Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-08-06

leaned toward his fellOw-spy.
$50 soonY'
"They march fast" Larry said.
Here the road forks One turns to
the left. the other to the right. The
safety Of your fort depends on which
road they take"
Il know" the other assented, "And
on their arrival woman will send us
word by our telephone"
Larry had not learned that.
"A womanT' he exclaimed. "Who is
she?"
II do not know, m'sieu.'
AIS she here nowT' Larry persisted.
A suspicion had suddenly swept across
his mind, filling him half with hope,
half with fear, that the unknown wom-
an might be Ethel Willoughby
The Frenchman shook his head.
mo, m'sieu, wait her return" he
explained.
"She was not perhaps Madame de
Lorde-" Larry unused.
II was not told her name, mseu. l
am to find her by code"
II thought possibly it might be
Madame de Lorde,' Larry told him.
Until two days ago we We're work
ing together in Brussels. Then l had
to leave. thought she might
have come this way" He slipped off
the table onto his feet ''Still no mat
terri he added, as the French spy
looked at him a bit too inquringly
you can depend on this womanf" he
inquired.
The fellow shrugged his shoulders.
"She seryese General Jacques He
trusts her." he replied as II that fact
absolved him of responsibility
/ Explain everything carefully to
her." Larry cautioned him.
Everything. m'sieu!" the little mar
promised. "Shall you return here
Iater?" he asked. as Larry started tc
leave him.
II do not know IL my regiment will
stop here, or if it will 20 on: so !
must rely on you and the woman. u
/ Captain Redmond warned him. IRE
member--t is Imperative your general
know If the attack be direct or by a
fanking movement"
Yes, yes. Now | shall get
the telephone" the Gallo gentleman
announced. And then he exclaimed
quickly, in French "Vous avez raj
sonw
His change to his own language. no
less than the infection of warning in
his voice brought Captain Redmond
around sharply; and he saw that they
were 10 longer alone, 1t was the inn
keeper. Henri Christophe. who had
come back to serve his lesurey pat
ron.
"Ah. gentlemen. Something to
drink Christophe asked them, rub
bling his hands in anticipation of the
feel of good coin in them.
mo, thank you. My friend is leav-
ing now" the Frenchman said
"But l will be back soon," Larry
promised. And with that Henri Chris
topic had to be content.
Again the indefatigable newspaper
reader returned to his favorte pas
time, while Henri Christophe regarded
him with a mild nensiveness. The fell
low hal loafed much in his inn during
the past two days, but he had been al
/ together too abstemious to suit the pro-
/ prietOr's notions of what was due him
! from guest. And then all at once old
Henrl's face turned happy once mo4,
/ at the sight Of quaint little creature
who tripped into the room and called
to him:
"Ah, father! Yon are home again!
What news Of the war;"
Nothing, ma petite" he said.
"Nothing. DO not be alarmed"
"But all say the Germans are com
Ing through Belgium" she told him
plalntively.
Her remark seemed to e2asperate
him What with poor business, and
The worry OF the last few days--for
Henri Christophe did not entirely share
the complacency Of his more placid
patrons regarding rumors that were I'm
the afr what with those things to
trouble him his patience had become
finespun The good God knew that he
did not desire war to sweep over his
fathcrland. He hoped passonately that
1t might escape that calamity. And
drcading 1t as he did, hc took occasion,
whenever the possibility was men
toned, to dcnounce the contingency
as being beyond reason. Somehow. he
derived comfort simply from asserting
his disbelief in Mch a thing.
"All say IT," he repeated after her
with an irritation which was strange
In him. 80 always ii is, with you
womcn--you exaggerate every rumor,"
he cried. II tell you--your fathcr-we
are neutral country. All the big ma
tons they have promised US that our
land Is safe from invasion. II is near
~ a hundred years since they gave us
their word and always they have kept
| IT,"
"But still | am frightened" his