Cheyenne record., June 10, 1920, Image 2

About Cheyenne record. (Cheyenne Wells, Cheyenne County, Colo.) 1913-19??

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DIAMOND
CUT DIAMOND
CHAPTER XVl.—Continued.
—l9
“But the diamonds?” said I, meaning
to test her attitude, since she’d had a
chance to think over what I’d told her
about monsieur’s claims on them and
particularly as he’d gone to her him
self: “Will you take them home with
you?”
She recoiled from me. “I can’t —
now—how can I?” she gusped. “Oh,
you’re going to Jielp me, aren’t you?”
She had caught hold of me and
looked positively frightened as she
spoke, glancing over her shoulder at
the door to see that It was tight shut
and that we could not be overheard.
“I depend on you—l trust you. If
I lose those diamonds—oh, you can’t
guess what I shall lose! I wouldn’t
lie to you—l tell you that man De
Ravenol is a thief. I get It clairaudi
ently every time he comes near me. I
see the word, as I told you yesterday,
over his head in white letters. My
spirit guides wouldn’t give it to me if
it weren’t true.”
There was both scorn and appeal In
her tone. I saw the moment was not
ripe for a discussion of the Tibetan
mahatma question. Nor did her re
newed expressions of confidence in me
and her obvious need of help in the
present difficulties lessen the compli
cations that now entangled me. Be
fore I could think of unythiug suitable
to suy, she burst out: “You’ll not de
sert me, will you?—now that I need
you worse than ever!”
And what could I say but, “No—l’ll
atand by you though the heavens
fall I” and wonder what new bizarre
line of conduct I was committing my
self to? I didn’t try to think, but told
her Billy was here and suggested that
she meet him —particularly since he’d
.been to the hotel und was all wrought
tip over Claire’s mysterious departure.
Mrs. Delarlo demurred, but I overruled
her and presented Billy.
Billy's relief and Joy at the rediscov
ery of Claire were quite touchingly
amusing and he made himself corre
spondingly agreeable to Claire’s chap
eron. He seemed conveniently to for
get his dictum of a couple of hours ago
that said chaperon was crazy. The
only point we any of us attempted to
elucidate was the new man’s connec
tion with the case —which we felt was
somehow the key to monsieur’s sudden
I Presented Billy.
disappearance—and I was not a little
surprised to hear Billy ask her seri
ously : “Can’t you get something about
him, clalrvoyantly?”
She told him she couldn't at the mo
ment—the conditions weren’t right—
•ho was too worried—too confused.
"Of course," he agreed. “It’s like
everything else —takes your beJt pow
•ra."
"Ah—l see you understand." she re
plied gratefully, and It seemed to me
with a little emphasis on the "you"
that set him apart from me; and that,
I have always thought, was the precise
point at which they began to draw to
gether In a friendship that made him
her warm partisan, even against me;
for the next time he saw me alone he
told me he had decided she had better
keep the diamonds.
“Of course/* he agreed again. "And
1 can see how you couldn’t feel equal
to It after what you’ve been through
this morning." This was artfully hint
ad to lead back to Claire.
They might have continued their In
terchange of opinions on Claire and
by Jane Bunker
copyright-Th* Mte-MerU! Oft
her father for the next half-hour —
Judging by the way they seemed to be
enjoying It —but I brought them to
earth with the question: "How are
we going to protect Claire from the
new man? He’s probably determined
to see her and find out something
about her father's whereabouts.”
‘‘The deuce I” cried Billy. “I’d for
gotten him. Don’t lef him see her, if
he comes back, whatever you do!”
This to Mrs. Delario. “It would be
simply too dreadful for her.”
“I know. Still, I can’t keep her a
prisoner in her room. You wouldn’t
suggest that, would you?”
‘‘Heavens, no-!” Billy rapped out. “I
should sny not! Hasn’t she been
through about enough already?”
“But suppose the man has already
traced her there and has the house
watched —the same as her father did?”
I Hung in.
“That’s one of the important things
I came to see you about—” Mrs. De
lario turned to me. “If the house is
watched—and I feel it is, or will be
before the day is over—Claire Is vir
tually a prisoner. I won’t dare to let
her go out alone.”
“The deuce!” cried Billy, Jumping
up and snatching his hat off the table
as though he were about to run to the
rescue. Then he turned as red as a
beet and signaled me with his eyes
and a couple of gestures which she
did not see—“ Help me out, can’t you?
Make her ask me to go home with
her.” For he had the wit to see, be
fore he’d let himself in with a word,
that he couldn’t force himself on a
woman like Mrs. Delario without plac
ing himself before both of us in the
position of an officious pup and very
likely getting a snub that would spoil
his chances.
I played to his signal—and won a
bushel of gratitude from both sides.
“Won’t you let Mr. Rivers go home
with you and find out how Claire is
and cotne back and tell me?” I asked
her artlessly; and to him, “You’ll do
that for me, won’t you, Billy?”
“Oh, will you, Mr. Rivers?” she
asked, in great relief, rising as she
spoke and preparing to hurry off.
Billy’s eyes were popping and his
feet were, almost dancing. I present
ed him with a frown —unseen by her —
that said: “Now, look out, young man,
how you play your cards!”
“What a relief to have Mr. Rivers!"
she cried with feeling, and took my
linnd. Then she affectionately kissed
me—for the first time in her life.
I saw her and Billy to the elevator,
pushing my hall door flat against the
wall to keep it from blowing shut on
me, and waited, idly waving a good-by
and watching her till the car had sunk
out of sight. I had Just stepped into
my hall again and laid my hand on the
doorknob, when I heard a sharp im
perative “Walt!”
I jumped and wheeled. A man
stepped out from the stnlrs back of
the elevator shaft. Ills face was con
cealed in a pulled-up collar and a
pulled-down hat. With three quick
strides he was within the doorway,
lie pushed me out of the way and
seized and slammed thO door on us.
Then he carefully put up the chain
bolt. As he did it, he held up his free
hand with a “Ssh!’’
No need of warning—I was para
lyzed ! It had taken him Just four
seconds to make me ids prisoner.
CHAPTER XVII.
A Little Scheme.
I had been too completely stunned
by the suddenness with which my im
prisonment had been effected even to
think who my visitor might be, and
It wus not until he turned from bolt
ing the door and apologized politely,
“Pardon zls intrusion, madame," that
I recognized Do Ravenol. And then
he removed his hat and motioned me
to precede him along the hall.
“Madnine. I ask a sousand pardons,”
he began suavely. “Unfortunate—or
ruzzer, unforeseen circumstances, ren
dered zls intrusion necessary aud I
feared If you closed ze door —since
you had had interview wls your friend
Madame Delario you might perhaps be
tempted not to speak wls me—and a
delay to speak wls me might spoil all
our plans.”
While be talked I felt my courage
come back, and in a voice I felt was
not obviously shaky, I replied: “Oh,
certainly. I understand. I was ex
pecting you.”
“Expecting me?” He seemed sur
prised that I should be expecting him
at that time and why, at the
same time motioning me to take a
chair by ray study table and showing
me he would sit In the other.
To gain time on my side, I went on:
“I fear you worried about Claire, when
she did not come. I should have tele
phoned you, but my telephone seems
to be out of order.”
I bad a malicious pleasure in re
\ minding nlm that ne was the one to
suffer for it and a frown passed over
liis face, but was gone In an instant as
he said: “It is of no consequence,”
und then plunged into the matter at
hand.
“While I wait for ze lift to pass
down Just now, I sink I recognize ze
voice of Madame Delario. She is here
a moment since, is she not?**
“Yes—she was here.”
He paused as if in hopes that 1
would tell him what she had come for.
but I had taken quick stock of the
situation and decided to let him do all
the talking.
“Zen she have probably told you zat
I have seen her last evening?”
“Yes —she mentioned It, I believe.”
“Bien—zat helps me to explain.
You see, I feel it necessary to have
some words wls her after she hove
talked wis you and before she can see
you and communicate her Ideas wls
you. Hence lam oblige to put you to
some trouble—for which I ask one
sousand pardons—in order zat I ac
| complish it. Zerefore—l arrange it
zat I leave my daughter to entertain
you and Mr. Rivers while I make a
, brief call on Madame Delario and see
what she have to say for herself about
zoze diamonds. And for zts reason:
! When I see you last evening, I am in
, positive command of information zat
proves her to have ze diamonds.”
I fear I gave a start at this informa
tion, for he threw himself back with a
self-satisfied smile as much as to say.
“I thought that would astonish you,”
and drew a cardcase from his pocket,
removing a clipping torn from the
“Personals” in the Herald- and point
ing to one notice, marked with pencil
on the margin.
I read it:
“Large reward for name of person
recently offering speciul set of matched
1 stones. State number and color. Box
32, Herald Office.” 1
1 I returned it to him without com
-1 ment — l tried to appear Ignorant of
' what it might mean.
“I have insert it sree times,” he
went on smugly. “I do so because 1
| argue to myself as follows: Ze din
-1 tnonds are find by Madame Delario
! and she say to herself: ‘Probably some
-1 body piny a Joke on me—zey are not
1 real, zeze Jewels —zey are paste. Still,
| zey may be worse somseslng even so,
and I will take zem to a dealer and
1 find out.’ ”
He paused to laugh and under cover
’ of it gqve me a look with his beady
1 eyes—which I fancy told him noth*
[ lng.
| “Now zen, I ask myself where does
she take zem first? Probably to Tif
fany. I have myself inquire zere, but
wisout result. And I realize I cannot
1 interview every dealer in ze city—also
It Is not well for me to be seen too
much looking for zoze stones. Zerefore
‘ I have insert ze notice and I receive
-more zan fifty replies. All wondess
• but one—”
He produced a shabby scrap of pa
! per, saying it was a veritable clue, and
• gave It to me to read.
“1 can give you name and address of
! party offering seven large red stones
last Saturday. Address by letter only,
Haskins, 1861 Third avenue, Bor 7.”
"I see at once I have someslng of
, value. I have receive zis on Saturday
morning. But before zat, I have re
ceived some uzzer letters" —he gave a
little shrug to indicate that he referred
to the decoy letters he had received
' from Billy and me—“and 1 sink I have
not only ze clue, but zat I can obtain
J ze diamonds wisout to Inquire of zis
Haskins. So I make my endeavor —as
' you know —wis ze result —” .
' He stopped a moment and I saw he
was making an effort to keep down his
mortification —and probably his hatb
and I hastened to help him do both by
1 telling him cordially: “I’m really
awfully sorry, monsieur, but then —
what else could I do?”
“Ah, madamc, it is no more to men
tion between us,” he returned gallunt
■ ly. “But —you American ladles! So
energetic! One knows not how to take
• you!”
"I suppose we are puzzling—to for
eigners.”
“Puzzling! I have sink I know some
‘ sing of ze ladies and of ze Americans,
since my wife Is herself American, but
I find since I am come to zis country
I have much to learn. Out!” and he
gave me a little laugh, showing he
meant me to take this iu a compli
mentary way.
1 “And now I may tell you zat I have
ze name and ze address of ze one who
’ have zoze diamonds in his possession:
It is Mr. Eugene Delario—ze young
son of Madame Delario—who offers —
’ or at least seeks to have valued —
1 zoze diamonds last Saturday at a deal
-1 er's on Malden Lane."
It has always been a mystery to me
that I managed to control—or think I
did—every facial expression that
might have shown him I a’ready knew
' what he told me. But monsieur went
on. apparently not noticing anything
about me:
1 “You know ze son of Madame De
lario?—Monsieur Eugene?”
1 “I have never met him—no.”
"Well—lt la of no consequence—l
know of a certainty It is ze son of Ma
' dame Delario who have shown zose
1 diamonds last Saturday—and he don*t
1 know zey are diamonds! Oui! And
after I have zis Information, I argue
zis way: Since I have her so positive
‘ denial, it is her son who have accident
-1 ally discover zoze diamonds unknown
! to her and he says nossing! You see?
All is now explained.”
"But, monsieur, are you sure of this
man Haskins?” I questioned. “Are yon
sure he wasn’t lying for the reward? —
1 that all he told you wasn’t a mere co
incidence?”
“Bah!” he cried in a tone of disgust
and some contempt for me. “Coinci
dence* Madame, you must knovr sat,
THB CHKTBNNB RBOORD.
wnen you find h«oro ran sree coinci
dences In a case you have—circum
stantial evidence! When you have suf
ficient circumstantial evidence you
have—proof. And when you have ze
proof of a crime—you can act!”
He shot this ofT in a fierce determin
ed tone and I saw he was ready to
spring the mine under the Delarios,
mother and son. To gain time. I ask
ed: “But are these coincidences suffi
cient?—are they evidence?”
“Bah!” he cried again. “Zey are
sufficient for any courM” He leaned
a little nearer to me and spoke in a
more confidential way, as if he expect
ed me to agree with him: “Ze chain of
evidence Is complete. Ze same house
—ze house in which zoze diamonds are
known to go in zat slipper; ze son of
ze lady who owns zat slipper; ze date
on which zey are shown —not before
zey have arrive in America, but some
five days after; ze seven stones. And.
ze man Haskins have even describe ze
same box! Oui —Monsieur Eugene
does not take zoze diamonds out of zat
box to show zem! —a small white box,
about ze size— •**
Monsieur glanced over my table end
his eye fell on—the box with the dia
monds !
“ —about ze size of zls,” and he pick
ed it up.
My heart stopped beating. With a
tremendous effort 1 raised my eyes
My Heart Stopped Beating.
from It to his face, just as he took hold
of the elastic and snapped it.
“Z© chain of evidence is perfect ! H
he cried, pulling up the elastic and — it
broke with a slyxrp report.
The sound went through me like a
pistol-shot. I jumped half out of my
chair and exclaimed, “Oh!” and fell
back again. I had heard the pens rat
tle. I thought, “Suppose he opens it—
suppose he drops it! Heavens! What
•hall I do? How shall I get It out of
his hands and not betruy myself?” It
took about a second for these words
to flash through me. and before I had
decided—or had need to decide, he
excluimed: “Pardon me, madame—did
I frighten you?” aud laid the box back
on the table.
For a moment I was unable to speak.
The tension of those few’ seconds,
while he actually held the diamonds in
his hands, lmd paralyzed me.
I realized that I W’as pressing my
hnnd to my heart! I stopped thut and
stammered, “Y—yes, I am a little nerv
ous.”
He waited a moment for me to re
cover my self-possession and then
went on briskly:
“Madame, I wish to say immediate
ly—before we proceed anbzzer step
—zat 1 appreciate your position. • It is
most diflicult—most difficult for a lady
•such as yourself. You are ze friend of
Madame Delario. is it not?”
“Yes, I am—and you must realize—”
He stopped me. “Oui—perfectly.
And it Is as her friend zut 1 approach
you now and ask your continued help.*
“No. monsieur, you must let me
withdraw now’ from all further con
nection with the case. I have done ail
I can —I truly have—"
“I know—l appreciate," he cut in.
“Now attend, madame. to * y argu
ment : Sree sings must be considered.”
He checked them off on his Angers.
“First, she confesses she has zoze dia
monds and will return zem to zeir
rightful owner. Second, mr.dame will
deny absolutely zat she have ever seen
zoze diamonds. It may be ze truse —
it may not be —ze point is, zat she de
nies all knowledge. Yon and Monsieur
Rivers have already told me ze diffi
culty I meet here —if she have And
zem and deny It. Or, slrd —she con
fesses to you everysing about ze And
ing of zoze diamonds, but —you are
her friend —she Induces you not to be
tray her secret —you promise her you
will not. A most difficult position for
you, madame, if zat last la se case, lu
it not I”
“Decidedly,” I remarked dryly.
“Out. And now I beg you to appre
ciate zis evidence of my esteem for
yourself—l wish to spare you aU pos
sible humiliation, and yet to retain
your co-operation wis me.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Aptitude for Details.
“You know Johnson —great fellov
for detail.” “He Is that! He’s the sort
of chap who would go and get mar
ried and be able afterward to tell
you whether it was Mendelssohn,
Lohengrin, or Tanaka user they played
during the ceremony I"
Out-of-Oiridary
People
“Oh, Mr. Taft, This Is So Sudden!”
deucy in his speech. Filially Miss Gaston was found.
"Oh yes, when I met Mr. Taft he toid me he was well qualified to be mj
running mate," she said. '"Wasn't it nice of him to make the offer?"
This Chicago trip was quite exciting for Mr. Taft. The beauty editor of
a newspaper conducting a reducing contest for plump meu insisted upon inter*
viewing him.
No Wonder He Was With Funston
Representative Edward C. Little
of Kansas, was with Funston In the
Philippines—lleutennnt colonel of the
Twentieth Kansas Volunteers. Well,
he should be a good American, If an
cestry counts for anything. It came
out in the tercentenary of the Pil
grim’s that he is a descendant of
John Alden of the. Mayflower. His
grandfather’s great-grandfather, John
athan Taylor, fought at Louisburg and
Bunker Hill. Another ancestor. Col.
Moses Little, won promotion at Bunker
Hill. In the course of his remarks Col
onel Little said in part:
John Alden, about the twelfth di
rect descendant from John and Priscil
la, is a. student In the high school of
Kansas City, Kans., now, and we ex
pect to have him at the celebration.
“A curious illustration of the
growth and development of America,
and of the fact that it has beeii a
haven of liberty for those from all the
world. Is that fact that while this boy is a direct descendant of this historic
Pilgrim father, his mother Is the daughter of Russian parents, her father hav
ing led a great colony of Russians who settled in central Kansas.
“So you see, gentlemen, that the chords which rcn from Plymouth Rock
tinkle a bell that knocks at the heart of every American settlement and col
ony, and state, and county, and town.”
Helping the Indian “Come Back”
showed them how to play the econom
ic game of sheep-raising. We held before them the lure of individual owner
ship us soon ns they were competent for it. Now they are up and coming.
Of course, we have done much for them In the way of sanitation, but It was
necessary to revive their souls as well as their bodies.
“Oh, I tell you. It’s simply wonderful to watch a whole tribe come back
from the gates of death.”
New Head of U. S. Bureau of Mines
The nomlDation of Dr. Frederick
O. Cottrell for director of the bureau
of mines, deportment of the interior,
has been sent to the senate by Presi
dent Wilson, to take the place of Dr.
Van H. Manning, resigned.
Dr. Cottrell, chemist, metallur
gist and inventor, was born in Oak
land, Cal., January 10, 1877. After
extensive college studies here and
abroad, he was appointed assistant
professor in physical chemistry at the
University of California. Here he en
gaged In researches relating to the
electrical precipitation of fumes and
One particles suspended in the gaseM
of smelter, blast furnace and cement
works flues. He evolved the Cottrell
process. Today the Cottrell process
of fume and dust removal is In world
wide use, and Is recovering valuable
materials heretofore wasted. Dr. Cot
trell turned over his extensive patent
rights to a non-dividend poying cor-
pomtlon, tin* Research corporation; all uei proms ure devoted to the Interests
of scientific research.
In 1911 Dr. Cottrell was appointed chief physical chemist In the bnreau of
mines. In 1914 he was appointed chief chemist; In 1916 chief metallurgist, and
In 1919 assistant director.
It Is chiefly through Dr. Cottrell’s efforts that a plant for recovering heli
um (a rare non-inflammable gas) from natural gas on a large scale for military
aeronautics has been erected near Petrolla, Texas.
lie was awarded the Perkin medal by the New York section of the society
of chemical industry lu 1919 in recognition of his work on electrical precipita
tion
The press agent for Miss Lucy
Page Gaston of the American Anti-
Cigarette league, “the only woman
candidate for the presidency,” brought
It In, head and all. Here It Is:
“Taft’s Hat In the Ring—William
Howard Taft, the only living ex-presi
dent, offered himself as a running
mate of Lucy Page Gaston, the only
woman candidate for the presidency
of the United States, at the banquet
of the committee of fifteen In Chi
cago.
“He proudly declared he could
qualify on both hereditary and per
sonal grounds, as his grandfather and
his father, as well as his two brothers,
himself and his two sons, have an un
broken record as tobacco abstainers.”
Mr. Taft had Just checked out at
the hotel where he had been staying.
An official of the committee of fif
teen declared positively that Mr. Taft
had said nothing about the vice presl-
Mrs. Cato Selin, wife of the United
States Indian commissioner, is greatly
Interested In her husband's work and
frequently accompanies him on his
visits of Inspection.
Many of these inspection trips are
Intensely Interesting, as for example
a visit to the Jicarilla Apaches In
southwestern Colorado und northern
New Mexico. A few years ago these
Indians appeared to be a doomed tribe,
diseased, poverty-stricken and with
out ambition. Mr. Sells says of this
trip:
“I had a conference with several
hundred men of the tribe. They were
full of the zest of life, keenly inter
ested In their Hocks and herds, ab
sorbed in playing the game of the
new surroundings. Primarily, this
people was saved by giving it a pur
pose and goal in life. We bought them
sheep out of the tribal funds. We