The sun., 1914-09-27

not staying in COnStantlnOple, enduring
the insults of those Turkish officers,
simply for the money she could earn
as a dancer. Then | made my second
dramatic play for confidence. ! sud-
denly stopped going to the Folies. l
suppose it was rather lonesome in Con-
stantinoplc and a man who was not
Turk was novelty.
one afternoon she sent for me and
was confronted with a human situation
which | must in this narrative of secret
service operations treat as impersOnal
though it is fun Of pathetic impiica-
uous. ! found her with her luggage
packed.
"Why haven't You come to the Folies
litely?' she demanded with pretty
air of bossins the situation.
told her my work at the hospital
had made heavy iuroads upon my time.
"Oh, she began, tapping "a little
boot impat!cntly on the floor; then.
after a pause Il have to leave for
IdilS. NclI'
"That Is most unfortunate"
"ls that ALL
"To say anything more would only
be painful, ma cherc Cecclia.'
"But there is no need of our being
blue. why not make the occasion Il
happy one? why not come along TO
Paris
She looked up at me with an i'm
pudcnt little smile.
My dear little girl" | said, Il am
no man of means and | cannot go gad-
ding about Europe. Besides, | have
my work here. will be busy at the
hospital for another month"
That seemed to displcase her She
looked at me carefully. uncunsCiously
her manner changed She became
somewhat appraising. 1t seemed as
though a different woman was speak
ing.
"Franz" she said. "a man like you
is wasting his time pottering around
a hospital with your evident knowledge
Of the world and people. With your
education and travels you ought to he
very valuable to certain men back in
pars.'
fclt what was coming, but | asked
her to explain. She did 50 and from her
| received a tentative offer to enter the
French secret service. | had difficulty
in mastering the muscles of my face to
keep from betraying the laughter that
was almost ready to break out. Very
gravely | asked her to tell me more
about secret service. Proudly Cecilia
showed me letters that she had re-
criycd from Paris. From the addresses
and the signatures | thus learned the
individuals in direct control of the sys-
TEN that was undermining German in
nuence by using dcmi-mondaines such
as Mile. BalniauX. | gathered that
Cecilia Coursan was only go-between
for Mile. BalniauX in making her re-
ports to the French Government.
asked her some more questions, eX-
claiming that her proposal interested
mo tremendously.
pretended To bc particularly anxious
as 10 what pay would receive were |
to come To an understanding with "her
friend in Paris" She assured me II
was liberal and urged me to hasten to
rars. | told her that as soon as |
finished my work at the hospitals !
would do SO. She then asked me Ia
take charge Of her mail and to forward
any letters that might come for her. |
did-to the Wllhclmstrassc.
That incident is one of those in my
secret service work of which | am not
entirely proud, or course from my
View point Cecilia COursan was not "A
woman, she was simply the paid agent
of another Government and it was a
case of her wits against mine; at least
with this sophstry | quctcd my doubts.
Three years later | found the same
little woman in an obscure cafe in
Antwerp. She was no longer in the
French service. concluded that her
hlundcr in conStantinoplo had "hrokcn'
her, for she seemed to have gone down
4