Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-01-15

mixed races to his hotel. His legs
were quite drunk. but his mind was
coldly and acutely sober.
every drunk. MASTER" was the re
port Caesar, the Numidian, delivered
to Doctor Koch at the Ramleh villa,
The doctor. believing Caesar to be a
competent judge, chuckled in his
beard. Caesar was called off the
trail.
Across the street from Doctor
|Koch's home on Queens Terrace was
the summer home of a major of fusi.
leers, whose station was up he Nile,
But this summer it was not occupied.
The major had hurried his family
back to England at the first mutter.
ings of the great war. and he himself
had to stick by his regiment up IN
the doubtful Sudan country. Like
doctor Koch's place, the majors yard
was surrounded by a high wall, over
which the fronds Of big palms and
Powered shrubs draped themselves.
The nearest villa, aside from the
IKochs' across the street, was a. hun
dred yards away. At night an arc
light, set about thirty feet from Doc.
tor Koch's gate, marked all the road
thereabouts with sharp blocks of light
and shadow. One lying close atop
the wall about the majors yard,
screened By the palms and the heavy
branches of some night blooming ghost
flower, could command a perfect view
Of Doctor Koch's gateway without be-
ing himself visible. r
At least, so Billy Capper found 1t
on the night following his visit to the
German physicians and his subse-
quent communion with himsel If at the
Tavern of Thermopylae. Almost with
the falling Of the dark, Capper had
stepped off the train at Ramleh sta
ton, ferried himself by boat down the
canal that passed behind the majors
home, after careful accommodating,
discovered that the tangle of wild
wood about the house was not guard
ed by a Waterman, and had so achiev-
ed his position of vantage on top OF
the wall directly opposite the gateway
of No. 90. He was stretched fiat.
Through the spaces between the dry
fingers of a palm leaf he could com
cand a good view of the gate and OF
the road on either side. Few pedes-
TRANS passed below him; an automo-
| bile or two pulled by; but in the
main, Queens Terrace was deserted
and Capper was alone. 1t was a
tedious vigil. Capper had no reliance
except his instinct of a spy familiar
with spy's work to assure that he
would be rewarded for his pains. Some
sixth sense in him had prompted him
to come thither, sure in the promise
that the night would not be misspent.
A clock somewhere off in the odorous
dark struck the hour twice and Cap
per fdgeted. The hard stone he was
lying on cramped him.
The sound of footsteps on the flag
ged walk aroused momentary inter.
est. He looked out through his screen
of green and saw a tall we'll knit fig,
ure of a man approach the opposite
gate, stop and ring the bell. Instantly
! Capper tingled with the hunting fever
of his trade. In the strong light from
the arc he could study infinitely the
face Of the man at the gate-smooth,
ly shaven, slightly gaunt and with
thin lips above a strong chin. 1t was
a striking face-one easily remem'
bered. The gate opened; beyond 1t
ICapper saw, for an instant, the white
figure of the Numidian he had bump.
ed into at the alleys mouth. The
gate closed on both.
(To be cOntinued.)