Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 February 1920 — Diamond Cut Diamond [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Diamond Cut Diamond

By JANE BUNKER

CosyrlMit by th. Bobba-Merrlll Comnau* She unpacked. She found a slipper. Where could be its mate? Absentmindedly she thrust her hand into it and found—her gift! “And you see the prophecy was fulfilled,” she told me. “I had been chosen —as the Duval girl said. Everything came out precisely as she predicted —the diamonds really came to me ta Paris, though I didn’t know It at the time; there were seven; they were worth enough to make me financially independent, so I can go on with my work for spiritualism; they came without human knowledge; I found them among my things—every detail was correct” - 7 — - It was t frank, straightforward story, told with a heat of conviction that I think prevented her reading the astonishment that must have kept growing in my face all the time. It was amazing every way I looked at it; the thing that struck me most

was how her memory had slipped one little cog and allowed her belief to roll smoothly off and land her —in Tibet! She thought the box had been sent to her In Paris, but she had worn her slippers on the steamer! I was about to remind her of this as the first Step to what I saw was going to b.e a very painful revelation, when she burst out, “But how could he have known about the diamonds? — that I had them in Paris. The only way I can explain it is that either the Duval girl told him —and she was in a trance and wouldn’t have remembered her prophecy—or he’s a wonderful psychic himself. . . . But the audacity of the man —saying he put them in my slipper!” “Claire did,” I corrected, by way of beginning. “It’s the same thing. What a lie — to say they’re his I” I hurried on: “Claire did it on the steamer —the night before we landed. That was how she had been set to smuggle them through the customs house. She didn’t know what was In the box —she thought it a cipher on tissue paper to save her father’s life, and if it was found on her he’d be put to death; but if it was found on you or me—all couldn’t explain, for we didn’t know anything.” “And do you believe that?” Mrs. Delario demanded, her face a picture of amazement —at me! With that I w<mt through the whole story of my experiences with monsieur, adding no comments on her story, but telling only his and Claire’s —and the legend of the diamonds. It took a long time—it took a long nerve. While I talked I did not once look at her—l would not witness the

defeat of Mr deep religious convictions and the dissolution of her hopes. I ended apologetically. “So you see, according to that, the diamonds really belong to the Emperor William," 1 could not bring myself to come opt With It flat-footedly and say they positively did. “Well?" Her tone was so peculiar that I looked up quickly. And her face was a study. She was obviously puzzled, but amazement still held Its ground — amazement at me; pity at me, too. for my credulity. And a moment before I had been almost ready to shed tears over her! “He’s cleverer than I thought,” she commented. “Much. Oh, very much cleverer—if he can deceive you like that “And he's much more dangerous than I thought—be must have very powerful occult Influences working with him, or very remarkable psychics on the earth plane who can get names and dates. And it all shows how careful I’ve got to be. . . . Tm glad you told me. I see how I must guard myself.” I experienced a strong revulsion of feeling toward her--her manner of taking what Td told her gave me a positive shock. Td wasted both my sympathy and my reasoning powers on her. And I saw the machinations she’d be the center of—the wrath of the Emperor William, that rd been threatened with, hounding her, perhaps to death. I must save her from her own folly—l must convince her In spite of herself and for her own good. If I didn’t De Ravenol would before he got through with her, and I hated to think what jtje’d do: he had too much at stake himself to care what happened to her. “But wait a minute,” I struck In boldly; “you’re forgetting that you wore the slippers on the steamer —that knocks Paris: the diamonds could not have been in the slipper when you bought it—or while you were in Paris.” “Why, so I did,” she admitted. And I thought for a second that she wavered —that I had given her belief a serious blow. But if I did it rebounded immediately. “And that makes it only the more wonaerrui!” she cried, and repeated it with delight at the clenching discovery. She did not notice my dry and somewhat disgusted, “It certainly does,” but bubbled on: “It only goes to show their powers—their all-seeing, all-helping powers! They made me the gift in Paris, and then, seeing it might be discovered too soon—at a time the knowledge I possessed such wealth and was smuggling it —though I didn’t know I was smuggling it —but I should have felt I ought to say something at the customs house if I had known it on the steamer — n I cut in with’ positive violence: “You mean they—whoever they are —put the box in your slipper In Paris, then took it out on the steamer so you could wear the slipper—and then put it back after you had worn the slipper? You mean that?” —

“Certainly. Why not V she answered calmly. I declare I could almost have sworn at her! “Why notI” I gasped. “Why—not?” she repeated, looking at me darkly. “If they can put ft there they can take it out —that is simple every-day reason. Why!—you yourself gave me the proof!—you told me it was once in the other slipper—the one you carried off!” In the face of such arguments, seriously put, I was helpless. “If they didn’t, who did?” she demanded. “Remember — Claire never told you she did—that’s what he says—and he’s a consummate scoundrel, capable of any fabrication of the truth to gain his ends and rob a defenseless woman.”. Her question and her face both challenged me—demanded the blow direct; but I ducked the issue in a general protest “But really, Mrs. Delarlo, you know —a million dollars’ worth of diamonds don’t —just happen.” “That’s what makes it so wonderful that it did happen—and to me! —to humble little me, who never could have expected It” Her eyes glowed with mystic fire. “To suspect would have been to doubt God’s providence—his prom-ises-—everything. How could I? How dared I? I had prayed—the prayer had been answered —” she spoke very solemnly, and added: “I would not let myself doubt” "But you hadn’t prayed for diamonds.” “God—and the masters who carry out the, supreme plan—answer prayers in their own way.” She said it as Jf she were admonishing a child, and then snatched- the next argument out ofu)(y mouth. , “Don’t millions

pray every day, on their bended knees, •Give us this day our dally bread'— believing they will get it from a divine source, and Is it any harder for Ged to give the diamonds than a crust?” 1 was defeated. She went on—in a rather unsteady voice—and told mo what she’d thus far held back —the end of the prophecy, not yet fulfilled and that she nightly anticipated: the ultimate revelation and ordination: one of the masters was to wing an invisible flight through the air, straight from Tibet to the room where we sat, and to place upon her bosom the mystic seal —seven blood-red stains, in symbol of seven bleedings of the contrite heart purging Itself of its seven deadly sins. And this. In the last word, is what the diamonds meant to her —the fulfillment of the most passionately cherished aspiration of her life. “He will come—he will follow his gift—it will draw him like a magnet,” she finished joyously. I was put to rout. The very unreasonableness of her belief constituted for It a sort of dignity. It commanded respect by its Isolation and the storms of argument it had withstood. I got out the box of diamonds and handed it to her. She came out of the inner light in which she’d been silently basking. A shadow crossed her face. She started back —but I thrust them into her hand. And with that I rose. “You don’t mean—” she began. “I can’t discuss it any further today,” I said, and I hastened out of the house. It was absolutely the only thing I could do. CTO BE CONTINUED)

It Was Amazing.