Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-05-04


to English. But. you see, in a case
like mine | have to intrude'-it was
"haf'' and "indrude' as Woodhouse
gave these words-"because | could
not be here during your office hours.
You will pardonY
DR.. Koch's eyes widened just percep-
tibly at the hint of a Germanic strain
in his visitors speech-just a hint
quickly CLOSED over. But still he re.
manned standing in his former atti-
tude of annoyance.
WAS the sun, then, too hot to ber-
NIT you to come to my house during
regular Office hours? At nights l see
10 batients-bositively none"
"The sun-perhaps," Woodhouse re-
piled g%uardedly. But as happened
just to arrive today from Marseilles
mended to me as one to consult in a
case such as nine
"Where was Y name recommended
to you and by whom?" DR.. Koch inter
rupted in sudden interest.
Woodhouse looked at him steadily.
"In Berlin-and by a friend of yours"
he answered.
"IndeedY' The doctor stepped back
from the doors and motioned his visi-
tor into the consultation room.
$50 a friend-a friend In Berlin told
you to consult me, Ell? Berlin is a
long way from Ramleh, especially in
these times. Greater physicians than
| live in Berlin. Why
my friend in Berlin told me you
were the only physician who could
help me in my peculiar trouble" I'M
~perceptibly the %accenting of the aspir-
ates in Woodhouse's speech grew more
marked; his voice took on a throaty
character. "By some specialists my
life ever has been set to end in a GER
tain year, so sure is fate for those af-
ficted like myself"
80? What year is it, then, you
die?" DR.. Koch's strangely detached
eyes-those eyes of glass glowing DIM
ly in the shadow-seemed to flicker
palely with a light all their own. Cap
tain Woodhouse, sitting under the
white spray of the shaded mean
descent, looked up carelessly to meet
the stare.
"Why, they give me plenty of time
to enjoy myself" he answered, with
a light laugh. "They say in 1892
Nineteen thirty-two!' DIR. Koch
stepped lightly to the closed folding
doors, trundled them back an inch to
assure himself nobody was in the wait
ing room, then closed and locked them.
He did similarly by a hidden door on
the opposite side of the room which
Woodhouse had not seen. After that
he pulled a chair close to his visitor
and sat down, his knees almost touch
ing the others. He spoke very low in
German.
"If your trouble is so serious that
you will die in 1892 l must, of course.
examine you for-symptoms."
For half a minute the two men look
ed fXedly at each other. Woodhouse's
right hand went slowly to the big
green scarab stuck in his cravat- He
pulled the pin out, turned it over in
his fingers and by pressure caused the
scarab to pop out of the gold backed
setting holding it. The bit of green
stone lay in the palm of his left hand,
it's back exposed. In the followed
back of the beetle was a small square
of paper folded infinitely. This Wood
house removed, unfolded and passed
to the physician. The latter seized it
avidly, holding it close to his specta-
cled eyes and then spreading it against
the light as If to read a secret water
mark. A smile struggled through the
jungle of his beard. He found Wood
houses hand and grasped it warmly.
"Your symptom TALES with my dag
-nosis-1932," he began rapidly. Five
days ago we heard from the Wilhelm
strasse you would come. We have ex-
pected you each day now. Already we
have got word through to our friends
at Gibraltar of the plan. They are
waiting for you"
"Goodr' WOodhouse commented. He
was busy refolding the thin slip Of pa
per that had been his taiisman and fit
ting it into the back of the scarab.
"Woodhouse-he is already at the Ho-
tel khedive; saw his name on the
register when I landed from the Castle
this morning" Now the captain was
talking in familiar German.
quite So" DR.. Koch put in. Wood
house came down from Wady Halfa
yesterday. Our man up there had ad-
vised of the time of his arrival in Alex
andria to the minute. The captain has
his ticket for the Princess Mary, which
sails for Gibraltar day after tomorrow
at dawn"
No. 1882 listened to DR.. Koch's out
lining of the plot with set features.
Only his eyes showed that he was
acutely alive to every detail. Said he:
But Woodhouse-this British cap
tain who's being transferred from the
Nile country to the Rock-has he ever
served there before? If he has, why,
when l get ~there-when 1 am Captain
WoOdhorSa of thn SIGNAL Snrvica-T will