Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-10
CHAPTER XIV. Continued. }

%is% CdAI Nh AlN. (COulluuSuJ
Could there now be any doubt Of
what she felt to be the truth? First,
she had met Captain Woodhouse on
the Express du Nord-an officer In the
English army, by his own statement,
returning from leave in England to
his post In Egypt. Then, the encounter
Of last night at the Hotel Splendide,
Captain Woodhouse first denying his
identity, then admitting it under the
enforced pledge that she should not
reveal the former meeting. Captain
Woodhouse, not in Egypt. but at Glib
raltar, and. as she had soon learned,
there with papers of transfer from an
Egyptian post to the garrison of the
Rock. Following this surprise. had
come General Crandall's logged ex-
animation Of that morning-his blunt
declaration that a serious question as
to the captains position at Gibraltar
had arisen, and his equally plain
spoken threat to have the truth from
her concerning her knowledge Of the
suspected officer.
To cap all, the message on the
cigarette! An informer--she guessed
the prefix to the unfinished word
had denounced you and Louisa to
General Crandall. To whom the pro-
noun referred was unmistakable-Al-
mor's eagerness to insure Captain
Woodhouse's receiving the cigarette
case plainly defined that. AS to
~ .ouisa," involved with Woodhouse,
the girl from Hildebrand's was SEN
sible only Of passing flash OF curlos-
ity. made bit more piquant. per-
haps. BY little dart of jealousy,
hardly comprehended as such. A hotel
keeper warns an officer in the Gibral-
tar garrison that he has been denounc-
ed. but in the same message adjures
him to "play your own game" That
was the single compelling fact.
Jane Gerson fushed-in anger, or
was it through guilt?-when she
found her lips framing the word
'4spy!"
Now she understood why General
Crandall had put her on the grill
Why he, Informed, had leaped to the
significance Of the gift of roses and
deducsd her previous acquaintance
with their donor Her host was not,
after all, the possessor of magical
powers Of mird reading. He was, in
stead, just the sober, conscientious
protector of the Rock on whom rest
ed responsibility for the lives of its
defenders and the maintenance OF
England's flag there. His duty was
to catch--and shoot-spies.
Shoot spies! The girls heart con-
tracted at the thought. No, No! She
would not-she could not reveal to
the governor the knowledge she had.
That would be to send death to a
man % surely as If hers was the
finger at the trigger.
Jane Gerson was on her feet now,
pacing the room. Over and over
again she told herself that this man
who had come in9o her life, obliquely
enough, had no claim on her: had
brought nothing to her but distress.
He had deceived her even, and when,
caught in the deception, had wrested
from her a promise that she would
help him continue further deception
against others. Against her will he
had made her party to some deep
and audacious plot, whose purpose
she could not guess, but which must
be but part of the huge mystery Of
war.
And soon this Captain Woodhouse
was to come to his trial-the purpose
OF his invitation to tea that afternoon
flashed clear as white light. Soon
she would be in the same room with
him; would be forced to witness the
spinning Of the web set to trap him.
He would come unwarned. unsuspect-
ing. He might leave that room under
guard and with guns at his back
guns soon to be leveled at his heart.
Yet she, Jane Gerson, possessed the
power to save him-as the warning
OF the cigarette surely would be saw
ing, once clever man were put on
his guard by it.
Would she speak-and betray Gen.
eral Crandall. her kindly host? Would
she lock her lips and see man walk
blindfolded to her death?
\ 4 few minutes before 5 o'clock,