Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-01-29
e,1hBERT WulES Richie

call H1ul-SO0S uTSI, Jul liAGhuo
whose secrets we seek are allowed to
become suspicious Of him-we even
give them a hint to help them In th1r
suspicion. They seize the target
and in time of war he becomes a real
target for a firing squad, as you
should have been, Capper, at Malta.
Then when our friends believe they
have nipped our move in the bud fol
lows the second man-who turns the
trick"
Capper was still wrestling with
that battling stubborness Of the body.
Each word the girl uttered was Ike
vitriol on his writing soul. His
mind .willed murder-willed it with all
the strength of hate; but still the
springs of his body were crampsd-
by what? Not cowardice, for he was
beyond reckoning results. Certainly
not compassion or any saving virtue
of chivalry. Why did his eyes con-
stantly stray to that white hand lift
ed to allow the fingers to play with
the fligree Of wood on the mirror
support?
"Then yon engineered the stealing
of my number-from the hollow un.
der the handle of my cane-some
time between Paris and Alexandria"
he challenged in a whisper, his face
thrust forward between hunched
shoulders.
"No. indeed. It was necessary for
you to have-the evidence OF your
profession when the English searched
you at Malta. But the loss of your
number is not news; Koch, In Alex
andria, has reported, of course"
The girl saw Capper's loot steai
forward again. He was not six feet
from her now. His wiry body settled
itself ever so slightly for a spring.
Louisa rose from her chair, one hand
still resting on the wooden rosette
of the mirror standard. She began to
speak in a voice drained Of all emo
ton:
"You followed me here tonight, Bill
~ Capper, imagining In your poor
little soul that you were going to 90
something desperate-something re-
ally human and brutal. You came IN
my window all primed for murder.
But your poor little soul all went to
water the instant we faced each 9TH
err. You couldn't nerve yourself TO
lean upon a woman even. You can't
now"
She smiled on him-a woman's fay
ing smile of pity. Capper writhed,
and his features twisted themselves
in a paraxysm Of hate.
II have my finger on a bell button
here, Capper. If | press it men Will
come in here and kill you without
asking a question. Now you'd better
co.
'Capper's eyes jumped to focus on a
round white nib under n Of the
girls fingers there on the mirrors
standard. The little ivory button was
alive-a sentient thing suddenly al
lied against him. That inanimate OBJ
1ect rather than Louisa's words sent
fingers of cold fear to grip his heart.
A little ivory button waiting there
to trap him! He tried to cover his
vanished resolution with buster, sput-
tering out in a tense whisper:
You're a devil-a devil from hell,
Louisa! But I'll get you. They shoot
| women in war time! Sir George
! Crandall-I know him-I did a little
| service for him once In Rangoon.
! He'll hear of you and your Wilhelm
~strasse tricks, and you'll have your
pretty back against a wall with guns
at your heart before tomorrow night.
| Remember-before tomorrow night
Capper was backing toward the
open window behind him. The girl
still stood by the mirror, her hand
lightly resting where the ivory nib
was. She laughed.
Every we'll, Billy Capper. 1t will
be a firing party for two-you and
me together. I'll make a frank con-
fession-tell all the information Billy
, Capper sold to me for three bundled
marks one night in the Cafe Richie
the story Of the Anglo-Belgian de-
Tense arrangements. The same Billy
Capper, I'll say, who sold the Lord
Fisher letters to the kaiser-a cable
identification inside Of two hours
] And then"