Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-04-06

1
| single cigarette with meticulous care.
| Regarding the minister Of war in a
| mystifying manner, he began to roll
the cigarette briskly between his
palms. A small shower of tobacco
sifted on the floor; the rice paper
| cracked and came away; and with
| bland smile and gesture of a profess
| sional conjuror, Lanyard exhibited a
small cylinder of stiff paper between
his thumb and index finger.
Goggling essentially, NJ. Ducroy
| spluttered:
| 'Eh-what impudence is this?''
| His smile unchanged, Lanyard bent
forward and silently dropped the cylin-
| der into the Frenchman's hand. At the
| same time he offered him a pocket
| magnifying glass
What is this?" Ducroy persisted
stupidity. "What-what--"
If monsieur will be good enough
to unroH the papers and examine them
with the aid Of this glass
| With wondering grunt NJ. DucrCy
complied, smoothing out several small
sheets Of photographers printing Tout
paper, to which extraordinarily compli-
Gated and minute designs had been
transferred-strongly resembling la
| borious efforts to conventionalize a
spiders web.
| But no sooner had NJ Ducroy focused
upon them the magnifying glass than
he started violently, uttered an excited
exclamation and subjected the papers
to an examination both prolonged and
exacting.
Monsieur Is no doubt now salts
| fied?" Lanyard inquired, when his pa
sience would endure no longer.
These are genuine?" the minister
Of war demanded sharply, without
| looking up.
Monsieur can readily discern nota-
| tions made upon the drawings by the
! inventor, George Huysman, in his own
| hand. Furthermore, each plan has
| been marked in the lower left-hand
| corner with the word accepted fol-
lowed by the initials OF the German
minister OF war / think this estab-
fishes beyond dispute the authenticity
OF these photographs Of the plans for
| Huysman's invention"
''Yes," the other agreed breathlessly
"You have the negatives from which
| these prints were made?"
Here" Lanyard said, indicating a
second cigarette.
| And then, with a movement so leis-
urely and careless that his purpose
was accomplished before the other in
! his preoccupation was aware Of it, the
| adventurer leaned forward and swept
up the prints from the counterpart in
| front of NJ Ducroy
'Here!" the Frenchman exclaimed
| why do you do that?"
Monsieur 10 longer questions their
authenticity"
| Il grant you that"
| Then return to myself these
prints, pending negotiations for their
transfer to France"
How did you come by them?" de-
manded NJ. Ducroy, after a moments
| thought.
Need monsieur ask?3 Is France so
| observed by her spies that you do not
/ already know Of the misfortune re-
| Gently suffered in London by one Cap
| tain Ekstrom?"
| Ducroy shook his head. Lanyard re-
| ceiyed this indication with Impotence.
| 1t seemed hardly possible that the
| French minister of war could be either
| SO stupid or SO ignorant. But with a
patient shrug he proceeded to eluci-
| date.
Captain Ekstrom,' he explained,
but recently succeeded in photograph
ing these plans and took them to Lon
don to sell to the English. Unfortu-
nately for himself-unhappily for per-
| f1dious Albion Captain Ekstrom fell
| IN with me and mistook me for Down
| ing streets representative. And here
are the plans"
You aTe-the Lone Wolf-then?"
81 am, monsieur-simp1y as concerns
you, the person in possession of these
plans, and who offers them through
| you, to France, for a price"
But why introduce yourself to me
in this extraordinary fashion to con-
summate transaction for which the
ordinary channels with which you
must be familiar are entirely ade-
| quate?"
Simply because Ekstrom has fol.
| lowed me to Paris" Lanyard explained
| lnduigentiy. did | venture to ap-
proach you through the customary
channels, my chances of rounding out
useful life thereafter would be prac-
tfcally NIL Furthermore, my circum-
stances are such that it has become
necessary for me TO leave France i'm
! ediately-without an hours delay
also secretly; else I might as well re-
main here to be butchered. Now you
| command tie only means know of to
| accomplish my purpose And that is
the price. the only price, you will have
to pay me for these plans"
Il don't understand you
1t is on schedule, is it not, that Cap
tain Vauquelin of the aviation corps is
to attempt nonstop flight from Paris
to London this morning, with two pas
sengers, In a new Parrot biplane?"
THAT is SO. Well?''
Il must be one of those passengers;
and have companion, young lady,
who will take the place of the other"
1T isn't possible, monsieur. Those