The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-12-09


walls solid and unbroken, save for
small round opening directly opposite.
l turned inquiringly to Brandt.
Rather a neat arrangement, he
commented dryly. Absolute quiet
assured Tradition has 1t that the
owners brother became insane from
drink, and this room was originally
prepared to keep him In until he re
covered, thus avoiding an unpleasant
notoriety. You Will kindly enter, Mon
sieur."
His tone, the expression on his face,
was a command, and l stepped over
the threshold, still facing them
81 believe there Is nothing more
we can do for your comfort, he went
on, rather enjoying the situation
"There Is running water In the corner;
no luxuries, of course, but all that
soldier requires. If the bed Is hard
you may have more opportunity Tor
thought My offer remains twenty
five thousand, Monsieur, and a guard
will remain without"
l did not answer, and he laughed,
signaling Swigert to close the door. 1t
swung into place with a clang, and
l heard the bar forced down into Its
sockets For an instant l stood mo
tionless staring at the painted iron,
half suspecting I was IN q dream
Yet this stupOr was but for the IN
night were, rapidly as they had oc-
CURED, 1t was impossible for me to
ignore their reality. The warning OF
nv superiOrs IN France flashed across
my brain; they had appreciated, as
] had not, the desire OF other nations
to appropriate our secrets. Yet, even
now, 1t was almost impossible for me
to conceive that such ruthless tactics
would be resorted to. This was the
twentieth century, not the seven
teenth, and the heart OF a great city
Outside, almost within reach OF my
voice, was modern cIvlllzatlon-law,
the police, the newspapers, the quiet
home-iife OF millions. Yet here L
was, a prisoner In a dungeon, as com
pletely In Brandt's power as though
a captive of the Middle Ages. 1
had read of such things IN fiction,
and laughed at their imprObabilty
l had supposed the War Office, IN
their warning, had merely meant that
l should beware of spies To that
end I had taken every ordinary pre-
caution, bearing on my person no
papers of value, and having the hangar
guarded night and day. But / had
never anticipated a situation ike this
Keen as was the rivalry In aeronautics
throughout Europe, 1t had never once
occurred to me that my invention was
of q great money value to T1Va
nallOug Ina6 It's
resort to force to make me revea
the secret. But I knew now, and the
shock of discovery was Ike blow
Brandt was In deadly earnest, and hac
already gone too far to hesitate a
going further. His were no idle threats
however smilingly uttered. his repu
tation convinced me of that, even j
had not read the truth In the fac
of the man. He had the name of re
sorting to desperate means, and morl
than one whispered story of his deal
ing In such matters, came hauntIngiy Il
memory Some of these even hiDteC
. vaguely at murder, at mysterious DIS
appearances, at actual robbery Il
Paris some wag had nick-named hin
''the last resort Then-then 1 wa
not only battling for honor, for tn
safeguarding of q French secret
my very life was IN peril
1 seemed to awaken anew at tn
thought, and my eyes, which hai
been staring, unseeing, at that no
door, glanced about over the era
walls of cement. I was trapped hk
L =