Show f I I 11 1 I Ii Copyright by Bobbs Merrill Company By JANE BUNKER j EUGENE MY SON SONI HES HE'S BEEN While In the little Swiss town of ot Vevay where the staid proper spinster who tells the story Is le spending a vacation she Is la asked to allow a a. ayoung young girl Claire de to be her companion back to the United States Although forming an attachment to the girl the heroine takes a dislike to Monsieur de Claires Claire's father and declines On the boat she finds ands t Claire In the care caro of a casual acquaintance Mrs Delano whom she had met while each was purchasing a pair of slippers exactly alike which figure largely In subsequent events When they reach New York where Claire was to have been met by her mother the latter does not appear and arid Claire perforce goes to Mrs Delano's home bome In the confusion at the custom house the spinster carries off on one of Mrs Delarios Delario's slippers Through that happening she learns later that someone unknown to her has bas been In her flat fiat Calling on Mrs Delano that lady shows her some remarkable gems believing them to be rubles but which are really red blood-red diamonds and easily worth a a. million dollars Mrs Delano admits the gems were smuggled but offers no explanation While they are talking a pounding on the door throws throws' them Into consternation The caller asserts he Is an officer of the law with a warrant for the arrest of Mrs son lion on a charge of stealing the diamonds She outwits him and persuades the spinster to take the gems to her home for tor safe keeping Next morning realizing the responsibility In Iii her possession of the diamonds the spinster takes them their back to Mrs Delano who begs her to keep them a 8 while longer CHAPTER V V Continued 6 5 I of you JOU some way WRY hiding biding them Really I dont don't see see how bow I cans cans' can enn s' s take the responsibility suppose responsibility-suppose suppose Im I'm 0 robbed I l le e You wont won't be 1 b But you dont don't know I may have been followed home last night You were not that not that man was was working workIng work- work Ing alone It was on the tip Up of my tongue to I tell her my real reason was th that t I didn't like being mixed up In a smuggling smuggling smug smug- gling affair but out of pity pity and and common com m mon n human decency for a woman In trouble trouble trouble-I I refrained and she hurried on You needn't fear about losh losing g them them them-I I see the word safe In yellow letters over your head and I know absolutely absolutely they'll they'll be safe with you To o me that wasn't convincing and andI 5 t S I made a last effort to rid myself of the Incubus and suggested Your son son son- couldn't he find means to hide them I Eug Eugene ne I Her face clouded with fear I dont don't even know where he Is this this' he hasn't morning morning morning-he telephoned me or anything since singe I telephoned him last night to hide hide and and every time oJ I think think of him I get the Impression of trouble Th There re Isn't a living soul soulI 1 1 I can appeal to now but you Oh p please please please-a ease n a two day day two days days until until I can decide what to do Help me menow now and andI I swear to you that I will explain everything ev ev- r r The telephone bell suddenly rang out from the upper hell hall Her hands flew fiew to her heart as they had the night before when the house bell rang v S-v b but t without a word she hastened upstaIrs upstairs upstairs up up- stairs to answer the call J While she was gone I had a few minutes minutes min min- utes to think and I took my stand once for all ail Id I'd help her through thick and thin I therefore slipped the box back where Id I'd taken It from and was preparing to leave with It as soon f. f as I goodby to her when she reeled Into the room looking as If It shed she'd had the shock of dreadful news 0 Eugene My son I 1 she gasped alS almost al aI- al- al S most with a scream Hes been kid kid- in and with that she fainted I caught her as she fell and let her slide to the floor as gently as my strength would allow and I 1 Iwas I was considering considering con con- whether to try to find the bathroom upstairs and get some water or to search the lower regions regions' for the wild eyed Swede and send her for the nearest doctor when I heard Mrs voice Save my diamonds diamonds- save my son eon Go Go-go Go go at once 1 I II I didn't g go in go-in In fact tact she held me so soI soI I I couldn't couldn't and and somehow between us she Khe managed to get up on the sofa sofo where she released my ray hands Imploring ImplorIng imploring ing me to save the diamonds f Those men are coming she urged In If five minutes It may be too late latero late late- ro you'll ll be caught Ill caught Ill I'll lose every everything everything everything- my future future Llla's Llla's future future youre youre you're safe If you go Instantly Instantly- It was incoherent but rapid j terribly terri tern bly earnest She gave me a feeble push and hardly knowing what I did I fled 1100 the house house for for the second time timer r in n twenty four hours with a a million dollars' dollars worth of diamonds in my t J stocking I had dashed down the steps expectIng expecting expect expect- In ing to encounter encounter and and escape fro from froma from from- a pair of dark brewed villains i I actually actually actually actu actu- ally did encounter a delivery boy hopping hopping hopping hop hop- ping oft off his wagon who almost knocked me over with his basket and then berated me mo soundly for getting In his road and not looking where I was going My bumping into the grocery boy dislocated the alarm In which I had hadS' hadS S' S left Mrs Delano and it didn't seem to toS' toS S' S occur to me on the return trip I might be bo followed or that I should take at least some come small precautions to elude a possible shadow My mind was so 80 engrossed with Mrs Delario Delano and what bad had happened to her son fIOn that I really quite forgot torr-ot I had the diamonds diamonds diamonds' dia din monds monds- myself I I bought a bunch of ot hyacinths at a florists florist's and left an order order order or or- der at nt the grocers grocer's and it wasn't till tillI I was was inside my flat that the thought who Is Isla really struck me Im the one la I danger I have the tho diamonds l and It iwas was too Into lato for me to find out if Id I'd been shadowed home or r not riot However my depression was presently press pre succeeded by a mood of elation elation- 4 at last I was waa living JIvIng things I was wasen- wasen enjoying en en- the game for tor its own own sake On with the dance Mr Robbers Robbers lets lets let's see if It you can get the diamonds t I Which I only go to to show what fools some some 4 a women can be sometimes For if I meant to hide the diamonds where they'd be safe why didn't I take them instantly to my bank and put them Ina in ina ina a safe-deposit safe box A mere man would have done It If on the spur of the moment moment moment mo mo mo- ment without stopping to think about it and the idea never entered my head So I let tet slip sUp my one chance of something brilliant and did what ninety-nine ninety out of a hundred other women would have done under the same circumstances I HID IUD THEM i IN MY FLAT And in that one ono act I pitted pitted pitted pit pit- ted myself against the most subtle intelligence Int intelligence in In- t nce amazing Ing complications and ove overwhelming odds that a quiet respectable respectable re re- re- re gentlewoman of my profession tes pr profession sion ever had to reckon with outside of the Ink bottle I got both a n revolver revolver revolver re re- volver and a dagger ready for me me only I didn't know It at the time I have always prided myself on tha tt way I hid those diamonds since diamonds since e I was stupid enough to d do it at nt allAs all As I Isa Isay Isay sa say I I had bought a bunch of hyu- hyu Roman Roman hyacinths hyacinths when when after sitting ng In my big chair for a good half- half hour thinking I got got got up to put them In water the brilliant Idea came ame to tome tome tome me to hide the diamonds there Water wouldn't hurt the diamonds diamonds' but who would ever think that anyone would be silly enough to put them In It So I I got gota a glass glass glass-a a common white glass that that would shOW show the stems stems set set the hyacinths in the middle of the table and poked the diamonds down among the stems The raffia str string ig held everything In place and and and- there you are 1 My real trouble was In disposing of the box bore I could have burned It and been done with It but to keep it was wasso wasso wasso so much more sportsmanlike to enjoy my game game game-as as I was feeling it just then then-I hen I saw I must above everything be sportsmanlike To o this end therefore therefore therefore there there- fore I must disguise the box bor put it where Mr Thief or Thief or Mr Detective Detective- or or Mr Chief of Police when he came might t take it in his hand and cast it from him as a thing of naught In his search for Mrs DelarIos DelarIo's diamonds With an odd bit of shiny blue paper I happened to find In the drawer where I keep odds and ends of paper and my scissors and library paste I transformed that box so the fairies wouldn't know it After that I filled it up with pens and set it conspicuously on the tray with my pencils penholders penhold penhold- ers and other things of the sort I set The Tho Wild Eyed Swedish Maid Let Mo Me In it eo so you could not help seeing It if It you tried I As a last touch which touch which it seemed to require for arts art's sake sake t I cut cuta a n part of a pen advertisement out of ofa ofa ofa a magazine and pasted it on the lid For the first time then I took note of the clock clock U it was twenty minutes past two two two-rd Id I'd frittered away away- almost an entire day on some one else's affairs affairs affairs af af- af- af fairs Instead of ot my own own bread and butter and thero there lay the pile of proof not half hatt done dorie that I had bad hoped to have bave off oft by night I 1 hastily hasUly made a cup of ot chocolate slapped together r a few tew sandwiches and reading as I munched I tried to tomake tomake tomake make up for lost time and it was not till I had finished eating that I remembered remembered remembered to put away aay my coat and hat oot that I had thrown oil off on the divan I carried them to my bedroom and pulled open the wardrobe door In Inthe Inthe Inthe the bottom of ot it lay the three tur tur- beaded slippers IMy J I My coat and hat lint fell out of my hands on the floor and I sank down on the bed I was not merely mystified mystified- edI ed- ed I was frightened How had they come there there and and when They were not there when I took out the coat in the morning to to go t to Mrs to Delarios to that I knew I could swear for in my hurry to be rid of her diamonds I had snatched the coat out and dropped it and I couldn't have missed seeing the slippers sUppers then any more th than n I had missed seeing th them now Now under ordinary circumstances finding the three slippers in my wardrobe wardrobe wardrobe ward ward- robe wouldn't have upset me me-I me me should very likely have thought It a lapse of memory and let it go at that but butI I was by way of keeping tab on them and I k knew lew I couldn't have put them In the wardrobe because the last thing I knew of them they were gone out of the flat fiat entirely I cou could d only stare star and feel horribly creepy If this were not a manifestation then somebody had access t to my flat fiat But who And why slippers sUppers I jumped up up at nt this thought and began digging Into my bureau drawer drawer I I had five hundred dollars cash c sh burled buried there that had ad been paid over to me Ipe e in the settlement of an estate and Id I'd not had a minute to take it to the bank The cash was safe Ev Everything else was safe as far as I could see not a chair was was out of place nothing had been moved or touched since I left the flat only flat only three slippers sUppers And why slippers sUppers The more I thought the themore themore themore more disturbed I became it was all so SQ uncanny One thing was clear to tome tome tome me though whoever though whoever came ame In to monkey monkey monkey mon mon- key with the slippers sUppers came while 1 I Iwas Iwas was out Ill get a new lock as my next move ove In the game said I and this 1 I prepared to do Immediately not by going go- go Jug ing out and leaving the diamonds oh diamonds oh no noI I i-I I was to too really scared by by bythe the slippers sUppers to leave the diamonds now alone In the flat fia but flat but by finding finding- a locksmith lock locksmith lock lock- smith In the tel telephone phone book and InvitIng Inviting Inviting ing him to call and I was diligently pursuing him thus when my telephone rang and I threw d down wn the book to answer it And in response to my my hello I recognized the voice of Monsieur MonsIeur Monsieur Mon Mon- de Why how do you do monsieur I eXcl exclaimed thinking Instantly he had some som scheme on for getting me to take tak charge of Claire for tor him since e Mrs Del Delario Delano wouldn't keep herI herI her I am as always sank you but it Is our friend Madame Delario Delano I wish to speak you about Mrs Delario Delano I I cried thrown of oft off my guard by this unexpected name What about her She meets wis an accident and wishes to see you immediately An n accident I I was dismayed and thought Poor woman what next for fol her but I called back What sort jot of J f an accident and before he could tell m me I added When did it happen hap pen My daughter and I are Just now ow calling slUng on her to pay our respects and madame faints and falls striking se severely severely severely verely her head I call at once ze physician physician physician phy phy- and he says zere zero ma may maybe be necessary necessary sary nary an operation She refuses until refuses until she can an speak wis you about some private vate vat matters I shall tell her you will wm come For a moment I wondered If she had bad given him a hint of the private matters matters matters mat mat- and I asked him point blank Do you know what know what she wishes to to se seme see me for She asks only zat I send for you I immediately and I obey her I tell you only what ze doctor have told me me and and ask m me to send for tor her best friend She say it is yourself yourself yourself your your- self and she see you You will wll come Immediately Yes Yes immediately Immediately Ill I'll be there in about twenty minutes I rushed to her buttoning my coat coatas as I ran downstairs and it was not until I had taken my seat In the subway subway sub sub- way that I remembered I had left her diamonds in my flat fiat I CHAPTER VI Monsieur Drops Drop His HI Mask Mack The wild eyed Swedish maid let me in The room door opened and M M. de stepped out and came cameto cameto cameto to greet me Monsieur advanced with outstretched hand but no smile We spoke in whis whIs- pers Where There Is she 2 He De pointed up to indicate her bP bedroom bedroom bed bed- room and whispered I must speak wis you before you yon Aee e her her and moved out of the vestibule motioning me to follow I took two steps and stopped ZIs way if you please sal said he pointing to the room I took two more steps and stopped again in front of ot the reception room door I had bad the strongest feeling come over me ma th that t I didn't want to go Into the room with him that him that I I simply could not go that go-that that my feet refused to budge another inch In that direction As I hesitated hesitated for for there was such sucha a ratty look in his face that he be repelled repelled repelled re re- me me-he me he added Pardon madame madame mad mad- madame ame but I have for ze present ze zo re re- It |