The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-12-24
4 - n - n m - n N n - AM,S
THE BOMB" PLOT.
by JOHN c. WELDON.

pet can 90 my DIT running down Sple
and traitorsw
The announcement began doloroul
~. 1t terminated In positive burs
of enthusiasm from Dacre. His fiance
Regarded him proudly. but with woI
der-eyes tinged with token of feal
Don't run into danger, Elston r. sh
urged. Father says you are doin
your full duty In encouraging other
to serve your country In a noble, sell
sacrificing way"
Perhaps" acceded Dacre, "but
want real action. think | shall 60 OF
j hunt for SPIES"
u As Dacre had often expressed 1t, h,
was a patriot from way back" III,
had met with an accident the first da,
of recruiting for the war; breaking ;
limb. At the end of three months h,
had limped down TO the recruiting of
dee to be Informed by the examining
surgeon that 1t void take year, may
be two, to straighten out the injured
member.
He was engaged to Lille Burton, and
that CHEEKY, loyal little specimen OF
femininity was well worthy of his re-
gard. She deplored his new resolution
but did not express her full opinion,
and sighed as her lover left her that
evening, for Dacre was thorough In his
activities and would ferret out spies
and traitors, If anybody could.
En ri fa
what she believed to be waste of his
time, but her lover was headstrong.
She missed him and she worried about
him for about week. Then she re-
ceived letter from him dated at Els
dene, manufacturing town thirty
miles away.
II am on the verge of great dis
Eovery," wrote Dacre. DAY and night
am watching two suspicious stran-
gers who have been in Elsdene for a
week. They are up to some big plot.
q know this much: 1t involves bombs,
land an airship."
Really, Dacre had some basis for his
sensational suspicious. He had struck
j.'his clue" after several days hanging
taround Elsdene. At its principal hotel
lone evening he was seated reading
newspaper, when man lolling in the
next chair started up and shook hands
with newcomer, greeting him effus-
lively.
."Glad you've come. Hard work kill
ling time in this dead town." spoke the
first man.
Got delayed" explained the new
conner. mo easy task finding an avi-
Iator with machine to accommodate
all the truck we will have to carry, be-
side ourselves"
Bombs all ready and shipped?"
And the airship will be on hand as
soon as our baggage is at the rendez-
vous. We win start tomorrow evening.
If the sky is clear. The trail runs over
twenty towns, you know, and we drop |
the bombs directly over the center OF |
leach"
Bombs !" repeated Dacre In a |
Ibreathless gasp, as the two men moved |
away. why! they are going to make |
ia regular raid on every town in the
county"
Dacre was terrlfically stirred up.
What should he do? Here was posi-
tive evidence of deadly work. Dacre
did not close his eyes In sleep; he
scarcely ate for twenty-four hours.
The next afternoon he traced the two
men to garage. They went inside,
made some arrangement with the pro-
prietor and went away. Dacre sought
an immediate interview with the ga
rage owner. He learned that the two
men had ordered an automobile and
driver to take them over to Leeville,
twenty miles away, at six o'clock.
Dacre Influenced the garage man to let
him act as chauffeur. Two hours later
he was at the wheel. Just at dusk the
two men left the machine at Leeville. ,
They struck off down lonely country '
road. On foot Dacre followed them at {
a safe distance.
1t was an hour later when they
climbed a fence and at an opening,
amid dense grove of saplings, came .
upon an airship. Beside it, in boxes, !
were black round objects, supplied f
with fuses and having also appended g
a square package done up in thin It's
sue paper. n
A third man welcomed them and all I
hands proceeded to pile in the bomb u
ike objects. The trio were evidently y
lbout to start their flight. Dacre had a
.wo revolvers. There was no time to
ose if he hoped to prevent a desperate Il
,omb raid. A weapon in either hand b
lie rushed forward, stumbled over g
coping vine, one revolver was dis
harged and his head struck a tree n
lump, stunning him.
When Dacre returned to conscious y
less it was to find himself tied to a y
rec. He heard a whirring sound n
loft and looked up. The airship was cI
apidly moving In the direction of Lee
lille. bl
Suddenly a spark of light showed u
he running fire of quick fuse. The dl
omb was driving downwards. There l
as a brilliant explosion In midair, a !,
raceful spark of colored fireballs and Il
thousand white paper objects show h,
red earthwards.
Dacre tugged at his hands desper- "
tely. At last he managed to free him W
If. He started ON a dead run e.
eeville TO telephone a warning TO ~
her towns. AZ he reached Leeville ~,