The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-09-15
Continued from Yesterday
CHAPTER III.


Their need of offering reassur-
ance. 1t also prevented him
from pursuing further the purpose
which had led him TO show the bomb
to Jim. He delayed only to put the
shoe box and its contents in secure
place before he joined the rest of the
family at the table.
1--WE landed a job for you. Robert
said Nathan Ashby. the father of the
family. Has Nellie told yOu:''
Wendell looked up. his lips pressed
tight together; then he smiled. Why,
no." he replied quietly. You haven't
told me, have you. Helenf' he appeal,
ed to his wife,
II guess you'd manage to keep 1t OH
your mind If she had" Ashby return
ed heavily. It'll be worth $1,000 next
year If the navy hasn't always got you
SO used to loafing and being paid for
it that you can't do any real work at
all It'll allow you a drawing account
Of $1,000 right away to start"
Bob's lips parted. then pressed to
gether again without speaking I'm
der the tablecloth a hand of Nellie's
caught his hand and squeezed it tight
You were very good to take that
trouble for me-" Wendell said to Ma
than Ashby: "but. since all negotia
tons have been with you. would you
mind replying that cannot take it?'
In his rage over this refusal Nathan
Ashby was still more insulting. There
was silence In the room when the
maid entered trembling and said:
1.-The telephone. Mr.. tAshby It's the
Waterman at the factory. He says
Mr.. Ingouf and Enloe want to get In
to do some work In the laboratory to
night. He wants to know whether he
should let them inf it's all right
"Of course it's all rightr Nathan
Ashby dismissed the matter violently
What harm could they do?''
The Ashby Brass company. like
many manufacturing concerns, had
| the laboratory for the trying out OF
new processes or devices, and men
who were experimenting with a new
device worked there also in the even
ing. Ingouf and Enloe were ma
| chinists who had been working to-
| gether on a new type of valve, Jim
| Ashby knew. Indeed, his father re-
| Gently had relieved them of their reg
ular tasks to give all their days, at
the company's expense, to perfecting
the valve. It was not strange, there.
fore, that they wished to use the labo-
ratory that evening. But, as jim
heard the request, he started. He
could not see Bob's face at that mo-
ment, and the next Wendell was out
/ Of the room with Nellie.
Jim had told Agnes that he would
call that evening; and, since he had
been engaged, he usually had hurried
| direct to her home after dinner; but
/ now, when he left the house, he took
his car on the road toward the factory
Bob's bomb was all foolishness, OF
course. There could be no such or
i ganiZation of spies in America ever
lie there was to be a war, and there
was not to be any war. The evening
bulletins were perfectly definite abou
/ that. The bomb-if 1t were bomb
had been made partly out of meta
cast at the Ashby works. but any ont
1 hIS,Al AhNS LhC NootAAeos eAAe
the contraption must be the work Of
some crazy crank. He was going Il
the works to prove that
Il He knew perfectly well that Bob,
bomb never was made at the factor.
when he was there. The only posi-
bility was that it might have beer
made In the laboratory after hours
But would 1t be made by Ingouf ant
Enloe? Foreigners, to be sure, blu
two of the steadiest and most depend
able men i'll the place and the bes
workmen.l As Jim entered the factor.
the idea was SO absurd that he fel
like fool when he looked into thu
laboratory where the two maehinist
were working together at lathe re
shaping some part of their valve. jim
made an excuse for coming in, Wen
to his office as though he had for
gotten something, and, leaving tn
building. he hurried away by anothe
road toward the Wares place.
A youth of eighteen was coming GU
of the house as Jim left his car ant
started up the gravel walk He wa
Martin, Agnes brother.
"Hellov' Martin hailed his prospec
tive brother -in-law with more thai
usual interest Say, have you seel
Lieutenant Wendell recently
Jim shook hands formally with tn
boy. why, yes. Mart; | saw hin
about half an hour ago"
Say, what does he say about tn
news from the other side?"
Jim, weary OF the discussion, ges
tured deprecatingly. "Oh, the sam
old scare stuff: that's all"
SIS Agnes home, Mart?'
"Agnes?" Martin recollected- "Ot
have you come to see her? Well.
should say she's not home. Since 20
ask me. she got peek at you throug
the porch periscope and at once di
the retreat to the Marne out the bac
way. Say, is Lieutenant Wendell stf
up at your house? I'd Ike to go an
! see him.
"He was there when I left" jill
granted.
a girl in white was standing res
lessly within the front door. She wa
brown haired young girl. gray EYED
! with smooth, clear skin which wa
flushed now in her eagerness, and sh
, stamped her little foot impatiently q