o. o I did nothing said nothing |