Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1918-01-31
CHAPTER xxxI.-(continued.)

AA0A LA1AS -
Fronting on the Zurichstrasse
some half mile from the arsenal al
Strasbourg, stands a great tobacco
mandatory, covering two blocks
and employing 1000 people. These
men and women and children live
for the most part in the crooked
little streets of the neighborhood
for the hours of work are long
and to walk back and forth from
q distance not to be thought of
When a family has managed tc
scrape together q little capital
more often than not the head Of ii
opens a tiny shop, while the young
er members keep on working at
the factory until the business has
established itself. Then the fam
lily takes a step upward in social
grade.
In a little room back of such a
shop in the Hennenstrasse, on the
morning of a day late in October,
three men sat down to breakfast.
1t was a silent meal, for each of the
three was preoccupied. They were
roughly dressed in the biouses and
coarse trousers of laborers, and
their faces were covered with a
weeks stubble Of beard. One was
white haired, old and seemingly
very feeble; but the other two
were in the prime of life. At last
the meal was finished, and the
two younger men pushed back
their chairs and looked at each
other; then they looked at their
companion, who, with vacant eyes,
was staring at the opposite wall so
intently that the other two invol-
UNFAIRLY glanced around at it.
1T is time for you to 60, lieu
tenant" said one of the men, in a
low voice. "Tell me again what
you have to do, so that I may be
sure there is no mistake"
What / have to do is this,
general" said the other: "from
here, | go to the house we know
of, taking a circuitous route, lott
ering on the way, and making GER
tain that | am not followed. If /
find myself followed, / will pass
this shop, dropping my handker-
chief in front Of it and then turn
ing back to pick it up. If I am not
followed, | enter the other house.
mount to the roof and make sure
that everything is in order. At
10 minutes to IL, | hoist into place
the two arms to which our wires
are secured, stretching them tight
by means of the winch which we
have provided, and then [ at once
start the clockwork. l then de-
scend, make my way to the tram
station, and take a third class tick
ct to Colmar, where I will await
you at Valentin's cabaret. If you
do not arrive by shutdown, / am to
go on to Paris to make my report"
THAT is right. You have your
passport"
eyes"
"Let me see your watch"
They compared watches and
found that they both showed 20
minutes past 10.
"Adieu. then," said the elder
man; land let there be no fail
ure."
"Trust me, general" and the
lieutenant saluted and went out
through the shop.
And now, Mr.. Yard" said
Marbeau, in a low tone, 1.-THE hour
has come"
The old man nodded, and to-
gether they left the room. Mar
beau stopped to secure the door,
then followed Ward up to the first
landing, where there was another
heavy door, which the Frenchman
also bolted /; SO with the next land
ing and the next. He smiled grim
" as he thought of M. Delcasse's
warning to leave open a road of
escape. He had, indeed, provided
such q road, but he carried it in
his pocket.
At last they stood in a tiny room
under the ridge Of the roof. It
was lighted by q single dormer,
and, looking out through this, one
could see over the house tops, half
. mile away, the grim wall Of the
arsenal. Before the dormer stood
q table, to which was bolted a
metal framework, supporting the
box, with It's sides Of glass half
covered with tin. foil. It was
mounted on ! pivot, and from it
two heavy wires ran t. . key such
% telegraphers use, and then
down to . series Of powerful bat
teries standing on the floor.
gVN, $50 r,,~ns - - al eys