Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-01-29
CHAPTER x. (Continued.)

VI KY ~"
Slowly the figure seated before the
dressing mirror turned to face him.
STumbling hair framed the girls face,
partly yelling the yellow brown eyes,
which seemed two spots of metal
coming to in~candescence under heat.
Her hands, one still holding a comb,
lay supinely In her lap. re !.
II admit this is a surprise, Capper,"
Louisa said, letting each word fall
SHARPLY, but without emphasis. How
ever, 1t is like you to be-unconyen7,
tional. May ! ask what you want this
time-besides money, of course?'
Capper wet his lips and smiled Wry-
Ely. He had jumped SO swiftly to i'm
spulse that he had not prepared him.
self beforehand against the moment
when he should be face to face with
the girl from the Wilhelmstrasse'
Moreover. he had expected to be clos.
~ to her-very close indeed-betore
the time for words should come.
\ 81 saw you tonight and followed
you here" he began lamely.
.Flattering!" She laughed shortly
"Oh YOU needn't try to come 1T over
me with wordsin. Cappers, teeth SHOW.
ed in a nasty grin as his rage marco
hack from the first suppression OF
~surprise, i've come here to have q
settlement for a little affair between
you and me"
~Blackmail? Why, Billy Capperr'
how true to formtyou rum Inc vel
low.brown eyes were alight and burn,
Ing now. "Have you determined the
nm 8 want Or are you In the open
smarket?" ,e.od
Capper grinned again, and shisteo
his weight. inadvertently advancing
ms foot q little nearer the seated
Girl as he did so. -
pretty quick with the tongue-as
.trav . he sneered. "But this time
III doesn't go, Louisa. You pay diner
antlv this time-pay for selling me
ont. Understand" Again one 100
ahifted forward a few inches by the
accident Of some slight body move
nan on the mans part. Louisa SUI
= before her dressing mirror, hards
scarelessly crossed on her lap.
aSalin9 YOU out?" she repeated
evenly "Oh! So you finally did dis
cover that you were elected 20 oe
the goat? Brilliant Capper! how
long before you made up your iliho
YOU had q grievance"
The girls cool admission goaded
fhe little mans fury to frenzy. his
snind crayed for action-for the leap
and the Tightening of fingers about
That haunting throat; but someho"
Ms body. strangely detached from the
AL a. yolition as If it were another's
hody Jagged to the command. Vlo-
hence had never been It's mission;
srruaclee were slow to accept this new
convention of the mind. But the
mans feet followed their chafty intel
Sligence; by fractions OF 1ncnes tney
moved forward steaithily:
you wouldn't be here now
coldly went on, eff you Werent
'for4nne's br%ight.eyed boy. You were
alated to be taken off the boat at
malta and shot; the boat didn't. stop
M Malta through no fault of ours, ano
10 YOU arrived at Acknowledging be
zane a nuisance" One of the girls
hands lifted from her lap and lazlly
snlayed along the edge Of the rose
wood standard which supported the
mirror on the dressing table. IL stop
ned at a curiously carved rosette IL
the rocco scroll work. Capper's u
5spicious eye noted the movement. He
SPARED for time-the time needed b1
those stealthy feet to shorten the dis
tance between themselves and the
grl.
"Why,' he Kissed, why did yor
rive me a number with the Wilhelm
sstrasse and send me to Alexandria i
III was to be caught and shot at Malta
That's what I'm here to find out,
excellent Capper!" Her fingers
were playing with the convolutions OF
the carved rosette. Intelligent Cap
per!! He comes to a lady's o al
might to find the answer to a simple
question. He shall have 1T. He evl
identity does not know the method o.
the Wilhelmstrasse, which is II
choose two men for every task to be
accomplished. 0ne-the target We
4z%SGEHE &SHGEE M#aEM H##E .nH1. ...EE.E