Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 February 1920 — Diamond Cut Diamond [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Diamond Cut Diamond

By JANE BUNKER

r>ut it wasn't easy to put tne box into the slipper when it came to the point. Mrs. Delario keenly felt the obligations of her charge and proved a far too devoted chaperon. At last the chance arrived and the box was stowed. What, then, was the poor child’s consternation to hear me twitting Mrs. Delario into wearing the slippers! “She nearly had me then!” Claire confided with noticeable glee at her own ability to cope with the situation. “I got the box out just one minute before she came into our stateroom. But this fright made me so ill I couldn’t stay at table that night.” “I should think so,” said Billy, and gave a sly glance in my direction that said, “I take back all I said about her last night—she wasn’t really in it at all. It was all the old scoundrel of a ‘mossoo.’ ” Claire seemed ready to end here, but I wasn’t ready to have her. What was Ito tell monsieur? My turn was coming in a minute, and what was I to say? I kept on with Claire. “Then so far as you know, the box came through the customs house in one of those slippers? And what were you to do afterthat?” The words were hardly out of my mouth when the front bell rang and George handed in a telegram addressed to monsieur. ... ■ . Monsieur tore open the yellow envelop and rapidly scanned the message; frowned; hesitated; started to speak and stopped; looked at me inquiringly; asked if there was a telegraph office near and when I told him where it was excused himself from our company to “send an immediate and ur-

gent reply” and instructed Claire to answer every question I- might care to put and with that he hurried off with the curt ceremony of one who expects to be back on the quarter-hour stroke. There was, however, but little more I needed to discover from Claire; still there was one thing, and I asked her bluntly, “Tour father came over ahead of us on a faster steamer? He was on the wharf in disguise when we arrived?” Rhe blushed furiously and stammered, “Y —yes—he was there,” and added hastily: “But I didn’t know he was there. He told me there would be someone —to take charge—when I gave the signal that everything was all right—” “Oh, there was a signal 1” “Of course. I had to let the other one know who had the box —” “You mean you had to let your father know?” “It was papa—but I didn’t see him.’* “What did you have to let him know?” J "Whether it was you or Mrs. Delario.” _ “How did you manage that?” “I set my little handbag on top of the suitcase—that said thebex was there. Then I drew off my glove — that said. In a slipper.’ It wasn’t very hard to remember.” “And you had given the signal when I picked up the slipper?” “Yes —and I was so frightened. I didn’t know but papa would be killed.” “And you went home with Mrs. Delario and tried to see if she had the right slipper?” “Yes—hut I never found out —” She looked as if she Were dying to ask, “Have you found out?” I was so afraid she would that I ended the cross-examination hastily by asking her what she heard from her mother and signaled Billy to chip into , the conversation and make talk as fast as he could; and after she’d replied about her mother —that her grandfa- 1 ther was still dying and her mother dared not leave—she turned to Billy as though she had really only just then become aware of his presence, and they soon were chattering away like magpies and the blushes were mostly on Billy’s cheeks. For which he might be forgiven. He was just twenty-two and she was just sixteen; but in three years—dear me, what a beauty she was going to be—what a man-killer I 1 I left them to themselves, going to my bedroom on some pretext or another while one quarter of an hour followed another, and still monsieur did not return. At nine Claire began to be restless; at quarter after she blurted out, “Do you suppose anything has happened to papa?” I had been supposing it for half an hour—he’d had time to make twenty trips to the telegraph office and back — but I managed to say reassuringly, “Why, what could happen?” and Billy supported me with a fine courageous, “Nothing eould have happened—he’s .a man—he knows how to take care of himself,” and was rewarded with a look. Even at sixteen Claire’s looks were valuable—Billy wouldn’t have sold that to another fellow for a tendollar bill. The elevator rumbled up, and I cried, “There he is—l think.” George presented me with two and formation tfc-t «r an.r- ■ .A "A “X. *•’

tomooiie was downstairs waiting. I I handed one note to Claire, tore open the one addressed to me, and read: I’ift sending a car for my daughter. ■Will you ask Mr. Rivers to escort her to the hotel? It is necessary that I say some few words to you alone. I beg you to await me. It was signed, “H. de Ravenol.” I had barely finished this when I heard Claire give a cry, “Mamina is dead!” and I looked up just in time to see her throw out her arms and swoon away at my feet. People faint away in this story like the heroines of a mid-Victorian romance, but I can’t help It. Anyway, I warned you there was another faint coming, which faint was, under the circumstances, natural enough. To be exact, Claire swooned at my feet via Billy’s arms. The Intention

was all on his side, however —he caught her as she was regardlessly going and let her down. A light burden. “Got any smelling salts? Quick If you have. Some water, if you haven’t,” he ordered. I couldn’t help an inward snort at the cool way in which he took the proprietorship of the situation in my .house —a snort tempered with goodnatured elderly amusement at his impetuosity and its justifiable cause. He was' nearly as pale as Claire and dreadfully agitated. But I was already running to the bathroom for the water to revive her; as twenty-four hours previous rd run for water to assuage the ammonlacal agonies, of her dear papa. Billy was on his knees. From under one protruded the note that had caused the damage. I went down on my knees and applied the wet towel. Billy fished forth the note and without compunction read it aloud. My child: (It was In French) Return to the hotel Immediately. Ask Mr. Rivers to escort you. -- VOTRE FERE. Nothing very nerve-shattering and not a word about her mother; so evidently she’d been expecting something and this had keeled her over on general principles. “What was in yours?’ demanded BiDy. _ I reached out and got it off the table where I’d thrown it and gave it to him.“ Nothing about her mother,” said L “This getting her away is just a dodge to see me alone.” "You’re not going to!” Billy exclaimed, with some dismay. I sopped at Claire’s face and answered: “I don’t know —it depends on how soon he comes.” “I wouldn’t—lt isn’t safe for yon.” “You come here the very first thing in the morning, and ■ I don’t answer your ring—” Claire just then stirred, and we thought she was coming to, but she relapsed again, and Billy doubled up his fists and made a motion toward the front door, indicating that If I didn’t answer he would break it in. “That’s it—and the very first thing in the morning. I don’t know what else to do—and—” I leaned over Claire anxiously, and whispered to myself rather than BiDy: “This is pretty bad.” “Where’s that ammonia?’ he demanded, making a wry face and adding in a whisper: "Do yon suppose she knows?” “Of course not,” I retorted. “You don’t suppose he was such a fool as to tell his own child how we ’done him’ last night! It’s in the kitchen, where we left it.” "Well, she’D-never knowfromme —and I hope she’ll never know from you,” admonished Billy, rising from his knees and searching my face for the assurance. f l responded with something very like a glare—Billy was reaDy taking ; quite a bit on himself just then —I hope I knew without being told by a boy who went to school to me what the common decencies of the case were! But aD i aato waS; "Please get it.” . 7 7 j77_. A few drops of ammonia on the towel and she gasped. Then she murmured; "Oh, mamma,” in tragic accents, and relapsed again. I was about to send BiDy to the nearest doc- . tor he could get in captivity, when the bril rang—George wanted to know when the young lady would be ready —"the staffer's waitin’ an’ he’s in a hurry?* . , Billy—who answered the ring—- £ “Let him wait—lt’s 7’ -5 * ■ - . S -.7 '• '

wnat nets paid lor. teH him we’re coming.” He slammed the’ door, for a moment forgetting Claire, and she started up at the noise with her cry: “Oh, mamma g and then seeing me: “Oh, you I” «Yes—l’m here,” I soothed, and thought she was going off again and gave her a good smart swat with the towel and a good sharp, “Claire!” In spite of our assurances, It’was a good half-hour before she was anything like all right and we got a coherent account from her and found she only thought something had happened to her mother. It was a full three-quarters of an hour before she was ready to leave. I was more than half-minded to go with her, and but for monsieur’s explicit note —which I read again after Claire came to her senses—l should not have let her go off that way, even with Billy, though I knew that so far as devoted perfect care went, he’d give it to her as well as L More acceptably, mayhap! I had a growing uneasiness that monsieur’s surreptitious return for words alone with me marked a change in the current of events. Had he already discovered without my help that Mrs. Delario had the diamonds? Had was he prepared to drop, on her with the law? Certainly I had already noticed he had about him the air of something he hadn’t the night before when he threw himself on my mercy and implored me to help him. He’d shed his pleading attitude—that was how I summed him up in my new Impression; and when a person does that it’s either because he doesn’t care or holds the whip! I was bound to see him and find out; and Claire and Billy went away together, Billy wearing a grim do-or-die, trust-me-ab-solutely expression on his round young face connoting appreciation of his grave responsibility. When Td seen them off in the elevator and closed my door I smiled. I wasn’t sorry that Billy was getting a wholesome nearness to the real thing in women, albeit a very young one—but time would rapidly remedy that difficulty; and as for Claire—well, Billy was her first young man and I knew her ideals wouldn’t suffer any through him. He might be a trifle tough and unpolished on the outside, but he was true blue. There were three low raps at my door. Or was it my door J (TO BE CONTINUED) —

Claire Swooned at My Feet.