The Gate city journal., February 13, 1920, Image 6

THE GATE CITY JOURNAL, NYSSA. OREGON.
Diamond Cut Diamond
By JANE BUNKER
(Copyright. by Bobbs-Merilt! Company.)
W e couldn’t v e ry w ell re fu se bun
th a t—p a rtic u la rly a s w e d id n ’t know
w h a t to do w ith him a nyw ay— so we
helped him to a c h a ir a n d w hen w e'd
se t him In It, I took m y tu rn to re­
m ark se v e re ly : “T h e re ’s not m uch to
explain. You w e re c au g h t In th e a c t
of b reak in g a n d e n te rin g my Aat—yon
m ay m ake y o u r e x p la n a tio n s to th e po­
lice. W e’ll h av e them h e re In Ave
m inutes.” T h a t w a s a Ane sh o t on m y
p a rt. I felt.
M onsieur’s fa c e proved I t
“M a­
dam e I” he cried. “ Ze police—n o 1 F o r
y o u r own sake— fo r ze avo id an ce o f ze
scandal. M adam e, you to ta lly m isun­
d e rsta n d ze so stra n g e situ a tio n — "
“It c e rta in ly Is," com m ented Billy.
— “In w hich I am place. B u t I c an
e xplain all—ev ery sln g —w hy I a m
here. I have ze a b so lu te p ro o f s a t
m adam e h a s ze— ze Jew els o f m y
d u u g h ter— w hich do not belong to m a­
dam e— In h e r a p a rtm e n t.”
B illy a n d I c o u ld n 't help sm ilin g a t
th is and m onsieur seem ed a sto n ish ed .
I sneered, “In d eed ?" in th e w ay th a t
alw ay s se t him on edge.
“Oul— yes— m adam e. I
have
se
p ro o f In y our ow n w ords.”
I gave him a n o th e r “ In d eed ?” In th e
sam e tone. T h is w a s th e m om ent I h a d
been w aitin g for. I slip p ed a p a p e r
o u t from u n d e r a p ile on th e tab le —
th e carbon copy o f th e decoy le tte r.
“Is th a t It?” I sw eetly asked, show ­
ing It to him . “Yes— I th o u g h t so.
. . . A nd Is th is It, too?” I handed
him th e copy o f th e decoy le tte r sup­
posed to be fro m M rs. D elarlo to him-
C H A P T E R XII.
still h a s th e diam onds—sh e h a s n ’t new s o f m y d e p a rtu re “fo r th e eve­
• " 12 —
p assed them on to som e m an. B u t ning” a n d m onsieur could c ree p u p ­
The Capture.
le t th a t go. T h e n e x t Is too easy — sta irs , un seen by his all-seeing spy.
T h a t n ig h t n o thing h a p p en e d —a t ‘mother*— th e ow ner, o f c o u rs e ; ‘c h ild ’ W e th e re fo re took o u r p re a rra n g e d
leant to m e ; b u t som ehow th e perio d s — th e precio u s th in g s ; ‘doing w ell’— places.
w hen n o thing happened w ere m ore got th ro u g h th e cu sto m s w ith o u t be­
T h e Aat w as alm ost d a rk . O ne low
a larm in g th an w hen he w as boldly a t ­ ing se p a ra ted .
P la in a s day—a n d gas Jet lig h te d th e d in in g room a n d
tacking. You m ay Im agine, If you can, w hen you a n d M rs. D elarlo step p ed show ed th e h y a cin th s on th e table—
w h at I w ent through on S a tu r d a y ! My o u t of th e cable office y o u r d e a r ‘m os­ so m o n sieu r could see th e m om ent he
one diversion w as to re h ld e th e d ia ­ soo' stepped In and re a d It.''
e n te re d th e fro n t d o o r; a low lig h t In
monds. T h is tim e— a f te r I h a d tak e n
“P o o r little C laire 1”
th e bath ro o m show ed a t a glance
them o u t of the h y a cin th s a n d poked
“ P o o r y o u rse lf!”
sn o rte d
Billy. th ro u g h th e half-open d o o r th a t no­
a thim ble am ong th e stem s— I sealed "You don’t need to w a ste a n y p a in a n d body lu rk ed w ithin. T h e d oor to my
them In an envelope and thum b-tacked te a rs on th a t outAL T h ey ’re slick. bedroom stood Aat a g a in st th e w a l l ;
It to th e bottom of a sideboard d ra w e r. W ell, le t's to w ork— ‘m ossoo’ Is dow n­ th e kitchen door n e arly so, a n d behind
T h e d ra w ers sledded In and o u t on ru n ­ s ta irs anxiously w a itin g fo r you to go It Billy, jam m ed In b etw een th e re frig ­
n e rs deep enough to allow th e enve­ o u t.”
e ra to r a n d th e se t tubs, w a s com plete­
lope to pass. All d a y long I k e p t th in k ­
“ H ow do you know ?"
ly concealed u n less one e n te re d th e
ing, “ W hat will happen If m onsieur
"S hadow ed him . . . . My revolv­ room . A low light b u rn e d h ere, suf-
d o e sn 't tak b th e b a it? ”
I t seem s e rs all rig h t? And th e red p e p p er? ” Aclent to show th e ro o m 's a p p a re n t
stra n g e to m e now, b u t I n e v e r once
“Yes—b u t I ’ve been th in k in g a b o u t em ptiness. W e c a lcu la te d th a t m on­
ask ed m yself, "W h at will h a p p en If he th a t p e p p er a n d how a b o u t am m onia sie u r w ould m ak e a d a sh fo r th e Are
does?”
In stead ?"
escape w hen I sh o t off th e b lan k c a r ­
T he la s t h a lf h o u r before B illy carue
“H 'm -m ," considered B illy. “ W h at’s trid g e from m y bedroom a n d B illy w as
w as positively th e longest In m y life, th e a d v a n ta g e ? ”
th e n to g re e t him w ith th e am m onia.
a n d w hen th e bell did Anally rin g I
“ It w e a rs off quicker, and I th in k It’s
In m y ow n room I stood p ressed
wns shot th ro u g h th e h e a rt a n d read y prdbably s e fe r fo r u s If he stru g g les a g a in st th e w all Ju st Inside th e do o r­
to die.
und w e have to hold him dow n.”
w ay. In m y rig h t h a n d w a s th e re ­
I cam e to life Im m ediately, w his­
“G uess It Is,” B illy agreed. “ G ot It volver.
pered th ro u g h th e door, “W ho’s re a d y ? ”
N e ith e r B illy n o r I u tte re d a sound.
th e re ? " and heard, “Ann P re sw lc k ”—
I took him to th e k itc h e n a n d show ed T h e little m etal clock echoed a lo n g th e
th e passw ord w e’d agreed on.
him h a lf a g lass o f household am m onia hall, h o rrib ly loud. I t chim ed th e h a lf
"T hen he h a sn ’t killed y o u !’’ w ere d ilu te d w ith w a te r a n d covered w ith a a f te r seven. I co u n ted tic k s— one m in­
m.v Arst words.
sa u c er. T hen I h u n g h is co at a n d h a t u te gone. I counted a n d th o u g h t o f
“W ho?
Y our ‘m ossoo?’
No — I In m y w ardrobe. A fte r th a t he looked h u n d re d s o f th in g s I m e a n t to do, o r
killed him on th e s ta irs la s t n ig h t— a t m e a n d I looked a t him — th e fa ta l h a d fo rg o tte n to do, a ll th e w hile
o r p re tty n e a r I”
c o unting m echanically. T h re e m in u te s
m om ent h a d arriv ed .
I d idn’t see why B illy should b estow
“ W ell?” sa id B illy. I seem ed to gone—fo u r— Ave—
th e p ro p rieto rsh ip on me— h e w a sn 't know h e ’d say “ w ell.”
A key slipped quickly, boldly, re ­
m y "m ossoo," a s I rem inded B illy w hile
“ W ell?” I re p e a te d a f te r him, t r y ­ g a rd le ss o f th e n o ise It m ade— m y
h e w as pulling a p a ir of handcuffs out ing to p re te n d to m y self I d idn’t know lock ! N o—It couldn’t b e ! T h e lock
o f his overcoat pocket.
tu rn ed . A quick Illu m in atio n Ailed m y
w h a t h e m eant.
“A m ere d e ta il,” h e re tu rn e d . "H e
B illy glanced a t th e clock. "Y our h a ll from th e gas Jet o u tsid e a n d w a s
will be y our own In an ho u r.” H e Aung ‘m ossoo’ Is w ondering w hy you d o n 't gone alm o st before I h a d re aliz e d It.
off his coat. “ W here do we hide th ese come. By th e w ay— th e re w a sn ’t a T h e d oor closed. My h e a rt Jum ped o u t
togs?”
soul In th e low er hall w hen I sn eak ed and ra n ab o u t th e Aoor a n d trie d to
"My w ardrobe. . . . B u t h e w on’t In— h e ’s se n t his m an off fo r fe a r you hide u n d e r th e b u reau .
come."
I rem em b er thinking, “ S uppose It
w on’t leave."
"Oh, yes, h e w ill—h e to ld m e so.”
My knees w ere sh a k in g u n d e r m e. I doesn’t com e b a ck b u t s ta y s a w ay ?
I thought B illy w as Joking a n d m ade w - s su re B illy knew It, b u t h e a ffe c t­ T h en p o o r B illy's done fo r— I c a n ’t
no reply.
ed n o t to notice. H e took one o f th e m ove a m uscle w ith o u t m y h e a rt I”
“ Very In te re stin g m an.” m used Billy. rev o lv ers a n d In se rted a blank c a r ­ And a ll th e tim e I w as th in k in g th ese
“ N ot n t all th e s o rt of p erso n you’d trid g e fo r th e Arst shot, ex p la in in g Idiotic thin g s, I b e ard th e c au tio u s in­
expect to And In a diam ond robbery. th a t we could n 't h a v e a n om elet w ith ­ d o m itable pad, pad, pad o f w hispered
W onderful know ledge o f E u ro p ea n pol­ o u t b re ak in g eggs. I w a s to Jum p o u t fo o tstep s. T h ey pau sed a t th e bed­
itics—nnd A m erican politics, too.”
of m y bedroom a n d Are th is a s soon room door fo r a g lance w ith in —n o th ­
; “Billy, w h a t do you m ean?” I d e ­ a s m o n sieu r re ac h ed th e d in in g room . ing th e re ; pau sed a t th e bathroom
m anded.
“ I c alcu la te w e’ll h a v e him now In door—n o th in g In th e r e ; p a u se d a t th e
"W hy, I took y o u r ‘m ossoo’ hom e ab o u t Afteen m in u tes,” w as B illy's d el­ k itc h e n door—n o th in g In t h e r e ; th en
to his hotel la s t n ig h t—and— ”
ic a te h in t to m e to go on w ith m y p a rt, m ad e fo r th a table.
"You d id n ’t 1” I gasped.
T h e lig h t blazed u p In th e d ining
a n d w ith knees re ad y to close u p u n ­
"O f co u rse I d id ! W hy n o t? You d e r m e lik e Ja e k k n iv e s I ra n g fo r room a n d m y h e a rt cam e b a ck w ith a ‘M adam a, You A ra a B ra v a W om an.”
don’t suppose I’d go off a n d leav e him George.
plop. M onsieur h a d tu rn e d u p th e lig h t self. A fte r th a t I s a id : “ R eally, m on­
h e re to m u rd er you, do you?” Billy
I m u st say th a t G eorge a c q u itte d In o rd e r to rem ove th e diam onds and sie u r," In a n am u sed to n e, a n d B illy
,w as m aking th e m ost o u t o f his story, h im self v ery c red ita b ly — a s a spy. In ­ leave m e to disco v er It, a s It m ight w aved bis h a n d to w a rd th e ty p e w rite r
I could see.
ste a d o f his u su al In q u isitiv e “G oln' chance— tom orrow o r a w eek from to ­ a n d Inform ed him blan d ly , "H om e­
" B u t — how — did — you — m an- to b e out a ll th e evening?” he p u t It m orrow .
m ade cake. W ritte n h e re la s t evening
nge — It?- I w as still gasping.
W ith th e lig h t, all m y f e a r le ft sud­ Ju st b e fo re I h a d th e p le a su re o f m ak ­
In th is w a y : “I f som ebody c alls w hen
denly. I popped o u t o f th e bedroom — in g y o u r a c q u a in ta n c e on th e sta irs .
" I d idn’t. H a did. H e w asn ’t going shall I tell ’em you’ll be hom e?”
to give him self a w ay by going u p ­
“T ell th em I w on’t be hom e— sa y I’m saw m o n sieu r w ith th e h y a cin th s In M ailed by m e a f te r I saw you to y o u r
s ta ir s ; he said he w as going down. So o u t fo r th e e v e n in g /’ I re tu rn e d his h an d —Ared th e b lan k c artrid g e h o tel.”
we w ent dow n to g eth e r, a n d I kept p ro m p tly ; and G eorge’s fa c e w ore th e a n d yelled, “H a n d s up I” a n d stood fa c ­
T h e p o o r m an looked from one to
ta lk in g to him . W hen w e got to the satlsA ed ex p ressio n o f a w ell-earned ing him a n d betw een him a n d th e door th e o th e r o f us— and a c tu a lly I d id feel
w ith a sm oking rev o lv er in m y hand.
s tre e t w e Ju st k e p t on till I ’d seen Ave-dollar bill.
so rry fo r him 1 H e s ta m m e re d : "I
H e said, "M on D ie u !"— took In th e c an n o t u n d e rs ta n d — I recognize ze
him home. W e w e re th ic k a s thieves
By th e tim e w e re ac h ed th e second
by th a t tim e. I Invited him to see Aoor B illy w as rin g in g fu rio u sly fro m situ a tio n —a n d bolted fo r th e Are es­ w ritin g o f M adam e D elarlo— ”
He
C hinatow n ton ig h t and h e accepted—” th e six th —th is w as to g et G eorge o u t cape— got a sm ash in g blow fro m the w as sile n t a m o m en t a n d th e n lig h t
k
itchen
do
o
r
a
s
B
illy
Jum
ped
from
be­
"B illy I You never— ”
seem ed su d d en ly to b re a k on him a n d
of th e w ay a t once so I could slip u p ­
“Yes, I did I A nd It's how I know s ta irs —a n d w hen w e re a c h e d th e Arst h ind it and th e n h a lf a g lass of am- h e lau n ch ed an u ltim a tu m o f a cc u sa ­
h e 's com ing to n ig h t—see? I w ent the luck th a t is sa id to fa v o r n a tu ru l- nionln In th e face. T w o seconds la te r tio n a t m e : “I f m adam e did not h ave
ro und th is m o rn in g In tim e fo r the bn-n idiots a n d such tu rn e d a tric k w e th re e w ere a w rith in g stra n g lin g ze sto n e s— If sh e h a s n o t seen ze
Arst m all. H e w ns w a ttin g fo r It. fo r m e by fe tc h in g little M rs. T hing- h e ap on th e Aoor.
sto n e s— how could she r e fe r to zem ?
T h e n e x t th in g I rem em ber, I w ns H ow could she h a v e com posed zls— to
Oh, he got th e le tte r all rig h t 1 And dow n-stalrs’ slith e rin g along th e hall.
s ittin g on m o n sieu r a m id sh ip s and deceive m e?” H e nodded in a w ay th a t
ns soon ns h e rend It h e cam e over
B illy w a s sn a p p in g a handcuff. I s a i d : “Now a n sw e r th a t— If you can .”
nnd told m e h e couldn'l go to C hina­
gasped a n d rolled off on th e Aoor;
tow n to n ig h t—h e h a d diplom atic b u si­
I h a d e x p ec te d som e such qu estio n
picked m yself u p fro m th e Inelegant
n e ss th a t m ig h t ta k e him to W ashing­
a n d I w as read y . “T h a t’s too sim ple,”
position by w ay o f ray h a n d s and
ton— w hich m eans here. See?”
I a s s u re d him . “You re m e m b e r you
knees, got a w e t tow el a n d sopped
“Billy, you’r e th e c le v ere st th in g I
accused m e o f ste a lin g jew els from
m
o
n
sieu
r's
fa
ce
os
fa
s
t
a
s
I
could—
e v er saw I" I crie d w ith re al a d m ira ­
y o u r d a u g h te r; th e re fo re I knew w h at
though
w
hy
I
p
erfo
rm
e
d
th
is
hum
ane
tion.
you w ere a fte r.”
a c t so quickly, I c a n 't s a y ; nnd a s soon
“T hnnks— com ing from you I a p p re ­
“B u t zls w ord ‘gum -drops’— It re fe rs
ns h e stopped stra n g lin g —f o r a lot of
c ia te th a t." H e sa id It In an offhnnd
th e am m onia had gone Into h is m outh m ost ev id en tly to u n se t Jew els— ”
w ay, b u t I could see h e w as feeling
“Oh, I p u t t h a t In," B illy In te r­
nnd very little In h is eyes— B illy and I
very se t u p o v e r him self. And I d id n 't
d ragged him to th e d in in g room , ru p te d . “ I t d o e sn 't m ean a n y th in g but
blam e him .
H e added, "W h at th e
propped him a g ain st th e sid eb o ard and w h a t you m ak e It m ean. S ee?” H e
‘m ossoo’ w as re a lly a fte r— w hy he
spoke In a to n e th a t s a i d : “Y ou're giv­
opened
a w indow .
w ouldn’t le t m e go o u t In th e d a rk
I believe th a t none o f th e th re e o f ing y o u rse lf a w ay .”
alone— w ns to know w ho I w as calling
M onsieur Ignored him a n d looked a t
us u tte re d a w ord d u rin g th e e n tire
on. I told him It w as th e people In
p erfo rm an ce—B illy sa y s h e can ’t re ­ m e a s If e x p ec tin g m e to c o n tin u e my
th e fro n t Aat nnd I c o u ld n 't g et In. 1
m em ber any ; b u t one of th e stra n g e st e x p la n atio n .
to ld him It w as th e ir cousin from Bos­
“T h e h y a c in th s,” I w en t on—th ey
th
in g s w as th a t th e Aring o f th e re­
ton I w as callin g on a n d m aybe th ey 'd
v o lv er e lic ited no in v estig a tio n from lay, a d rag g led bunch on th e Acor,
gone to th e th e a te r. T h a t led to o u r
th e populous house. All th is m ight “you overlooked them In y o u r se a rc h —
ta lk in g a bout p la y s ; th a t led to an In­
h a v e hap p en ed In th e c e n te r o f L a ra ­ It w as th e one th in g you did not open
sp ira tio n o f g enius a n d I ask ed him if
m ie p lain s In a snow storm th e day a fte r th a t bunch, so I k n ew you'd rem em ber
h««'d seen C h in a to w n ; th a t led to my
th e fa ll ro u n d u p fo r th e a m o u n t o f no­ it w hen I called y o u r a tte n tio n to It.
In v ita tio n a n d —th e re s t you know ."
You see, m o n sieu r,” I added. "I knew
tic e m an o r b e a s t took o f It.
“B illy, you a re p o sitively th e clever­
you w ould re m e m b e r th e one th in g
It w as a fa u ltle s s achievem ent.
e st m an I know I"
And now w e h a d m o n sieu r—w e had y ou'd overlooked”— h e bow ed a n d a
"D id n 't th in k I’d grow up lik e th a t,
c a p tu re d him . a s B illy sa id w e should, fa in t sm ile A ltted a c ro ss his fa ce a t
did you? And th a t's not all. As for
all by o u r little own selves. H e and I th e com plim ent I w a s p a y in g h is In­
th e p re tty d a u g h te r—y o u r little C laire
silen tly re g ard e d th e crum ply c re a tu re telligence— “a n d com e back to Investi­
th a t you th in k so m uch of—d o n 't fa in t
s lttiu g a g a in st th è sid e b o ard a n d then gate— If you h a d th e chance. I gave
now — w ell, sh e 's In it u p to th e neck
fo r th e Arst tim e th e Idea cam e Into you th e chan ce, th a t w a s a ll.”
nnd o ver h e r e a rs. S he's his accom ­
“ B ilt how do you know z a t I can
o u r heads, "A nd now th a t w e've got
plice, all rig h t. Here's h e r cab le m es­
him , w h a t a re w e going to do w ith com e back so e asily a s z a t? " he asked,
sage— " H e d re w o u t a bit o f p a p e r
p a rtly puzzled a n d p a rtly to d ra w m e
him ?”
“T all T hem 1 W on’t Be H om e."
on w hich he'd copied It and r e a d :
I looked a t B illy a n d he looked a t out.
"Born a girl. M other and child do­ S he d a rte d p a st roe Into th e car. a l­
“You h a d a p a ss-k ey to th e Aat—you
m e. W e a sk e d each o th e r th e question
in g w ell.
CLAIRE."
m ost knocking m e o v e r In h e r d e sire w ith o u r eyes. As fo r m onsieur, his opened th e d o o r w ith It th e o th e r nig h t
“B u t th is la— th is Isn't—” I s ta m ­ to keep G eorge fro m op en in g th e fro n t fe a rs h a d sw allow ed up h is c hagrin a t a n d I stood beh in d i t w hile you were
mered.
door fo r me. and she m ad e s u re of th e In d ig n ities heap ed upon him. w ork in g a t th e chain-holt. I saw y o u r
“Q uite so," agreed B illy. “It la and m y d e fe a t by u tte rin g a n acid. "T a k e S tra n g e a s It m ay seem , he w as th e h a n d — "
It Isn’t 1 It Is a code. It Isn't a piece m e u p im m ejetly.” F o r w hich ru d e ­ A rst o f th e th re e th a t found h is voice.
“A nd you said n o sslng—you do not
o f Insanity. I’ve read It— or I think I ness I h a v e e v er blessed h e r! In ten
"Z ere h a s been a g re a t m ista k e ," he scream w hen you see a m an tr y to get
have. L isten n ow : 'Born'—th e pre­ seconds I had gone along th e hall to bègan. to w hich B illy re to rte d :
Into y o u r a p a rtm e n t In se m iddle o f ae
cio u s thing that w as expected has th e fro n t door, re tra c e d m y step s,
night ?” he In te rru p te d , h is to n e a m ix­
" I t looks th a t w ay."
com e to p a n su c c e ssfu lly ; that Is, The e n d —th a n k s to h e r—w a s glid in g up
“ Ah— e 'e s t vous I” b re a th e d m on­ tu r e o f m cre d u llty a n d — I hope Til be
diam onds have arrived sa fe and th e s ta ir s In h e r w a k e lik e a ghost. In sie u r. su d d en ly recognizing BHly.
fo rg iv en th e a p p a re n t con ceit—a d ­
sound.' ”
less th an tw o m in u te s fro m th e tim e
"O f eo« rse. W ho did you tn tn k It m ira tio n fo r m y b ra v ery .
H e glanced a t m e tor approval and sh e tram p led m e u n d e r h e r fe e t I w as w a s? " re tu rn e d B illy w ith a ta n g o f
“ W hy should I sa y a n y th in g —or
then puckered up h is brow w h ile ad­ s a fe In a y own Aat.
p e rtn e ss, fo r w hich he m ight on th a t s c re a m ? I knew you c o u ld n 't get Ic.
m itting, “T h is n ext— 'a girt*—p u ssie s
W h eth er B illy a n d I h a d Ave m in­ occasion b e forgiven.
so w h a t w a s th e re to be sc a re d over?”
m e a bit. It's one o f three th in g s: u te s o r Arty to w a it now w e did not
M onsieur re p aid It by Ignoring h<m
n e sm iled th en fo r th e A rst tim e and
ju s t a Aller, to m ake It r e a d ; or a coda k w w , bflt w e took It fo r g ra n te d th a t a n d a d d re ss in g h im self to me.
s a id : “M adam e, you a r e a b rave
w ord wttti an agreed m eaning; or It w e sh o u ld h ave th e sh o rte st possible
“I f m ad am e w ill p e rm it m e a c h air w om an."
r efe rs to Mrs. D elarlo— that la, "J'S tim e In w hich G eorge could d e liv e r th e a n d allow m e to a x p la ln —T
(TO B S C O N T U T C K d
PICKWICK’S
PAPER
B y H E L E N A. H O L D E N
(Copyright.)
to som ething else, a n y th in g —s h e was
only a plalu, o rd in ary agent.
“I hoped yon w ould be ab le to help
m e,” co ntinued C arlo tta. “I so m uch
w an t to m ak e a success of It.
You
d o n 't know w hat It m eans to me.”
“ ‘I'v e a sick husband and Ave chil­
d ren to su p p o rt,’ ” quoted D oyle absent-
m indedly.
“I t ’s not a s had as th a t," replied C ar­
lo tta. “ B ut If I could m ake my poor
m other com fortable— ”
“ I’ll do w h a t I can for you.” broke
in D oyle hastily. “ Mr. C ru lk sh an k la
th e m an you ought to see.”
“ B ut I don’t w ant to see him ," said
C arlo tta. “ H e Is su re to be cross. L ves
his nam e sounds so.”
“ I don’t know a bout th a t. I don’t
even know th e m an. I m ean, he's
head of th a t d e p artm e n t.”
“I shouldn’t like to see him.” C nrlot-
ta spoke decidedly. “I th o u g h t you
could help ine. I forgot to toll you
th a t Mr. S m ith gave me y our nam e—
Mr. M orton Sm ith. H e is a d is ta n t rel­
ative, and Is in te rested In helping me."
“ You a re re la te d to M orton S m ith?"
T o him self D oyle a d d e d :
"H ow In
th u n d e r does he let you do a th in g like
th is ? ”
"Y es; he Is m ost anxious to see me
succeed,” replied C nrlotta.
“ I'll do w h a t I can."
Doyle fe lt like a crim inal. To aid
and a b et a girl of M iss S m ith ’s sta m p
m ake of h e rse lf a successful ag en t of
P ickw ick’s S uperior Paper, w as unpar-
donable. Yet, considering the poor old
m other, he m ust do w hat he'co u ld .
“ I'll see th e cran k y C rulkshank, a*
you call him . If I c an ’t u rge him, I'll
beut him Into accepting your paper.
In one w ay or an o th er, you see, I am
s u re to succeed.”
“ W hen shall I call ag ain ?" Inquired
C a rlo tta.
“ W hat p a rt of the city do you can­
vass tom orrow ?” asked Doyle.
“A round S ta te and P earl, I th in k .”
C a rlo tta spoke w ith some h esitation.
“ I get my luncheon n e ar th ere ,” said
Doyle. “I could m eet you a t Lincoln
park, and It would save y our coining
'w ay up here.”
“ Very w ell,” said C a rlo tta.
“You
see, I’ve nev er been an ag en t before, so
I h ardly know w hat Is cu sto m ary .”
As D oyle bade C nrlotta good-by, he
fe lt a deep th rill of sym pathy.
I t w as a busy tim e o f th e day. T h e
Crowd, h u rry in g to a n d fro. w as too
In ten t on m inding its own affa irs to
b o th e r a bout th e e rra tic behavior of
any p a rtic u la r Individual.
C a rlo tta Sm ith w as one of the th ro n g
su rg in g p a st th e S tanw ix building.
W hen she cam e opposite th e wide-open
door she h e sita ted , w alked tow ard th e
e n tra n ce , but again tu rn e d and passed
on dow n th e stre et.
C om ing back, she paused once m ore,
th en h u rried on.
T h e th ird tim e th e re w ns no h e sita ­
tion.
W ith grim d e te rm in a tio n she
ap proached th e e n tra n c e and w alked
boldly In.
T h e re w ere th ree o r fo u r men who
le ft th e e le v ato r a t th e th irte e n th Aoor
w ith M iss Sm ith. She envied them
th e ir know ledge o f w here they w anted
to go.
O pening off the hall, th e re w ere no
less th a n Ave doors, each w ith the
n am e o f "B olton C om pany” in gold
le tte rs.
“My m o th e r told m e to tak e th is
one.” counted C arlo tta.
Inside, Carlo**«- found a girl seated
behind a desk. She Invited C a rlo tta
to w a it w hile she w ent In search of
Mr. T hom as Doyle.
“T h is Isn’t so bad," m used C a rlo tta.
I ’m beginning to th in k I’ll like It.”
“Mr. D oyle?" sh e Inquired, a s n
young m an app eared w ith h e r card In
his hand. "I am M iss C a rlo tta S m ith.”
’G lad to m eet yon. M iss S m ith.”
H er to n es had convinced him th a t th ere
w as m uch behind th e nam e.
“I beg pardon, Mr. D oyle,” in te rru p t­
ed th e girl from behind th e desk. “I
forgot to deliv er a m essage th is m orn­
ing. Mr. B olton w ished you to call him
up.”
“D id he say w hen?” ask ed Doyle.
“No,” th e girl a d m itte d re lu c ta n tly .
“T hen he can w a it,” w hich w as h a rd ­
ly re sp ec tfu l to th e p re sid e n t of the
“T en m inutes late,” wns Mr. Doyle’s
com pany.
“P lease be seated, Miss g re etin g w hen he met M iss Sm ith the
Sm ith.”
next day. "I hope th a t m eans you have
“I cam e to see you—” began C nrlot- had a successful m orning."
ta.
C a rlo tta slowly shook her head.
"I say, Tom , I ’ve been h u n tin g every­
“I ’m so so rry .” T h ere w as a w ornl
w here fo r you.” L ike a h u rric a n e a of sym pathy In Doyle’s voice. “And I
young m an b u rst In w ith th is announce­ h ave bad news, too.”
m ent. “I beg pardon. I d idn’t know
How he hated to m ake C n rlo tta look
you w ere busy, b u t you forgot to tell
less happy th an she did when she cam e
m e w h e re th a t g u a ra n ty would m ost
to m eet him across the p a r k !
likely to be found.”
‘Did Mr. C ruikslinnk live up to the
E x p la n a tio n s w ere brief, fo r in a few
re p u ta tio n of his nam e?”
C a rlo tta
m om ents D oyle re tu rn e d .
sm iled brav ely a s she ask ed th e ques­
“I w on’t ta k e you to m y room , fo r tion.
I’ve been moved u p sta irs. A num ber
T a k in g tim e by th e forelock,” an­
of us h av e been chnnged about lately. sw ered Doyle, “I Inquired fo r Crulk-
We can go Into M iss G lyn’s room. sliank as soon a s you left yesterday. I
T h ere is no one th e re , so I tru s t we wns d irected to th e room th a t used to
can c o n tin u e u n in te rru p te d .”
he M iss G lyn’s. T here, sittin g a t his
"D id you say ‘M iss’ G lyn?” inquired own desk, nnd w ith his fe et on Ills own
C a rlo tta.
footstool, w as Hon. Ja m e s Gordon
D oyle’s glance follow ed C a rlo tta ’s to C rulkshank I”
th e h a t-ra ck , on w hich hung a m an's
‘Oh !” gasped C a rlo tta. "H e w as the
derby.
m an who cam e In w hile w e w ere ta lk ­
“Oh, th a t m ight m ean th e general ing. H e m ust have henrd me say he
m lxed-up s ta te we’re In Ju st now. Pos­ wns n crank, and you said you w ould
sibly a c a lle r fo r M iss Glyn. T h a t’s heat him. Is th ere a n y th in g le ft of
probably It.” D oyle spoke conAdently. you, Mr. D oyle?”
“ She h a s ju s t taken him som ew here to
'I ntn old C rulkshnnk's Arm frien d
m eet som e one. T uke th is chair, Miss for life,” replied Doyle. “You b et I
S m ith ; you'll And It m ore com forta­ d id n 't th in k It w as funny, h u t he
ble.”
seem ed to get a lot of enjoym ent out
“B ut." p ro teste d C a rlo tta , “I know of it. H e w as such a brick In over­
from th e w ay It looks— ”
looking th e nam es w e called him. We
“ You m ean the way It’s w orn,” sug­ actu ally p a rte d friends, even though
he refused to tak e th e Pickw ick paper.
gested Doyle.
“A nyw ay,” continued C arlo tta. “ It's Says he h a s nothing a g ain st w hat we
Miss Gl.vn's pet, p a rtic u la r chair. It a re now using.”
W hat tria ls th e re a re fo r agents. 1
would nev er do to have h e r And me us­
nm glud I mn not a r r a l one.” m ur­
ing It.”
“ E ven h e r shoes a re distinguished m ured C nrlotta.
“W as th a t ag en t b u sin ess a joke?"
looking.” he told him self. “It seem s as
If I h a v e h eard her n am e before. Un­ dem anded D oyle w rathfully.
" F a r from It," replied C a rlo tta . “I
doubtedly, a society g i r l ; It probably
w as never m ore serious In m y life. T o
Agures d a ily In the p a p ers.”
“ I th in k ,” said C a rlo tta , " th a t w hat begin a t th e beginning—tw o n ig h ts ago,
people say ab o u t odious a g en ts and the nt dinner, my fa th e r called m e nam es.
way th ey a rc tre a te d Is all nonsense." H e said I w as sim ply a hutterA y—
“ H av e you bad th e good fo rtu n e to w ithout m ore serious th o u g h ts of the
m eet any un-odious ones?" Inquired fu tu re th an w h at frock I should w ear
to the next assem bly.
Doyle lightly.
"I replied th a t it w as nil th e fa u lt
“ I m ean th e w ay you have trea te d
of circum stances. T h a t I could even
m e," w e n t on C arlo tta.
“I d o n ’t q u ite follow .” Doyle sa t earn my own living, If it w ere neces­
down suddenly. In ease he had under­ sary. O f course, my fa th e r hooted at
th a t. T o m ake a long sto ry sh o rt. It
stood, he w ould need s u p p o rt
“ From w h a t I've heard. I alw ays ended In a w ager. I w ns to prove to
th o u g h t a g e n ts had do o rs slam m ed in him th a t I could be self-supporting.
th e ir faces, and w ere som etim es—of He bet I couldn't.
“ 1 decided th a t becom ing an agent
course.
In ex trem e cases— throw n
d o w n sta irs," continued Miss Sm ith. would he quick er th an a n y tln g els«,
“ Now, I consider I've been tre a te d roy­ From my unsu sp ectin g cousin 1 got the
nam e of Bolton com pany, a s em ploy­
ally.”
C a rlo tta w aved m aje stic ally tow ard ing large num bers of ty p ew riters. You
ra n guess how glad I w as w hen he
th e footstool.
W hile she wns sp eak in g a man had c asually m entioned you a s a class­
T hen 1 w ent to a sto re and
quietly e n te re d the room . As Doyle's m ate.
a tte n tio n w as not again claim ed. C ar­ asked the nam e of th e le a st used type­
w ritin g pap er—”
lo tta did not mind.
D oyle w as so stunned a t v.hat he had
‘T h e least n sed?" broke in Doyle.
Just h e ard th a t he forgot com pletely
“O f course,” s rld C a rlo ttn . “ if I
his previous th re a ts o f vengeance had tak en th e m ost popular, the
a g ain st th e next Intruder.
chances w ere th a t you w ould a lre ad y
be stocked up w ith It."
“I am a n agent." continued C arlotta
“fo r P ickw ick's S u p erio r T ypew riting
’T h a t is one way of doing business.”
P a p e r.”
com m ented Doyle.
“I n e v er w ould h ave guessed It." T he
"W hen I re p o rte d my success Inst
Irony In Tom D oyle’s voice w as lost night." continued C a rlo tta. “my fa th e r
on C a rio tta. who continued v o lu b ly :
w as not nt all pleased. In fact, he
“You probably use T ryon's. don’t w as qnlte— otherw ise.
I w as so dis­
you. Mr. D oyle? Really, a very In feri­ appointed. fo r I w as really very proud
o r grade. If you w ould once try Pick- of m yself.”
wick s, I am su re you w ould never use
“T hen sll th a t about y our poor old
a n y th in g else.
Its a d v an tag e s over m other w as— began Doyle.
o th ers In o rd in ary nse a re legion. Dc
"P u rely Action." replied C nrlotta.
yon nse T ry o n 's o r B lack's llr . Doyle?” "W h at m ust you th in k of me, Mr.
“I don 't know."
Doyle r
Doyle fe lt a s if he had been knocked
“I don’t w a n t you to c u t my ac ­
down, and now w as being walked on. q u a in ta n ce by tellin g m e It is too sud­
T h is girl dbl not w ant him to lead the den,” said T o m ; “b u t I w ill gladly
rrm ia n a t th e com ing ch arity ball__ teR you as soon a s you give m e per­
■e did not even w ant a subscription m ission."
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