The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-05-11

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had been scheduled for that night
and naming the location and the
| freight yards.
Again and again Harrison Grant
sent out the caIl-at last to receive
| an answer. Then his message snap
ped over the airlanes to the city be-
yond:
"Criminology club!
Meet me Stevens Point quick.
Come armed. Harrison Grant"
And while Harrison Grant waited
Dixie Mason, her automobile hidden
in the shadow Of the old rock
crusher, crept to the side of the little
shack at Crows Crossing. The sound
OF voices came from within Low. i'll
distinct Again and again Dixie
strove to hear what was being said-
but only failure greeted her. ,Then--
Through the knothoIe.
A pine knot, half Ringing in its
receptacle, caught her glance.
Stealtlily she wormed it loose, to
peer within. Men were there, mon
who were pouring gasoline into small
fuzeed, metal containers. men who
were making their preparations for
hurried flight, and receiving orders
as they did so. Already two Of them
we're at the doorway.
"Take the shortcut to the allied
stockyards," one Of them was saying.
Wen burn the barns-you look af-
ter the other part Of the yards. Now
hurry"
They were gone, while Dixie cow
cred in the shadows. Stealthily she
watched them across the patch Of
snow and ice before the cabin, then
disappear, unable to move for fear
Of detection, her brain seething with
plans and hopes. But they were
faint! The spies had taken the
Short cut"-one that Dixie did not
know.
The telephone? There was none.
The police? There was no way to
reach them. Only one thing remain
ed for Dixie Mason TO do-to scram-
bic as fast as possible to her ma
chine and to race across country to
the allied horsebarns. But would she
be able to reach there in time?
The battle of wits and courage
was on! Over at Stevens Point,
Harrison Grant had leaped to the
running board of a motor car as it
had rounded g. corner and shouted to
the chauffeur:
Faster, old man! They're de-
stroying Ried Cross supplies in the
railroad yards!
Then as the machine spurted for
ward, the president Of the Grimm
ology club leaned toward his men.
Burning Ambulances.
"See that your revolvers are in
working order. Spies are burning
the axles Of ambulances. We have
every right to shoot to kill"
Tho men nodded. Cavanaugh open
ed a new box OF cartridges. The ma
chine sped on through the semi
darkness toward the railroad yards.
As for Dixie Mason
Veering into the stockyards' dis
trict Of New Jersey, she rose in
her machine and waved madly to a
crowd Of horse wranglers just COM
ing forth from a pool hall.
Quick" she called, there's dan
ger at the florsebarns!"
Then. driving harder than ever,
she sped forward, in last vain at
tempt to reach the barns before the
spies could light their bombs.
Before her doomed the shadows Of
the barns, with their thousands of
animals within, and scrambIing UP
telephone pole toward a window
showed the form Of a German fire.
flend!
Harder than ever pressed the foot
of Dixie Mason against the accele-
rator Of her car, while her soul rag
ed within her. Not content with
sinking the ships that carried inno-
cent horses and cattle to France, not
content with filling their oats with
steel barbs. painted yellow and de-
signed to be eaten by the unfortu-
nate animals, not content with poi
soninR the water of these beasts,
who were part of the war only
through the win Of others, Imperial
Germany now was resorting to
worse measures to gain its Victor
les" the horror and agoniging tor
ture Of fire! Dixie's lips pressed
firm. Then, her anger drowning all
thought Of danger, she skidded her,
machine until it almost overturned
as she veered from the stockyards
alley into the areaway Of the horse
barns, made her way through the
great doorways. then sent her auto
mobile laundering up the runway to
the second f1oor-there to leap forth
and run toward the form that had
just entered the haymows. But too
late!
The Fire Started.
Already the tool of Imperial Ger
many had touched q match to the |
gasoline filled container. Already
the fuse was spluttering. while, with |
a great, sweeping motion, the spy
threw the bomb far into the loose
hay and hurled his gigantic form to- |
ward the struggling Dixie. A mo-
ment more and he had feIled her,
then scrambled into her machine, re-
it at pertlous speed down |
the runway and out through the OPP
posite doors, bowling over two of |
the rustlers as they strove to make |
their way through the already heavy |
CLOUDS of smoke. and tearing on to- |
ward freedom. And in the loft of !
the mammoth barn. Dixie Mason lay 4
the fire gaining great
err and greater Roadway all about |
her, where the gasoline discharge |
had fired the contiagration every
where!
Imperial Germany had succeeded
In g. part of dts scheme at least. But !
In another-----
Out in the railroad yards, came |
the crackle Of a revolver shot as /
Harrison Grant and his men sur
prised two men in the interior of a
box car, hard at their task of burn
Ing the axles Of an auto with an
acetylene torch. A spy fell MANNED, |
while from seemingly everywhere,
other spies broke from the cars and |
sought safety.
But safety that was far away. /
For the members Of the Criminology /
club had spread themselves in the /!
lanes between the great masses of
box cars, to leap forth as the spies
ran atmlessly about in their search |
for shelter. TO seize them. to fell |
them, to shackle them Atop a box
car, where he had climbed after the |
first onslaught. Harrison Grant NOV
ed swiftly here and there, shouting |
his orders to the operatives below. /
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