قراءة كتاب Queen of the Flaming Diamond
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Cinderella, and she turned into a silver fox."
Drake sat up stiffly. The foolish look of surprise was gone. He reached for the Morning Star. In huge headlines he read:
DARING HOLDUP AT NEW
NIGHT CLUB
World's Largest Diamond Stolen From
Under Eyes of Police
Sober as a lord now, Drake sent his eyes wavering along the column of newsprint:
Chicago, May 6.—A group of daring jewel thieves last night stole the Lardner diamond, largest gem of its kind in the world, from beneath the eyes of an armed guard.
The stone was a perfect cut, pronounced priceless only last week when it was first seen by Tiffany experts.
George Lardner, the owner of the Owl Limb, one of the city's newest night spots, had taken it from a private vault to display in a special dance.
Miss Sylvia Fanton, who danced with the gem has also disappeared, but Lardner insists that she was well known to him and could have had no hand in the robbery.
This story is feasible, as the gown Miss Fanton was wearing at the time has been discovered badly torn in a State Street alley. Murder of the dancer is suspected.
rake tossed the paper across the room.
"Rubbish!" His eyes were clear and snapping now. The night of adventure was thrown from his mind. "It couldn't happen, Puffy. We were seeing things."
Adams picked up the Star carefully, thumbed toward the last page and held the news sheet where Drake could see another, much smaller caption.
"Look at this," he begged. "You'll sing another song."
Jim took the sheet again, as though afraid he would believe the impossible. This story was short, and wedged in at the bottom of a last page.
ZOO OFFICIALS CAPTURE FOX RUNNING WILD IN CITY STREET
Captured while trotting calmly down a State Street alley early today, a perfect silver fox has found its home at Wildwood Zoo.
Keepers chuckled when asked for a statement to the press. They expect a fox farm to place a claim on the valuable animal within twenty-four hours.
The fox was in perfect condition, with a deep, rich black coat, tufted with snow white tips on each hair.
The Mayor has already offered to convert the pelt into a cape for his wife, should an owner fail to claim the animal.
Jim Drake shuddered.
"I was drunker than I had any business being last night," he said finally. "Did it all happen, what I saw?"
Puffy Adams grinned woefully. He drew his arm from behind his back and displayed a clean, bandaged wrist.
"I got teeth marks an inch deep in my wrist," he said. "What do you think?"'
Drake was out of bed in one bound. He pulled his slippers on hurriedly.
"Plenty of hot water for a shower?"
"Coming up!"
Puffy retreated toward the bathroom door. Over his shoulder he asked.
"Going to the zoo?"
"I'm crazy," Jim admitted. "But if they found a girl's dress a block from where we parked, and there's a silver fox at the zoo this morning, I want to know why."
Puffy's stout figure was hidden behind the glass door. Water started its inviting swish from the shower. His voice came out with a hollow ring.
"Well, Cinderella," he said whimsically, "we're on the make again, but the odds are against us. If that dame can bite my arm and turn into an animal in the same night she'll make a hell of a mate for Jimmy."
Drake was already halfway across the room, knotting the sash of his robe with long brown fingers.
"It's the call of the wild," he shouted above the hiss of the shower. "We all have to answer it some time."
