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About The Omaha morning bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927 | View Entire Issue (July 23, 1922)
THE SUNDAY BEE; OMAHA. JULY 23. 1022. The Romance of a Millio?i Dollars zeie- By Elizabeth Dejcayis wci. shinning; M ini- kiii lie was to he (ml oil no longer. Itdnre the dance was over hi Stopped suddenly and drew lit'r into the conservatory, lie took hrr to a touch behind the p.ilms. "Now I want my answer." he said. He put his arm about her; r the moment lie looked at Rniu llieikl "What is it. Mane?" Marie had determined oil hrr an swer, hut suddenly her resolution failed her. "Monsieur have pa tiriix ami wait a little, until A wild look crossed hit face. "I won't wait!" He caught her to him, kissed her again and again, pant ingly, her head bent back against hit circling arm, his hand beneath her chia holding her lips to his. He held her in a grip of steel. "Are you his or mine!" he panted gainst her lips. "I will have my answer 1" Marie lay perfectly still. When he lilted his head and looked down t her she lay motionless and with eyes closed. She looked strange; her face looked pinched and shadows circled her eyes. ... He loosed his hold. "Marie!" he laid sharply. "Look at met" She drew herself up slowly and pressed her hands to her face, but she said nothing. There were long moments of perfect silence. West's flush had faded. "What Is it?" he demanded. He looked like, a man who had lost everything on a throw of the dice. Marie drew a long breath, then she straightened. "It is only that I know now how greatly a man can suffer. I wish to be forgiven that I have not understood." The cotor had risen slowly to her cheeks and her eyes grew brilliant. "I have put uncertainty away for ever and the man who is despic able. I feel happy." She slipped her hand into his, her head bent. "Monsieur do you not under hand?" He had" not realized until her hand lay in his. "Marie!" He drew her to him, breathing his relief. "I thought I had lost!" He regained iiis usual self-control. "If you arc happy, I am the happiest man alive. I know you well, little Marie if you say you are happy, that you have put away a man who is un worthy you are speaking the truth." He took her hand and kissed it; took a ring from his pocket and slipped it on her finger. ''It's a Dunbarton-Kent ring, my father's gift to my mother," he said gravely. Marie looked at it, a cluster of diamonds in an old-fashioned set ting1. "I am glad it is of the fam ily," she said softly. She lifted her hand and pressed the ring to her check, turned her lips to it and kissed it, then looked at him with (hilling eyes. "To your family I aiall give devotion and you I shall fry Jo reward as you deserve. And bow, monsieur, I wish so much to go to my room for a little and think of what has happened. Will you excuse me for a little time?" West laughed softly. "You are quaint being, my little Marie. But you're much of a woman: ,vhen I let myself go, loosed my hold on the caveman, i won you; and now you want to dream a little, ahut away in your room. But I want to talk of the future. When?" He had stopped abruptly. Marie had not noticed, but West had seen through the screen of palms; .Walter Greene had conic into the conservatory ,and was looking around him as if in search of some one. "I'll be back in a few moments, dear," West said hur The $10,000 Beauty that she hadn't had any expenses so far, which, of course, was lit erally true. But they took it for a beautiful gesture, the final per fect touch of the southern aristo crat. "The joke of it is. you know, that Marguerite wrote the story that impressed you so much in ab solutely good faith. So many well bred southern people talk badly that there was nothing in the girl's speech to give her away. And all the rest of the minutiae fitted in. Her dress, her air, her reticence, even her wanting nothing but cof fee for breakfast. "But about 11 o'clock they brought her around to me to pho tograph, and after she'd sat for about IS minutes she began to cry. When I asked her what the matter was she said she was hun gry. She was, of course, simply starving. She'd been too excited to eat any lunch the day before. She hadn't had a chance to dine, and the reason she'd declined breakfast was because Marguerite had handed her the bill of fare and the sight of the prices had paralyzed her with horror. She had 22 cents in her ribbon bag at that time and she wasn't dead sure that she wasn't expected to pay for what she ate. Naturally I took riedly to Marie "Please don't go till I c.itue back," and he went to Waller Greene. The detective said something to him, then they left the room to K''t!ier. Marie's hand went to her heart. '"In my happiness I have forgotten!" she said half aloud. She sprang up and started to follow t hi in. She had almost reached the banquet room when some one caught her by the arm. "Wait a minute, Marie An-, goulemc." It was Bella who. had stopped her. "I want to speak to you," she said cooly. She was dressed in street clothes and carried a hand bag. She looked as if ready for a jouriey, and Marie remembered that Bella had said that she was leaving that night, before the party was over. As always, Bella aroused vivid antagonism in Marie; unconscious ly she brushed her arm where Bella's cold fingers had rested. "Speak quickly, then, mademoislle I wish to go to my room," Marie returned curtly. There was a mocking, gleam in Delia s eyes. "I was going to ad vise you to go after I've told you something that will interest you. Come over here behind the palms where people won't see us." Maria hesitated, then followed her, and Bella said, without pre ambel"The jewels are going to be turned over to Aunt Bulah tonight in exchange for $500,000." Then her lip curled in scornful amuse ment at Maria's suddenly widened eyes. "Mrs. Smith has done pretty well, hasn't she, behind your back? Aunt Bulah got their offer last night and accepted it, and today at nocyi she got a note fixing the place of meeting the cottage, at half past two tonight. They give her permission to take two people with her she's going to take Has lett and a detective. It'll be an interesting meeting I thought youd like to know," Bella added sardonically. Maria said nothing. She looked at Bella with eyes that did Tiot see her; she was thinking. "I knew you would be interest ed," Bella continued with cool en joyment. "I thought you might like to have this key to the cot tage," and she held it out to Mane in the palm of her hand. "You're not likely to let her walk off with him and $500,000 dollars. It's a considerable sum, even when di vided by three." Marie looked at the key, then she took it, but she did not utter a word. Bella turned to leave her, the smile still curving her lip. "I won't keep you from 'your room' any longer. Let us hope that some body cleverer than either one of you three hasn't double-crossed you. Goodby, Marie Angouleme." Marie paid no attention to her going; she hetd the key tightly in her hand and stood still thinking, her little face carven. Five hun dred thousand dollars! And worse, an abominable scheme, theft and extortion, being brought to a suc cessful conclusion! Had she not said to West, "To your family I shall give devotion?" Marie's lips tightened and her eyes grew hard. She watched for a few moments, until there was no one in the con servatory, and then she stole out and went quickly through the ban quet room and the music room and cut across the drawing room into the hall. No one stopped her; in the ballroom they were dancing the last dance before supper, the , waiters were arranging the chairs her out and fed her full. And in the course of the next couple of hours she told me the story. An amusing one, don't you think? Dif ferent, anyhow, from the one Mar guerite printed." And here Zachary unlocked his legs, looked at his watch, and yawned, under the impression, ap parently, that he'd reached the end "Good Lord!" I cried, 'you can't stop there." But Zachary apparently thought he could. At least, he pretended he did. All the response I got to my first attempts to learn what had happened to the girl since was a vituperative attack upon my pro fession. He said he thought most short story writers and he didn't even in mere politeness except me ought to be in jail, and would be if the courts took proper views in the matter of responsibility. We'd be found to be accessories before the fact in about half the non-professional crimes that were commit ted nowadays. We poisoned peo ple's minds with romantic ideas about what they were entitled to. He went on at great and tiresome lengths about this and I'd about given him up when he swooped down to earth again and snatched Rosemary Brown's case as an example. in the banquet room, Mrs. Ihmbar-ton-Kent was at the far end ot the drawing room, talking to some people who were leaving. Ilaslett was not with her. but Willed stood not far away. Marie gained the upper hall and her bedroom door; her hand was on the knob; then she paused, startled, for she heard some one speaking in her room. She recog nized West' voice, raised in anger: "This is some of his work I tell you. What is the use of asking why he did such a thing? Why has he done a dozen other unac countable things. Aunt Bulah wilt never forgive this last outrage, nor will I. Let him ever dare to show his face at Kent House again!" Marie did not go in. She flood close to the door and listened. It was Ilaslett who answered sternly. "The pearls have been here; thev have been hidden here. There is the proof of it look at those pieces of chamois and that ring that was overlooked. The pieces- of chamois have the imprints of pearls. The jewel box that held the collection was bulky the jewels were wrap ped separately so they coutd be put into this narrow space in her trunk. I'm not accusing anybody .but you can see for yourself where jewels have been. Greene made the discovery it was under stood when h.e came out here he would make a final search. He re ported to you, and not to Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent, for she's at the breaking point as it is." West's voice wa?, milder. "Yes, of course. But I know Marii had nothing to do with it. And there's nothing we can do except to wait and see what happens tonight. The important thing is to get the jewels." "But will we get them? Who ever took them out of this trunk was in a hurry, a thief relieving a thief of his plunder, it seems to me." "Or Breck taking them from the place where he had put them," West said impatiently. "Doubtless lie had his reasons for putting them there, and certainly there is a good reason for his having removed them they have to have them to night" It was Walter Greene's voice that cut in. "I went through that trunk when wc got it from the boarding house two months ago. There was no double bottom to it then I'd take my oath on it. And no pistol in the. trunk, cither. It's an amateur's job, anyway, the way that lining's been taken off and put back. Any one could detect it. Miss Angouleme would have, if she ever went to the bottom of her trunk. Perhaps she might throw some light " "Mention Miss 'Angouleme's name again and I'll throw light into you!" West interrupted furi ously. "I know what he's capable of any scheme to discredit her I I've felt from the beginning that they'd do her a harm if thev could. She has no more idea that her trunk ha been tampered with than Aunt Bulah has. Miss Ango leme's as honest as the day any one who intimates anything else shall answer to me!" "There, there," Haslett said. "o one is intimating anything. I want to get the pearls tonight that is all that's worrying me. We can do our investigating and sus pecting afterwards. Greene, put those wrappings hack in the false bottom and put hack the lining as nearly as possible as you found it. Put the ring back, too, and the (Continued From 1'ima Four.) "What happened to her?" he quoted accusingly. "What could happen to her? The girl was a sim ple fanatic. She found out that she was of age in Illinois and that disposed of the last chance, if there'd been one, of her going back to Bowling Green. "I got them to take her in at the Carolina I've some friends there who promised her a wing and she settled down as serene as if her $10,000 had been as many shares of bank stock. Outside the way she spent money for clothes there was nothing silly about her actions. It was just her funda mental idea that was insane. She was living up to that southern aristocrat stuff that Marguerite had wished on her. Some day a beautiful young prince was going to leap from his limousine on the boulevard and fling himself at her feet. "I wanted her to get a job be fore the last of the celebrity died out while the getting was good but it was weeks before she would listen. Nice and friendly and grateful and all that, but complete ly impervious solid ivoryj At last, though, I picked up something that interested her. "You know Braddocks, of course, the big advertising, agent. Well, pivot. Pack the trunk just at it was, unit put it hack til the loei where it wu. We'll go, and yon can lock the door again. Keep close u.itch on this room, and Jones will be watching outside, WillctH is going with tit to the cottage." Hasletl and West were coming out, for Marie heard the key turn in the lock. She sprang away front the door. Across the hall Bella's door stood ajar, offering her shelter, and Marie reached the room and closed the door just as Haslett and Wc-t came out of her bedroom. As on the train, Marie stood braced against the door: as a farewell the enemy had dealt her a telling blow; fastened suspicion on her, and sus picion is a difficult thing com bat; there had been good reason for Bella's look of triumph. It was some moments before Marie moved from the door. Bella had left her light burning; the room wore a denuded look: and the little things a woman collects about her were gone. Evidently Bella had taken ail her belonging.;. For a few moments Marie walk ed the floor, her clenched hands pressed to her burning temples. She was angrier than she had ever been in all her life before, a pro found, settled rage, a consuming sense of outrage that demanded reparation. "A doublccross," Bella had said; well, it would be some thing more than that! But she must not stay here her plan would succeed only if she was care ful. Walter Greene would come out of her room in a few minutes and be on the watch; both he and Haslett suspected her; they had always suspected her. Marie put the key Bella had giv en her in her bosom. Then she set the door ajar and looked out The door of her room was closed still, and she saw no one, so she stole out and went downstairs. There they were still at supper, and Marie went to the card room, where refreshments were being served, and jat between Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent and Mrs. Granveston. The latter said, "My dear, your eyes look like great black saucers and your cheeks like two flames," and Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent patted her shoulder. "Don't tire yourself out go to bed whenever you want to." But for her own flushed cheeks, Mrs. Dftnhartou-Kent would have looked haggard; her eyes were strained and tired. Then West searched her out and she danced with him several times, smiling softly at the things he said to her. At last Marie went to her room and West went with her to her door. It was 1 o'clock. "I am most sleepy and tired Marie sighed wearily. 'T shall sleep so soundly even thunder could not wake me." "You've promised to tell Aunt Bulah in the morning, Marie," he said, and kissed her. "Yes, she promised again; her eyes were almost closed. But when alone, with her door securely locked, Marie was wide awake. She turned on the lights and drew down the window shades. Without instituting any appar ent search, she made sure that there was no one hidden in her room, in her bathroom, or in her clothes closet. Then, with her closet door half closed, she opened her trunk and took from it her chauffeur's uniform, but she wast ed no time in examining the trunk. She took out the pistol, hesitated, By Henry he was going to launch a cam paign on a new condensed milk Cornflower is the name of it. He wanted a cornflower girl. Exclu-. sive, do you see He was going to teach 50,000,000 people to associate that face with cornflower milk and with nothing else. He was willing to pay a hundred a week indefinite ly for a year, at least. "Rosemary didn't bite at that hard, but she agreed to go and see Braddock about it and she came back from his office all signed up and with that kind of look I've told . you about, as if she were walking in her sleep. I didn't know what sort of fool idea she might have in her head, but I warned her that Braddock was a married man with a couple of grown up children. She said she knew that. She'd met the "son that afternoon. He'd come around, while she was waiting in the outer office, to see about getting an advance on his allowance. Well, there it was!" "I hope," I remarked severely, that you warned the father at once." "Xo chance," said Zachary. "He went up to Charlevoix for a month that same day, and it certainly wasn't my fault that he left young Jim behind. And when the boy began hanging around the studio then put it li.uk attain in the trunk; her rhaunVurS uniform she left on the floor of the closet. Go. tug back into her room, she un dressed, donned her night dress, and, goiiii to the window, raised the shades; any one who was watching; without would have a glimpse of her in night dress and with hair down. Then she turned out the lights and got into bed. But Marie did not stay there; in let than 10 minutes she crept out cautiously, and, as many and many a time when a light would have been a target for a shell, she dressed in the dark. She twisted up her hair in a knot and put on her chauffeur's uniform, even her thick leather driving gloves. Then she went to the window, crawling on her hands and knees, and when she raised her head cautiously above the sill and looked out. The guests had not all gone yet; there were several cars collected beyond the porte cochere. Marie sat crouched and saw one car after the other circle the drive way and watched their tail lights vanish in the park. There was only one car left. Mrs. Brant-OIwin's limousine, and her chauffeur was having trouble with it; he could not start it. Mrs. Brant-Olwin stood in the porte cochere .and West tried to help the chauffeur discover what the trouble was. They both gave it up finally, and ir was arranged that West should take Mrs. Brant-Olwin home in his roadster. He brought it from the garage and Mrs. Brandt-Olwin climbed in laughingly beside him. Her chauffeur seated himself on the running hoard. Then the roadster slipped along the drive way and disappeared in the park. Some one turned out the light in the porte cochere; there was dark ness and quiet on that side of the house. Marie crawled over to the door into the hall and laid her ear to the crack. Presently several peo ple came upstairs and went into Mrs. Dimbarton-Kcnt's room; Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent and Has lett, possibly Willetts with them, Marie thought, and they would wait there until it was time for them to go to the cottage. It must be 1 :J0. Green was on watch in the hall, probably, and Jones might be stationed where he could watch her windows. But she would have to risk that; she dared not delay any longer. Marie stole back to the window and cautiously straddled the sill. She reached and laid hold of the ropes attached to the flag pole w hich she had noticed in the morn ing. Gradually she drew herself out until she hung by her arms. There was a moment of smothering terror lest the ropes should break; they gave a little; her body sank suddenly a foot or so lower than the window sill, a sickening sensa tion.' But she clung to the ropes then let herself down hand under hand, setting her teeth against the agony in her strained shoulders. She reached the ground at last, and she sank down in exhaustion; until her arms ached less, she could not move. She lay close pressed against the house, smothering her heavy breathing, dreading that she would be discovered. But she was not molested. Then she began her crawling progress across the lawn, across the drive way, and into the park. She crawled on hands and knees, lay flat every now and then and listened, then crawled on. (To Be Continued. Kitchell Webster I thought I might as well use him. He was keen on posing and he was a- lot more the type I needed for that work with her than anything else I could hope to get. "It is a bit awkward," he con ceded, avoiding my eye and try ing to maintain a false air of un concern. "How well Braddock will like having his daughter-in-law's face plastered all over the LTnited States in condensed milk advertisements I don't know." "Daughter-in-law!" I echoed feebly. "Already!" Zachary nodded. Married this morning. And came into the boule vard studio to have their pictures taken. Didn't know they were go ing to find me there and were as startled as I was. I hope Brad dock does forgive them," he added. "I took about $200 worth of pic tures of her, in her wedding dress and so on. She wanted a whole set to send to Amy Belle." What I couldn't forgive Zach ary for was his revolting hypocrisy in talking virtuously to me about accessories before the fact,- and thia I plainly told him. "Well." he said, prettv meekly for him, "with a fanatic like Rose mary on your hands, you're lucky to get out at that." (Copyright, l?:.)
