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

Club passed days, of waiting armed and
ready for any emergency that might
arise, Dixie pursued her purpose with re-
lentless activity in and around Exeter
She first of all established the fact
that the undertaking business of J. b.
Dollings was a comparatively new de-
parture. That while he had several as
sistants constantly in attendance his es-
tablishment was little patronizcd and he
made no efforts to gain patronage. Dixie
found that Heinrich Won Lertz and
Madame Stephan made their daily head
quarters in new. roughly constructed
building among the hills at the out
skirts of the village where small city
of tents had sprung up miraculously,
housing laborers strangely inactive and
n grading outfit. She found that hum
dreds Of men were gathering daily. AT
night, smuggled close to a great boulder,
Dixie watched the activities of the camp
and saw wagons loaded ito their limit
with supplies winding their way along
the gorge reads. And she saw the men
gathering at the board building for
meetings.
One afternoon Dixie. attractive In
spite of dirty face. towsled mop of hair,
rough clothes. ran across the street tc
]. b. Dolingss shop
"a >carload of
caskets just came
rifles Shipped in for you. Mr..
10 German Re- Dollings" Mr. Doll
servists in ingss long, clawlike
Caskets fingers clutched the
bill in obvious ex
ctement.
"Where--where are they?" He reached
for his hat and hurried around the
counter.
The caskets? Over on the first track.
I'll show you-
NO. never mind. never mind. The
n"'eT nr ri Or ns ,nf | Gn %s 'rS Dixie H "sered
outside che heard him calling foarsely,
"Bloedt! Rudolph Mahlen! The
caskets have come. Get teams at once.
We must unload them at once. Hurry!
Must send telegram
Dixie listened speculatively. Mr.:
Dollings was exhibiting an unheard-of
amount of excitement over carload OF
caslxets for one who was an undertaken.
And a carload of caskets for an under
Her speculations were cut short by
the rumble of express wagons. They
drove through the yards to the car.
One of the men broke the seal while
Dollings hustled about. excitedly issu-
ing orders Dixie found place where
she could watch them without being
seen.
Carefully the gruesome boxes were
unloaded and carried cut TO the express
wagons She saw two wagons loaded
and driven across the street to the shop.
Her ruminations over their disposal were
cut short by a crash ana sound OF
Splintering wood whicn quickly drought
her attention back to the unloading
process.
Dollings's voice was raised in angry
expCstulation.
"Donnerwetter Why didn't YOU hold
on to that end Here. you Bloedt. cover
up that end. Quick! Mahlen, you'
too
Dixie slipped down behind the freight
car and peeped under 1t. She could see
plainly the splntered box. And though
the men were vainly trying to conceal
its contents she could see them 1T was
no casket that the box contained. Slip
ping out from its broken boards were
rifles! Military rifles!
Antf the car had been filled with scores
OF boxes similar to this. This was the
cause of Dollings's excitement Here
were rifles enough to fit out hundreds CT
men who were gathering at the borders
of Canada waiting the hour to strike.
The men at the grading camp We're there
awaiting these arms. As soon as they
were fitted out the time would be ripe
for the invasion which the powers above
them had planned.
Then Dixie remembered the telegram
that Dollings had FASTENED tC send as
soon as the car had been reported.
She hurried back into the station. The
station agent had left. There were no
trains due until late In the evening She
let herself into the office and reached
for the kilograms which had been filed