The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1918-04-24


best, wao Herman SD'er'a p poor
thing at that. Next to II was old Adel-
bert's. At the extreme end of the mar
row corridor, in passage almost
blocked by old furniture, was another
room, sort of attic, with slanting
roof.
Making sure that old Adelbert did
not hear them, they went back to this
door, which the concierge unlocked.
Inside the room was dark. The taper
showed little. AS their eyes became
accustomed to the darkness, the out
lines Of the attic stood revealed, junk
room, piled high with old trunks, and
In one corner bed.
Black Humbert, taper in hand, APP
preached the bed. Herman remained
near the door. Now, with the candle
near, the bed revealed man lying
on it, and tied with knotted ropes; Il
young man, with sunken cheeks and
weary, desperate eyes. Beside him,
on a chair, were the fragments of a
meal, bit of broken bread, some cold
soup, on which grease had formed
firm coating.
Lying there, sleeping and waking
and sleeping again, young Haeckel,
one time of his majesty's secret serv-
ice and student I'm the university, had
lost track of the days. He knew not
how long he had been a prisoner, ex-
cept that 1t had been eternities. Twice
day, morning and evening, came his
jailer and loosened his bonds, brought
food, of a sort, and allowed him, not
out of mercy, but because it was the
committees pleasure that for a time
he should live, to move about the room
and bring blood again to his numbed
limbs.
The concierge united him, and stood
back. SNOW" he said.
But the boy-he was no more-lay
still. He made one effort to rise, and
fell back.
up with you'll" said the concierge,
and jerked him to his feet. He caught
the rail of the bed, or he would have
fallen. "Now-stand like man."
He stood then, facing his captors
without defiance. He had worn all
| that out in the first days of his i'm
prisonment.
"WellT' he said at last. 81 thought
you've been here once tonight"
Fright, my cuckoo. But tonight l
do you double honor"
But seeing that Haeckel was sway
ing, he turned to Herman Spier. eco
down." he said, "and bring up some
/ brandy. He can do nothing for us In
! this state"
He drank the brandy eagerly when
| 1t came, and the concierge poured him
a second quantity. What with weak
ness and slow starvation, it did what
no threat of personal danger would
have done. 1t broke down his resist
ance. Not Immediately. He fought
hard, when the matter was first
preached to him. But in the end he
took the letter and, holding it close to
the candle, he examined it closely.
/ His hands shook, his eyes burned.
The two terrorists watched him.
Brandy or no brandy, however, he
had not lost his wits. He glanced up
suddenly. Tell me something about
this" he said. "And what II you do
for me If l decode it?" O.,
The concierge would promise any
thing, and did. Haeckel listened, and
knew the offer of liberty was a lie.
But there was something about the
story of the letter itself that bore the
hall marks of truth.
, "YOu see," finished Black Humbert
cunningly, "she-this lady of the court
is plotting with some one, or so we
suspect. If it is only liaison-"
He spread his hands. "If, as is pos
sible, she betrays us to Karnia, that
we should find out. 1t is not" he
added, "among our plans that Karnia
should know too much of u.s."
The brandy was still working, but
the spy's mind was clear. He asked
for. a pencil, and set to work. After
all. If there was spy of Karls in the
palace, 1t were well to know it. He
tried complicated methods first, to find
that the body of the letter. after all,
was simple enough. BY reading every
tenth word, he got a consistent mes
sage, save that certain supplies, over
which the concierge had rallied, were
special code words for certain regi-
ments. These he could not decipher.
"Whoever was to receive this" he
said at last, "would have been in
possession of complete data of the
army, equipment and all, and the loca-
ton of various regiments. Probably
you and your band of murderers have
that already"
! The concierge nodded no whit ruff
fed. "And for whom was 1t intended"
81 cannot say. The address is fic-
titious, of course"
Black Humbert scowled. $50" he
said. you tell us only part!"
"There is nothing else to tell. Save,
as l have written here. the writer
ends: Il must see you at once. Let me
know where"
The brandy was getting In its work