The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-12-14


watched every moment Of the time
/ had already counted on the safe door.
as 1t swung back. making a barrier across
the corner In which she sat This I
found to be the case. I took second
precaution. however, by showing q tilted
chair back firmly In under the edge Of
the safe lock.
knew. as stopped before the open
strong box, that she could make no sud-
den move without my being conscious Of
IT. / also knew that time was precious
So reached into the depths OF the al
most empty safe and lifted out a number
Of papers neatly held together by rub
Der band
These placed on the safe top. Then
I snapped on the band and examined the
first document On the back Of II, near
ly inscribed in French. was the eminently
satisfactory legend: plans and Speci-
fcations; -Four Submarines: BIS. Lake
Torpedo Company. Bridgeport" The
next packet was blueprint OF war pro-
Jectiles, and on the back OF It was writ
ten: Model Tracings, through Jenner.
from the Bliss & Co. Works-is-Self-
Projectors"
The third packet carried no inscription.
But as opened 1t saw at a glance what
1t was / knew in a moment that I held
before me the governmental wheel code
OF wireless signals in active service. Il
was the code that had been stolen from
Lieut. Palmer. The fourth and last paper,I
found, was plainly the dummy which had
been taken from the same officer that
night in Madison Square.
What I want to know" I said, as
banded the four papers together and
thrust them down in my pocket. sis Just
how you got that first code from my
young friend the ieutenant?'
She smiled again, a little YEARLY, as
swung the safe door shut and locked It.
She did not rise from the chair. But as
stood confronting her, something in my
attitude, apparently, struck her as dis
tinctly humorous, For she broke into a
sudden and deeper ripple OF laughter
There was, however, something icy and
chilling In it Her eyes now seemed more
yelled They had lost their earlier look
of terror. Her face seemed to have re-
Taxed into softer contours
Would you like to know" she said.
lifting her face and looking with that
older. half-mocking glance into my own.
would: be-so out-of place in a ball
room? All, have not more things than
hearts been lost when a man dances with
a woman?'
II see-you mean you stole II, at the
Plaza?r
Not at all. monsieur she murmured
languidly back.
Something about her face, at that mo-
ment, puzzled me. It seemed to hold
some latent note Of confidence.
Then I understood. i saw through IL
all. in one tingling second. For there,
facing me, stood the figure of a man in
navy blue. 1t was the same figure that
had followed through the square.
But now there was nothing secretive
or circuitous about his attitude. 1t was
quite the other way; for as he stood
there he held a blue-barreled revolver in
his hand And could see, only too plain
ly. that IT was leveled directly at me.
The man took three or four steps far
Their into the room His revolver was
still covering me. I heard a little gasp
from the woman as she rose to her feet.
You are going to kill him?" she cried,
in German.
Haven't got tor asked back the
man. He spoke in English and without
a safe-breaker? He's broken into this
house? So! He's caught in the act
shot in seIf-defenser'
l watched the gun barrel The mans
calm words seemed to horrify the won-
an at my side
''Waitr' she cried
''Why?" asked the man with the gun
He has everything-the code. the plans,
everything" -
yet them! commanded the man.
But he's armed" she explained.
\ sheer crossed the others impressive
face. What If he is? Take his gun; take
everything"'
The woman stepped close to where 1
stood. Her movements were more than
ever pantherlike as she went through
my pockets one by one. Yet her flashing
and dexterous hands found no revolver,
Tor me simple reason there was none to
f1NA de-
Hurry up" commanded the man COW
ering me.
She stepped back and to one side. with
the packet in her hand.
Now close the windows"' ordered the
man. '0
My heart went down in nv boots as
heard the thud Of that second closed win
dow. ~
The woman turned away. holding her
hands over her ears The fncongruoux
thought flashed through me that two
hours before had called the city fiat
and stale; and here, within a rife shot
or my own door, I was standing face 70
face with death itself!
could see his arm raise a little. and
straighten out as 1t raised The e1In bar
rel was nothing but black o at the end
~ my line OF vision felt my heart
STOP for I surmised what the moyernsnt
meant.
Then laughed outright, aloud and al
together foolishly and Historically.
The strain had been too much. for me.
ana the snap OF the release had come too
suddenly, too Unexpectedly. / could see
the man with the gun blink perplexediy.
Tor a second or two, and then I could
see the Tightening of his thin-lipped
mouth, But that was not all had seen.
For through the half-closed door had
caught sight Of the slowly raised iron
rod. the very rod 1 had wrenched from
the outer hall window. / had seen its
descent at the moment realized the
finality In those quickly tightening lips.
II struck the arm on its downward
sweep. But 1t was not in time to stop
the discharge OF the revolver The re-
port Numbered through the room as the
bullet ripped and splinteded into the
pine OF the hoor. At the same moment
the discharged firearm went spinning
across the room, and as the man who
held IT went down with the blow, young
Palmer himself swung toward me
through the drifting smoke.
AS he did so turned to the woman
with her hands still pressed to her ears.
With one fierce jerk I tore the rubber
banded packet of papers from her clutch.
But the code?" gasped Palmer, as he
tugged crafty at the safe door,
did not answer him. for a sudden
movement from the woman arrested my
attention. She had stopped and caught
up the fallen revolver. The man in blue,
rolling over on his hip. was drawing
second gun from his pocket.
Quick!" called to Palmer as I swung