Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-01-27

#Et-
pected to have some knowledge OF
the signal tower, to which you will
haxe access" Almer climbed a chair
on the opposite side Of the room,
threw open the face of the old Dutch
clock there, and removed from Its In
terror a thin roll of blue drafting pa
per. He put it in Woodhouse's hands.
Here are a few plans of>the interior
of the signal tower-the best could
get. You will study them tonight;
but give me your word to burn them
before you sleep"
Very good" Woodhouse slipped
the roll into the breast pocket Of his
coat. Almer leaned forward in a gust
of excitement, and. bringing his mouth
close to the others ear, whispered
hoarsely:
"England's Mediterranean fleet
twenty-five dreadnaughts. with crllis-
ers and destroyers-nearly a half OF
Britain's navy, will be here any day,
hurrying back to guard the channel.
They will anchor in the straits. Our
big moment-it will be here then!
Listen, Room D in the signal tower
that is the room. All the electric
switches are there. From Room D
every mine in the harbor can be ex-
ploded In ten seconds"
eyes. but how to get to Room DE-
Woodhouse queried.
Simple. Two doors to Room D,
Captain: an outer door like any 9TH
er; an inner door Of steel, protected
by a combination lock like a vaults
door. Two men on the Rock have
that combination: Major Bishop, chief
signal officer. he has it in his head;
the encouragement of the Rock, he
has it in his safe"
1--WE can get it out of the safe eas-
Ter than from Major Bishops head"
Woodhouse put in. with a smile.
Right. We have a friend-in the
governors own house, man with a
number from the Wilhelmstrasse like
you and me. AT any moment in the
last two months he could have lald a
hand on that combination. But we
thought 1t better to wait until neces-
sity came. When the fleet arrives
YOU will have that combination; you
will go to Room D. and after that
"The deluge," the other finished. .
"Yes-yes! Our country master OF
the sea at last, and by the work OF
the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. spies
who are shot like dogs when they're
caught, but die heroes deaths" The
hotel proprietor checked himself In
the midst of his rhapsody, and came
back to more practical details:
But this, aftern oon-that man from
from Alexandria who called you by
name. That looked bad-very bad.
He knows something's" Is
Woodhouse, who had been expect.
ing the question, and who preferred
not to share an anxiety he felt HIM
self best fitted to cope with alone,
turned the others question aside:
Never met him before in my life
to my best recollection. My name he
picked up on the Princess Mary, of
course; l won a pool one day, and
he may have heard some n mention
it. Simply a drunken brawler who
didn't know what he was doing"
Almer seemed satisfied, but raised
another point: \
But the girl who has just left
here: am I to have no explanation OF
herr"
What explanation do you want?'
the captain demanded CURLY.
"She recognized you. Who is she?
What is she?" w..
"Devilish unfortunate" Woodhouse
admitted. I'VE met g. few weeks ago
on a train, while ! was on my way to
Egypt, you know. Chatted together
oh, very informally. She is a capable
young woman from the States-a buy
| err she calls herself. But I don't think
we need fear complications from that
score; she's bent only on getting
home" .
"The situation is dangerous" urged
Almer, wagging his head. "She is
stopping at the governors house; any
reference she might make about
meeting you on a train on the Con-
tinent when you were supposed to be
at Wady Halfa on the Nile"
] Il have her promise she will not