Show Ill 1 rJ 1 I w rI r 1 Diamond I Cut Diamond I el i- i u By JANE BUNKER I Copyright by the Merrill hobbs Company w m m m CHAPTER XI Continued 11 11 I was obliged to spin some sort of ofa a it plausible yarn to save appearances and when I handed him my y letter with the dime and begged him to mall mali it for me I knew I was saved But I have never yet attempted to count up tIp the lies those diamonds cost me mel I It was now a little after ten and there was nothing for nl me to do but wait and shiver I began to think co- co td td app appreciate what monsieur himself would be getting Into by callIng calling call call- Ing the police or the customs authorities ties to help him steal Mrs DelarIos DelarIo's diamonds And yet et I saw perfectly he could do doIt doIt iti It I 1 Where he had bad her was that shed she'd smuggled the stones lIe He knew It It It-I. I knew It Claire it-Claire Claire knew It And If he were bold enough to steal them from her In just that way I wasn't sure but she was timid enough to let him do it I suddenly remembered What George Georgeh h had d told me about his renting the flat Why the man was here before beCore we were I I exclaimed He took a faster steamer steamer steamer-he he was all aU ready to carry through the Job when we landed I And with that I suddenly remembered another thing that had entirely slipped my ray mind while our baggage was being examined examined or or rather not examined examined- i ana and Claire was weeping weeping and and everybody everybody everybody every every- body was flying round and asking ever ever ev ev- er body If It hed he'd seen her mother an mother an elderly man In a big fur automobile coat cont the collar up about his face and his cap down ov over r Ills his brow brow a a man with a flowing white beard and flashIng flashIng flash flash- Ing black beady bendy eyes eyes eyes-a a man raan on crutches h had crutches had d stood opposite us watching As I looked at him I had the quick Impression that there was something wrong about him that him that he was there perhaps to steal from th the Incoming baggage in the confusion The next moment my eye fell on i n II t beaded turquoise slipper hers or oz ormine mine I didn't know which which that that had hat fallen down between our suitcases The old gentleman had his eye on It also I saw his hand come out of his big pocket and reach cautiously slow show ly My own hand shot out and grabbed the slipper from under his nose and I gave him a double glare I 1 hadn't finished the glare when my cousin came hurrying to tell me to be quick our baggage was through S I had as I say forgotten the whole Incident but THE but THE MAN IN DISGUISE DISGUISE DISGUISE DIS DIS- GUISE WAS MONSIEUR DE RAVE- RAVE NOL I knew It then then then-he he confessed Itla It la later tel he expected thad-expected had expected to get those diamonds Into his clutches while they were actually going through the cus- cus torts inspection I I bounced out of my chair with one glad whoop whoop Eure Eureka ka knI I 1 I have found It i and prance to my bedroom I had the key to the whole one puzzle puzzle one o of those slippers j When I asked Mrs Delano that af afternoon aft aft- over the telephone how she go gothe got the diamonds through the customhouse customs custom house she replied replied- One of those slippers slip ship shippers pers we got In Paris is lost Thos Those were the words she said what she really communicated was on ono one o of those slippers we got In Paris Is lost host The The tones o of her voice voice the the significant pauses pauses had had been Ignored by me then But add in Ia and drop Is lost and she answered my question ques ques- tion tion told me as plain as plain could be that she had smuggled the diamonds lamonds through the customs custons houseIn house housein housein in one of ot the tie slippers slippers' Easy enough I 1 i I I snatched them from beside my bed Easy enough with enough with those high insteps So that was how I IsM she sM did It It- It Claire had been been- snooping till she found out where where the dl diamonds were were were- that was what her father sent her over for tor But she was not to steal the diamonds din dia I monds mond herself the herself the risk of her being being caught with the he goods was too great great great- that was her fathers father's Job she was to give gl the signal signal signal-he he was to get the stones And why hadn't her mother met her unless to create the confusion confusion confusion sion for Mrs Delano and me me that would make it possible for him td turn the trick Why had lie had he come over by bya a faster steamer except to be ready for It Its It's precisely what he ho did I learned It all later Inter He came over ahead of ofus ofus ofus us passed himself off In disguise and forged credentials as an Italian government government gov gov- government secret service agent tracing an old master that had been recently stolen fro one o of the Italian museums and that was known to be coming to America smuggled of course In in charge o of a certain womac whom he knew Ly iy sight To carry out this pose pos OS j he lie had al al- r rOd rd dv met several incoming steamers and be he was prepared d to step tIp up to Mrs Delano demand to search her baggage and then then one oae turn o of his lila bad baid and he be conid lava bare walked off orr wIh her diamonds In his pocket shed hU hid disguise lse and Ie let her ber whistle for them Instead of t that at he got a n glare from me one l-one one twist of my hand band and andI andt I t bad had one o of those slippers he he didn't know which and he dare daie o 4 speak for fear Id I'd recognize him And thus his Ills plot fell to the ground ground also also all my say Interesting occult mystery about three slippers toe tou the Wall Vall of thelt thelI mn own accord Ift r tl th o M-o- MoWn v Wn IPen RPt APt pf f to tn t ih- ih hI I IS S v S t and then walked talked out o of a locked flat and then came home and hid in my wardrobe Monsieur had turned the slippers when he lie set them down hurriedly the hurrIedly the suggestion of all the other s slippers toe to the wall waIl had been too strong for his memory of three slippers heel to the waIl wall after he had picked them up That was his one Inexcusable blunder in the whole affair affair it it had set me watching But Claire Claire- a thief thle thief thief-or or I-or or the accomplice I pUce o of a thief I That high bred girl girl girl- that rare accomplished child II I II I couldn't believe it It-I It I wouldn't believe believe be be- lieve it She was acting In good faith whatever cr she did Perhaps he had convinced her that the diamonds were his that his that Mrs Delario Delano was robbing him I I felt it then the boldest cleverest cleverest clever clever- cleverest est plot plot plot-I I had ever heard of of-I of I actually actually actually actu actu- ally admired him for the daring and the tho intellectuality of ot it It-as It as a feat l I stimulated me Yes once having the key to It Inthe in inthe Inthe the slipper sUpper I saw the whole plot as plain as day the one point puzzling me was how did monsieur know I had hind the diamonds now I couldn't make that out at all not all not If It I believed Mrs Delario Delano hadn't told him and I thought she was the only other living person who knew It Well I had them and Id I'd keep them for all of monsieur until I returned them to her Shier At a quarter after atter six or r thereabouts I heard the front bell beU ring three twos two's Ill I'll told Billy BUly Rivers to use as his signal signal signal sig sig- sig- sig nal and I skimmed along the hall hail in my Eurt Eureka frame o of mind never mind never once thought o of pre precautions or of calling through first and making sure It was Billy BIlly and and flung the door open wide As t the door flew back I 1 realized the fool thing Id I'd done and then without even looking to see who it was vas I caught the door and tried to shut It again But he pushed I looked then cried Billy BUly I and grabbed him by the arm armI I knew I didn't deserve it It-It It it ought bylie by the fhe lie rights o of romance to have been the villain Oh Billy my Billy my deliverer you deliverer you dear I II I gasped the minute the door was shut I declare youre you're good enough to kiss I and with that that thol-l I up and did It Billy was embarrassed He appraised appraised appraised ap ap- ap- ap praised my saluta salutation on at at Aw say Aw say and a sheepish grin so I felt obliged to add as I dragged him along the hall But I used to kiss you years and vents yeats ago aco Why so you did did In In my my Stone StoneS age acknowledged Billy BUly his tone Implying implying im Im- implying im- im S plying that hed he'd passed through some eons o of civilization since and with that he thrust a big package in my hands saying In laconically conically Some eats Some eats Ets I I gurgled rememberIng remembering remember remember- ing suddenly that I was starving Bill Billy I I I could kiss you again again again- I A Aw Aw say w-say- say he parried p end nd grabbed the package and began tearing off the wrapper er Its so sudden sudden but but thank you jou ever so much and for heavens heaven's sake Inke tell me rue what's happened I Ill I'll bust If It you dont S Ive run off with a n million dollars dollars' worth of diamonds that's all For a minute Billy looked as if It he thought Id I'd run off with my senses HI H- H I rj Is I Billy Was Embarrassed then he observed in that condensed condensed condensed con con- tone a very sane young person uses to a respected elder whose mind mindI I is wandering I think you'd better eat ant something some some- something thing lIng immediately Full period hero lt It It Well talk says about what alls ails you when youre you're feeling more yourself Wheres your you l' l can an anop op opener ner I was so hungry at the sight of ot food that little panicky pains ran round my 01 insides and up m my throat an and I pranced Into the kitchen for the opener I and plates leaving to think what he Ite pleased used about my mental state I had the wit thou though h. h to tell him sh I Just at that moment Mrs Thin Thing Thing- d n b becan beran nn 1 hor r t tS S Ii or I Little had I ever dreamed that her dally daily torture o of a ai a otherwise Inoffensive piano would sometime prove a blessing to me Billy Uly whIspered whispered whispered whis whIs- hoarsely that The villain tr trying Ing to get In I said Mrs Thing stairs believes believes be be- Its It's music lucky for us we us-we we can now breathe out loud without fear of the villain He may be he listening at atthe atthe atthe the front door door but but hell he'll hear bear while she operates Billy forked a lot of chicken onto my plate and commanded me to go to it and I grabbed a roll out of his box and said Billy he ho tried to murder me rae He lIe That man man lie he was waiting for me with a n dagger that night night look look here here I jumped up and got the dagger from my penholder tray troy tray he dropped it on the floor Gee whiz I he be cried taking the dagger dagger dag dag- ger from me and then he demanded Who Vho That man man man-De De De Dc you you mean that manin manIn man manIn In Paris who wanted you to bring the pretty daughter over with you and you wouldn't Yes Yes that's that's the one He was a dia din dIamond diamond mond mend thief thief thief-that's that's what he was I I blew v of off He was In the act of stealIng stealIng steal- steal Ing lag a million dollars' dollars worth o of dla monds And I foiled him l m I did Wow I You I should say I did I And what's more Ive I've got the diamonds here here here- there there behind behind you in those hyacinths Wow I he whooped and before I knew what he was doing he was out o of his chair his hand on the glass Dont touch them I shrieked Wow he cried dropping his hand and jumping back Do they bite No they No they sting They pi zen your very soul But Billy stop BIlly stop wowing Im I'm Im I'm watched He sat down with the command Divulge the dread secret and between between between be be- tween bites I told him the whole story up UI to Eureka and brought in the slipper slipper slip slip- per to prove It He lIe was still staring when I got through and asked him And now how am I going to get those beastly things out of the house and where am I goIng goIng go- go Ing lag to get them to She doesn't dare to have them at her house house- Oh I can take them away and nd hide em I If that's all you want he lie answered carelessly It Isn't all I retorted a bit Indignant Indig Indig- nant Its only the beginning o of a n anew new nev chapter o of misery for the whole o of us Its us-It's its it's throwing the responsibility on you without getting me out o of the thenet net net net-It it wont won't save me from being kid kid- and searched and maybe murdered murdered mur mur- dered to keep my mouth shut shut shut- Billy Uly nodded at that that and said Youre right lie took tooh a cigarette out of or his case and with a n short May I J lighted up and began to blow rings gazing at them abstractedly I nibbled crumbs After Id I'd stood his silence for half o a cigarette I repeated repented my question and fold told him Weve got to do something right off off now now tonight I IO O Of course He smoked another quarter and threw the cigarette with en energy erg Into the empty chicken tin bouncing up as he spoke What are we going to do he gave forth ma masterfully Were going to trap that bold man all by our little own selves you selves you and I. I And well we'll give him one nice lesson on stealing diamonds diamonds dia din monds from defenseless women women and and t you But w weve we've ve got to hurry I 1 urged I I cant can't live Uve this tIlls way much longer longer- its it's simply killing kUling me tact 1 Sure Billy agreed suppressing a smile at me Tin rm hurrying all I can i I calculate to have your YO in Ia handcuffs tomorrow night And he unfolded his plot and I entered into it with fervor The truth Is Billy and I Iw w were re having the fun of our lives The scheme was to decoy monsieur to the flat by a letter Mrs Dela Dela- rho Indicating where the diamonds were vere hidden we banked banke on his remembering re re- the one place he hadn't I searched the searched the h hyacinths and if he got the tip Up we believed hed he'd return the moment moment mo mo- ment I went out After Arter some discussion lon Billy DUly and I decided not to take Mrs Delano into our confidence not knowing how shed she'd act In the crisis which necessitated our imitating her writing The only sample of her her writing we had was her address in my notebook and some titles of ot books on spiritualism shed she'd wished me to read rend But the sample b sample did didus us and the Joint literary Efforts ts of m myself sel and ond Billy BUly produced t tie the Ie follow follow- ing this lug this purporting to be f om me inc to her J 7 My Dear Sirs idre Delano Since he searched lIe everything but the bunch of ot hyacinths ns as I told you ou o over r er the telephone I lAie day thU me Ine da ls ll an exquisitely n no at nat t. t convincing touch for his detective must mun Vave lave reported both that I telephoned ami nn t tle e. e number of th th call call I I thought ht the same Place would continue continuo safe lIfe In IQ case cue of a cecot 5 d Invasion I I got cot a fresh bunch EO so you will l know tf d anything happens to me If Ir II e come and ana act ef them at once once- In Cat Cat Cut If It you have to 1 am sin going to try to see aeo yo 01 night for or float final arrangements arrangement it If r can slip out without seen Expect n between eight and ten Co flo sure cure to be a acan al i me Tie BO so tr can talk taUe I stilt hold to my pro ane one se-one- third to you If it you ou will wilt help me to d Is 3 gum sum t C Odin hiD 11 was WR Billys Billy's S 'S t hae ouch he h-he he heIk hei 1 IS- IS Li |