Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-11-03
THRILLING STORY OF LOVE AND ADVENTURE.
Gemanys Greatest Woman Sou

! enthusiastic. o
And my part in the grim plot?" I
Il am coming to your part. an
pealed to our Berlin bureau for a wo-
man who could not be suspected OF be-
,ns or resembling German. That is
IN your present disguise. This even
| ing you dine at the hotel restaurant.
WIZ place you at a table opposite
Ina tnat OF Legnier's; he brides me TO seat
lou are dressed like an English lady.
ana you VIII carry cane which have
r rrawed o ,or YOU. with your name en-
ninS faris are now carrying a dainty
cane The devil will observe you when
you enter ne room He will say: Hart
here in this hotel?' / will answer. T
saw her here several times since the
i ,a!s lev days. l hear that she is an
AT my table. This morning she asked
me IL knew an art dealer 10 whom
She can ca, sen h several of her paintings:
she she, wishes an Offering for it, That
VII! orlhs the devil to our table
~ know his love of Corot too we'll
ne VIII fall and his fall will be great
and IT VIII be his last fall"
Oar, regarding ms part in the
plot. l complained.
ORDERED TO USE WITS
TO BEGuIfE BUREAU CHIEF
or course you are, dear countess,
nc comes TO you, asks me to make an
appointment for him to meet you in
the hotel corridor. But rather think
mat he will come to you himself II
IS then Tor you to use your wits TO en-
tice him here: These your rooms
GU must Insist that he see the Corot
TINS very evening. for at IL tonight
no is 10 take part at an important rn:i-
itary council at which. beside others
All the chiefs OF the French military
IA
very evening. before he attends this
council he mus; be put out OF the
But how was growing impa-
tient.
Two assistants 1 Will have hidden
II, IN this very room. With their help
your part is to bring him here. Hart
mann viii look after the rest
VII YOU murder him here" I de-
Place VIII be raided. 1t is too danger
part in this plot"
Five minutes after he enters this room
ne VIII be no more. In another fifteen
minutes you have returned TO your real
self, Mata Hart. the dancer. the idol
Of Paris. In another half an hour you
are speeding for the frontier. AS 10
m, ne ana my associates, no one knows
notei continental, is the occupant OF
these rooms. These rooms have been
occupied during the last two months
BY two Spanish dancing ladies'" who
have already left Paris three DAYS ago
tor Berlin. DO you understand now"
~. But Why could you not have seduced
demanded.
My dear countess. am not atr,!d
French secre; police suspected
waiter employed at the French res
taurant as an agent of the Fatherland.
ha
spy on France. Every German secret
agent II. France in the guise of
waiter would be eexiled from French
SOL. DO make il plain?'
l agreed with Hartmann's reasoning.
PREPARES FOR THE GAME
OF DESPERATE DEEDS
Hartmann left me for his restaurant
t tao at Hotel Gon,inental. l prepared
decided by Hartmann entered the cafe
as a.. arranged. was led TO a table. II
very next table opposite me there he
S wondsro d big Sos shameless individual:
appearance could have SO much e eievePr
ness hidden within him. On seeing me
seated at my table he gave me search
with firmness and set my piercing eyes
on him until he lowered his.
and ri o then my table
taken notice of you, keep in full pos
session of your wits"
TO kafs s pi my eyes s. on the menu, said
Hartmann took my order and was
Legnier motioned him to his table and
taking the menu in hand said some /
thing to him. Hartmann answered at
again raised his black eyes and glanced
at me-. but this time the mans face
y sepv = 1, a ,i great change He seemed
When Hartmann returned to me with
my dinner he said with suppressed ex-
uitation: He is interested. he will |
hGmember. this evening, You must |
take him there this very evening"
en;s Was half through when Legnier had
ne III cigar and fingered over his |
Hewspaper and coffee: no doubt waiting |
ioT TIME me to oa finish with my dinner.
came to him with his hat. AZ ne an
preached my table he bowed low and !
s ga a., Pardon ri Madame, my waiter. with
has Just told me that you have a Corot |
I1r w na hoS you desire an offer. VIII
Il am stopping very near this hotel |
you can see it this evening" said. |
Not t9.night. will tomorrow night
am sorry, monsieur; it must be
w = NJ SeS eral dealers nave already |
made offers for my Corot. II NAV he |
that one of them will be waiting for
me al my rooms. Tomorrow morning
leave Paris to join my husband in |
India or course. am anxious to |
receive as many offers as I possibly
can"
Why does madame wish to part with
her painting?"
my husband has been appointed to
distant Indian post. He wishes me
to meet him there. At distant India
we may not have walls on which to
hang. Corots," 1 answered. began to
trcmble.
TAKES THE FIRST TRICK
AS VICTIM WALKS INTO TRAP
Leon Legnier dcliberatcd for n sec
ond or so. and suddenly said: IT will
see 1t this evening. VIII madame lead
me to the place at oncc?"
The cafe was nearly deserted In
order that Hartmann should have time
to finish with his last guest 7 pur-
poscly fingered long over my coffee.
Lcgnier had already seated himself at
the table with me. At last received
n aIC from II n RI m n inf i