Speaker 1: Four Pretty Things by Robert Winton one two three. Old
Speaker 1: Stephen Burnt cackled and mumbled to himself as he turned
Speaker 1: his withered, shaking palm sideways and one by one allowed
Speaker 1: three sparkling gems to fall on the table. Three beauties,
Speaker 1: he gloated with senile, quivering lips. Three drops of crystallized
Speaker 1: light of sun and moon. When I die, you pretty
Speaker 1: shall go with me into the deep, cool grave, in
Speaker 1: the darkness, safe from the desire of some grasping stranger.
Speaker 1: You will stay with me until dust returns to dust.
Speaker 1: The old man's maudlin monologue spent itself in foolish, vague
Speaker 1: and half crazed mutterings. His rummy eyes blinked with cunning
Speaker 1: avariciousness as he sought to feast his gaze with the
Speaker 1: scintillating glitter of his precious bobbles. He grumbled weakly, and
Speaker 1: his shriveled fingers groped uncertainly for his hoarde. It seemed
Speaker 1: to him that the radiance of the stones that had
Speaker 1: been the comfort of his lonely, selfish hours was not
Speaker 1: so brilliant as it had been. My eyes must be
Speaker 1: going back on me, he muttered, I shed blood for you,
Speaker 1: and now you won't shine for me like you used
Speaker 1: to do. It ain't my eyes, it's you that have
Speaker 1: grown dull. What's the matter with you? Sparkle up, pretty things.
Speaker 1: I'm murdered a man to get you. Nobody knows that
Speaker 1: you are in my possession. Shine, little fireflies. You have
Speaker 1: been bathed in blood. Shine for the old man who
Speaker 1: has kept you warm on his heart for more than
Speaker 1: twenty years. Bah your lightest, dim Stephen. A shadow is
Speaker 1: creeping between you and your gems. Death is coming near,
Speaker 1: but they shall not tear you away from me. I
Speaker 1: will cheat them all. Still maundering and apostizing himself and
Speaker 1: his treasures, the old man gathered up his diamonds and
Speaker 1: reluctantly dropped them into a worn and greasy leather bag.
Speaker 1: He then tucked the bag inside his gray shirt and
Speaker 1: patted his thin, bony chest safe. He muttered, No one knows,
Speaker 1: No one guesses that poor Stephen is worth a pile
Speaker 1: of money. Now, I wonder if that darned girl has
Speaker 1: been spying on me, trying to peek through the keyhole
Speaker 1: or listen to what I was saying. I ain't been
Speaker 1: talking loud, though and Susan's a fool anyhow. Standing by
Speaker 1: his table, the old man gnawed nervously at his broken,
Speaker 1: discolored fingernails. The haunted dread that he his secret might
Speaker 1: be betrayed by some careless act of his own was
Speaker 1: again upon him. The pleasure that he obtained by contemplating
Speaker 1: and pawing over his stones was more than counterbalanced by
Speaker 1: the condition of terror that always came over him with
Speaker 1: redoubled intensity after he had indulged his weakness. The stolen
Speaker 1: diamonds were his pride and joy. Also, they were a
Speaker 1: burden and source of never ceasing anxiety. Shuffling over to
Speaker 1: the bolted door, Stephen bent stiffly and peered at the
Speaker 1: paper he had rammed into the keyhole. It ain't being touched,
Speaker 1: he whispered, and with slow care, quickly slipped back the bolt.
Speaker 1: There was a crafty, vicious gleam in his faded eyes
Speaker 1: as he opened the door with sudden quickness. It was
Speaker 1: his intention to surprise the girl he constantly suspected of
Speaker 1: spying on him. But even had Susan beIN at the door,
Speaker 1: the old men would not have caught her. He thought
Speaker 1: his movements were soundless that he had given no hint
Speaker 1: of his approach to the door. But he was greatly mistaken,
Speaker 1: deaf to the noise of his own footsteps, and blind
Speaker 1: to the many opportunities he had given the girl for
Speaker 1: discovering his secret. Old Stephen lived in a fool's paradise.
Speaker 1: Going slowly to the top of the stairs, he raised
Speaker 1: his voice in a quarrelous call, Susan is supper ready?
Speaker 1: From the kitchen below, came the sound of chair legs
Speaker 1: scraping on the uncovered boards. The door opened, and a
Speaker 1: shaft of lamplight illuminated the figure of a short, thick
Speaker 1: set girl. She stuck her hands on her hips and
Speaker 1: stared up at the crabbed features of her stepfather. Don't
Speaker 1: ask fool questions, she said, brusquely. You know as well
Speaker 1: as I do. It's been ready this hour and more.
Speaker 1: You heard me thump on the ceiling. Come on down,
Speaker 1: I'm sick of Waitin an attack of rage seized the
Speaker 1: old man, and when he stood in the bare, untidy kitchen,
Speaker 1: he shook a threatening fist in the girl's face. Don't
Speaker 1: you get fresh with me, he said loudly. Don't I
Speaker 1: feed you clothe you ain't it my money that pays
Speaker 1: for your keep. You that is so dumb and stupid
Speaker 1: that you can't even get a job at washing dishes. Ah,
Speaker 1: shut up, retorted Susan, slamming a blackened dish on the table.
Speaker 1: Shove some of them beans in your jaw and claw
Speaker 1: on the moldy pork you expect me to eat, but
Speaker 1: don't chew a rag with me. I am fed up
Speaker 1: with your nasty mean ways. I am a fool, sure
Speaker 1: I am for staying around here when I might mite,
Speaker 1: What asked the old man, jeeringly, might ride in a
Speaker 1: limousine and dress in velvet and a weezy gust of
Speaker 1: merriment was Old Stephen Brunt's greeting to the girl's strange announcement.
Speaker 1: He cackled and leered at her anger flushed face and
Speaker 1: took no heed of the dangerous look in her cold eyes.
Speaker 1: Don't make me laugh, he pleaded, in mock concern. You
Speaker 1: won't never ride in no gas tank, scept it be
Speaker 1: a patrol wagon or a hearse shove over the bread
Speaker 1: and quit. Try to be funny while he ate his
Speaker 1: food and gulped the lukewarm coffee that Susan poured in
Speaker 1: the tin cup that stood at his elbow. Old Stephen
Speaker 1: further elaborated on the girl's future. It was part of
Speaker 1: his evening recreation to taunt Susan and tease her with
Speaker 1: brutal words to the point of tears, with the meaninglessness
Speaker 1: of a diseased nature. The old man delighted in tormenting Susan,
Speaker 1: but although he tried to prod her with stinging words,
Speaker 1: he failed to bring a flash of rage into her sullen,
Speaker 1: dark eyes. It takes two to quarrel, and after a
Speaker 1: while Stephen, tired of his one sided argument. Crouched over
Speaker 1: the stove, his thoughts reverted to the girl's peculiar assertion.
Speaker 1: Lee Mosine, he muttered in puzzled disgust. Now and again,
Speaker 1: his hand rose stealthily to his chest, and he convinced
Speaker 1: himself by touching that his prize gems were safe in
Speaker 1: their hiding place. Pretty things, he whispered drowsily. Nobody dreams
Speaker 1: that Old Stephen is mighty rich. Nine thousand dollars apiece
Speaker 1: three ninees or twenty seven twenty seven thousand dollars in
Speaker 1: shining diamonds, safe and warm, Ignoring the old man's mutterings.
Speaker 1: Susan stacked the dirty dishes in the sink, and leaving
Speaker 1: them to be washed later, she silently went out the
Speaker 1: back door. Susan had a date, and when she reached
Speaker 1: the corner of the house, the smell of cigarette smoke
Speaker 1: acquainted her with the fact that her friend was waiting
Speaker 1: for her. Old man of sleep inquired a drunk husky voice.
Speaker 1: As usual, replied the girl. And as usual, you've been boozing.
Speaker 1: Keep away from me, Jim, you're a beast. I only
Speaker 1: had a couple of glasses, protested Jim. That ain't gonna
Speaker 1: hurt a fella. None, say, I pulled off a cinch
Speaker 1: last night. Listen, I got a wad as big as
Speaker 1: my fist. Get your hat and let's go take in
Speaker 1: a show. Come on, you, black eyed cutie, be a sport.
Speaker 1: Nothing doing, retorted the girl. Tell me about last night.
Speaker 1: What did you get? A hat full of watches and rings,
Speaker 1: boasted Jim got away like a bird. Did you hock him?
Speaker 1: Not on your life, kid, say I ain't such a
Speaker 1: simp as to take a risk like that. Jim leaned closer,
Speaker 1: but although the girl allowed his arm to encircle her
Speaker 1: ample waist. She proved to be in no mood for
Speaker 1: love making and light talk. She wanted to know how
Speaker 1: he disposed of stolen property. Jim talked a little, but
Speaker 1: thought a lot. I'll bet a dollar. He reflected that
Speaker 1: old miser has something hidden away that's worth having, and
Speaker 1: she wants to get a hold of them. Sue is
Speaker 1: mighty anxious to find out the name of a fence.
Speaker 1: Do I butt in and put one over on her?
Speaker 1: Or do I not? I'm sick of her anyway, and
Speaker 1: I may as well get something out of it before
Speaker 1: I cut loose. During the next three hours, Jim kept
Speaker 1: his foot on the brass rail, but although he drank frequently,
Speaker 1: he exercised care to keep his head. Got another little
Speaker 1: job on hand, he confessed to the bartend Good biz.
Speaker 1: Maybe don't know yet. Gotta take a chance of landing
Speaker 1: A lemon was in a while. Soon after midnight, the
Speaker 1: back door of Stephen Brunt's ramshackle framed house creaked slightly
Speaker 1: and yielded to the pressure of a skillfully applied Jimmy
Speaker 1: Silent as a cat, Jim crossed the kitchen, listened for
Speaker 1: a moment at the door of Susan's room and climbed
Speaker 1: the stairs. He had made up his mind that whatever
Speaker 1: there was worth stealing would be hidden in the old
Speaker 1: man's room. The bolt that Stephen never failed to push
Speaker 1: into its socket did not delay Jim's entry more than
Speaker 1: fifty seconds. Accustomed to forcing an entrance where steel doors
Speaker 1: and bars blocked his way, Jim found this as easy
Speaker 1: to accomplish as opening a box of candy would be
Speaker 1: to a child. The light of Jim's torch flitted about
Speaker 1: the room, and in its passing, rested momentarily on the bed,
Speaker 1: partly covered by a torn quilt. The old man lay
Speaker 1: on his back, snoring. The light did not rest on
Speaker 1: him for more than a few seconds, but Jim's darting,
Speaker 1: searching gaze missed no detail. He saw enough to cause
Speaker 1: him to snap off his light and step nearer to
Speaker 1: the bed. Gently feeling his fingers crept over the old
Speaker 1: man's chest and closed around the leather bag. He held
Speaker 1: a knife, ready to cut the string that was looped
Speaker 1: about Stephen's craggy neck. The deed was as good as done,
Speaker 1: the bag all but in Jim's possession. When a metallic
Speaker 1: clatter on the floor caused the old man to wake
Speaker 1: with a shrill scream of alarm. Startled by the accident,
Speaker 1: Jim stepped back and his heel came down on the
Speaker 1: cylindrical torch that had fallen from his pocket and betrayed
Speaker 1: his presence. He tried to save himself from slipping, but
Speaker 1: the old man's clutching fingers hampered his effort to recover
Speaker 1: his balance. He fell and dragged with him the cursing
Speaker 1: old man. A furious struggle followed. Crazed by rage and
Speaker 1: fear of discovery, Jim let loose all his strength in
Speaker 1: beastial brutality. He secured a murderous clutch on the old
Speaker 1: man's throat, and his hole did not relax until he
Speaker 1: felt his victim become suddenly limp. Then, when it was
Speaker 1: too late, Jim let the body fall and grope for
Speaker 1: his torch. The bulb glowed and revealed the horror that
Speaker 1: his hands had done dead. He stuttered. The look of
Speaker 1: victory was wiped from his face as he stared down
Speaker 1: at the distorted features. He felt no remorse for his deeds,
Speaker 1: but in common with other murderers, he showed the cowardly
Speaker 1: streak in him and trembled with heart gripping panic. He
Speaker 1: jerked himself erect, ready to take instant flight. Then again
Speaker 1: the leather bag caught his eye, and greed nerved him
Speaker 1: to wrench it free. May as well have what I
Speaker 1: came for, he muttered callously. He was amazed and joyful
Speaker 1: when he opened the bag and three stones glittered in
Speaker 1: his hand. I'll bet he stole them, muttered Jim. And
Speaker 1: little knew that he was near the truth, and that
Speaker 1: fate had chosen him as the instrument of vengeance for
Speaker 1: the crime that Stephen Brunt had committed over twenty years ago.
Speaker 1: Me for the woods, he added, and padded softly to
Speaker 1: the door. Must have made a racket. If fat durned
Speaker 1: girl woke up, I'll have to do another job. The
Speaker 1: door slammed. Below, Jim heard a quick rush of feet
Speaker 1: and a woman screaming in abandonment to hysteria, Sue, mumbled Jim.
Speaker 1: Him crouching in the dark, he strove to collect his
Speaker 1: alarmed thoughts and plant a way of escape. He could
Speaker 1: frame no idea except the pressing necessity for flight. He
Speaker 1: blundered down the stairs, frantic to get out. A man
Speaker 1: shout and Susan's accusing repeated out cries of murder, that's
Speaker 1: him rang out simultaneously as Jim tore down the street.
Speaker 1: As he ran, he glanced over his shoulder. She's got
Speaker 1: a cop, he gasped, then plunged on, unheeding of the
Speaker 1: policeman's order to stop. Bullets began to spatter on his trail.
Speaker 1: The third shot found lodgment in the murderer's knee. He
Speaker 1: floundered and sprawled on his face. His race was done.
Speaker 1: At the station house, Jim listened bitterly to a mocking story.
Speaker 1: He had killed a man, pledged his own life to
Speaker 1: atonement in the electric chair for nothing. The gems that
Speaker 1: Stephen had fondled and played with were only paced duplicates
Speaker 1: of the diamonds he had doated on. It was Susan
Speaker 1: who told the surprising story. I stole them over a
Speaker 1: month ago. She confessed. My stepfather left his bag on
Speaker 1: his table, and I took the real diamonds and put
Speaker 1: in three imitations that I had picked out of a
Speaker 1: brooch I bought on purpose for when my chance should come.
Speaker 1: For years I knew he had him. He half starved
Speaker 1: me and never gave me a moment's peace. I was
Speaker 1: going to sell him and run away. Now, curse you,
Speaker 1: exclaimed Jim. All along you've been stringing me. That's why
Speaker 1: you wanted to find out the name of a fence.
Speaker 1: That's enough, the lieutenant interrupted, sharply. That'll be all from
Speaker 1: you now. The rest can wait until morning. You'll get
Speaker 1: all that's coming to you later. Hand over the diamonds,
Speaker 1: young woman. We'll look up their history and see if
Speaker 1: we can place them where they belong. When the real
Speaker 1: and false stones were ranged on his desk, the lieutenant
Speaker 1: summed up Susan's part. A clever girl, was his comment.
Speaker 1: No wonder the old man couldn't discover the trick she
Speaker 1: played on him. They're exactly the same size, and his
Speaker 1: eyes were failing him. I suppose she counted on that
Speaker 1: the real ones must be worth a pile of money.
Speaker 1: I guess we won't have much of a job tracing
Speaker 1: them back to their rightful owner. The End of Pretty
Speaker 1: Things by Robert Winton