The daily Alaskan., 1916-05-09
Two International
 Spies
By ETHEL HOLMES

Americans supposed that our affairs
 lid not interest other powers. Since
 then we have awakened to the fact that every government has q spy sys. tenn within the territory of every other government. England, France, Italy and, other powers keep secret service workers in other countries. Of all the : Germans have the most perfect and extended organization. And yet some ] of the principal fields of the working of the German propaganda In America have originated with the British secret | service men. While these systems may 1 have been strengthened and enlarged -since the opening of the war, there is reason to believe that they have always existed.
 Austria and Russia have always been watching each other on account of the persistent encroachment of the two on | the Balkans. Some years ago two Rus sian girls, sisters, went to Vienna as 1 spies for the czar upon the intentions of the emperor of Austria regarding schemes to carve Austrian provinces out of Balkan territory. One of these girls. Maria, obtained a position as | copyist in the Austrian foreign office. ! The other. Vera, kept house for the two in rooms in an apartment building. i Since they were in the pay of the Rus
 sian government they did not want for anything.
 Maria was under the orders of Gas par Grenthau, a man who conducted one of the bureaus of the department ! in which she worked. He was hand some and otherwise attractive man. and when be made love to her she re ciDrocated When they were not en- gagged in the office he took her out tc tue gardens and other places of amuse- ment and by his kindness gradually won her heart
 It was not long before Grenthall pro. posed marriage to Maria. Though she 1 loved him, she hesitated to accept him.
 Indeed, his being q spy complicated the affair, making her very unhappy. 1 Then suddenly Maria received a shock. One day when she was at work a girl occupying a desk beside her slipped a bit of paper among those be- | fore her. Maria unfolded it and read ! that she was suspected of purloining a certain document that had passed | through her hands. Grenthall had won
 her in order to find out if she were | stealing such documents Her room
 would be searched that evening
 ! Maria was not Cnly disturbed at dis covering that Grenthqll had deceived { her. but in terror at thessuspicion that i existed against her. Either her life or i long imprisonment would pay the ! penalty. As soon as office hours were over she went 10 her room and told her
 sister what had occurred. She had
 stolen the paper in question. and 1t was concealed in their apartment i Taking 1t from its hiding place, she
 was thinking what to do with 1t when
 there was a sound of persons coming up the stairs without She had only 1 time to thrust the paper into her ] bosom when the door was thrown open and in walked GrCnthall. accompanied l by several men. He made no apology 1 fer his entrance or for having played ] the spy upon Maria. He and his men ! ECcan a search of the rooms.
 Evidently he had expected to sur. prise Maria and, if tue missing paper
 was in her possession, 10 find 1t con. ! cealed in her apartments. Not finding l il after thorough search. 1t occurred ! to him that it might be on her person, ] He sent one of the men with him for a woman to make the search. When i she arrived he told her to find out
 whether Maria had the paper.
 Maria. when the man who had won
 her heart to betray her entered, gave
 him a look of anger, then, when the searching began, fell upon her sisters
 neck, sobbing piteously. While the | two women were clasped In each oth- CTS arms, their bosoms close up against each other. Vera contriyed to
 take the paper from her sisters bosom and slip 1t into her own,
 Maria was the one suspected, but 1t
 was not to be expected that Vera would
 be let of without examination. Be
 lieving that she would be searched, she cast about for some means of get. 1 ting rid of the paper. She started to
 leave the apartment, but Grenthall or.
 dered her back. When the woman came she made the search in one of the bedrooms, the men remaining else
 where. Vera was with her sister.
 Maria was required to take off her clothes, which were carefully exam
 ined by the Searcher and laid upon a
 table. While her back was turned
 Vera contrived to slip the paper into a
 pocket of one of the garments that had
 been examined. Her sister saw her do
 this, and hope sprQng up within her.
 When the search was finished and nothing found the result was reported
 to GrenthalL Having done all he could fin the matter, he withdrew his as,
 sistants and went away while Maria ]