Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-22

the electric current. hanging empty by
4 the switch In the power house. A pot
" pourri of emotions seethed through his
= mind. A feeling of distaste that one
who was. in all outward appearances. so
square and true. so refined, should lend
her ceverness to the furtherance of
+ German plots mingled with his feeling
Z or personal disappointment. He owned
frankly to himself, that he did not want
Dixie Mason to be anything but as good
and true as she was beautiful, that he
had wanted her SO because-he had
s cared for her. But any such feeling
was impossible now. She had proved II.
Her apparent friendliness with the Ger
man element was born of copartnership
in their crimes; her interest in Won
Lertz had come through the fact that
abe too. was coworker in Imperial
Germany's great game of murder CO.
piotter In the destruction of American
Industries. American peace of mind,
American lives, He could see no alter
native but that he should blot out this
love for her that had grown in spite OF
him, and once more register report
against her. "
report at the chiefs office;
"We will investigate the charge, he
was assured You need concern your.
= self no further with it." The similarity
Z OF the announcement to those following
Y hts other reports of Dixie Mason Jared
& strangely on Grant He could not fathom
= the mystery of events unless-a subtle
X hone suddenly sprang into existence,
Could II be possible that there was some
good reason for her activities other than
interest I'm the Germans? Might 1t De
that the main office was holding infor-
: nation from him that would explain II
all. Grant pursued this line of reasoning
because it held out hope Tor mn, nm anu tn1.
4 Removed the cause of his 6istrust tor
Dixie Mason. But once more II brought
him up against blank wall of useless
coniectures. ea,
Service she would have told him SO in
the powerhouse instead of allowing him
Z to think her German spy, arrest her
and then put her to the trouble ana dan-
y TER Of freeing herself by such precarious
means. If the arrest had gone through
and she had been a member or the serN-
Ice she would haze hsd so TO why si no IN
= the beginning? More than that, what
4 possible reason could there be for her TO
conceal her affiliation with the service
~ she were in il?
All of which goes to prove how futile
z ID the attempt of one mind to reason as
another would. For there had been seN,
eral reasons why Dixie Mason concealed
her connection with the Secret Service.
/. The first and biggest was her order from
: the chief that she work herself into tne
confidence Of those highest III Germanys
I spy system in the United States. and
that she tell no one of her connection
with the Secret Service Another very
GOOD reason for her not revealing her
f861ue status to Grant flashed into her
61li1 as she stood at the switchboard
listening to Grants accusation that she
had been instrumental in causing the
Works, II it had been so simple a
6 thing for Grant to believe. why could
she not convince Won Lertz and his Ger
man friends that she had done this thing
! which would mean SO much to them and
4 90 lay the foundation for a confidence
which would help her obtain their Sc
! crets by established right? It was
4 GOOD idea.
The night of his
disappearance from
Dixie Mason the powerhouse she
Makes Appoint called Won Lertz
ment on the telephone.
to my apartment,
: Boon? At once IL possible. 1t is very inn
portant And please bring sharp file
with you-yes rather large. I'll explain.
Y Thank you. Good-by." She hung up the
receiver with a triumphant smile. The
s smile fingered as she deliberated on the
I events of the evening. She was very
Hired. but she must bring this latest af-
fair to successful close The oppor-
tunity was too great to pass by.
She heard shortly the sound of Won
Lertz's car drawn up to the curb and "A
few moments later the bell of the apart
* Iu6nI rang. Cne ran 10 open IL herself.
/ and. as Won Lertz entered. she held up
4 laughingly a little hand about whose
wrist dangled one manacle of a pair of
y handouts.
Ale for. Will you help me take II OFF,
Che seated herself on a low stool beside
the great armchair into which Won Lertz
n threw himself with easy familiarity.
Take it of and ] will tell you all
about It,, It's long. long story. and
4 Tn tired. and when ] get through !
4 have a right to be tired" With quick
y interest Won Lertz bent over the little
wrist with it's strange adornment, and
a. Dixie in low tones told her story
K Won lsertz filed away at the manacle.
"The electrician mistook me for
Madame Stephan, think, J was stand
ing by the powerhouse and he came run
q ming past. followed by the chief watch
man" She stopped meditatively. DO
you think ] look like Madame Stephan
Won Lertz glanced up impatiently.
i both dark. But the story, What hap
soh. yes." Dixie. obediently and naive
~ took up the tale convinced that she
J: was really Interesting him. II was
g standing there and he called. I ran
4 into the powerhouse and threw the
switch. Then there was this awful ex-
snoke and fame. The watchman ran
: IN and arrested me. When some one
called him out he handcuffed me to the
frician's box and | put it on. Then I
pulled the handcuff over the switch and
II melted and | got away. but took this
Z one with me-"
Dixie paused for breath and gazsd at
him soulfully out of great dark eyes,
loubting for an instant her ability as a
romencer.
Won Lertz stopped filing for moment
& and gazed at her in admiration, IL he
I had any doubts. the handcuff had con-
5ls~ss.Poor little girl. But that was great
Why, you are a little heroine.
xk IL fhad only trusted you before.
!. 2Rnf wonderful things you might have
~ doing for Imperial Germany with
110F clevernsss and Willingness to be
a ~ oarvice." With a final chilling rasp
s - Ale was applied to the steel once
+ Sro and slipped through the link.
f'hsre, that's on. Tomorrow morning
~ will 60 TO Captain Won Papen's office.
~ G1u and !. and tell him of your wonder-
IM 6xploit."
b1xie smiled sIt's very kind of you.
3n1 will be glad TO co. Just how glad
<ke did not go into details to tell him.
Her plans were working out too well.
Won Lertz called
for her very early
The visit the next morning.
10 Dixie thrilled with
|H Ven Pspen the excitement Of
AZ the experience she
M was about to have
- the car threaded its way dowR the
- lanes OF traffic into lower New
X0fk and the canyons of Wall street
~kefo Won Papen's office was located.
y nko found Madam Stephan, Ger
t nnV9 greatest woman spy, there. and