The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-06-08
your possession all the timer"
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yOuI pUSSSSSlOn all the time z"
/ Certainly"
Then" Harrison Grant raised his
voice little, Il must say, Mr.. Slak-
berg, allies Curly, alias Weasel, that
while you've done very good little
job of forgery here, you've forgotten
one rather strong point. Will you
please put on your hat and coat and
come to the Criminology club with
Mr.. Marquis and myself? l would like
you to explain there how these par
| ticularly Partisan plans happen to be
made on parchment bearing a Berlin
watermark!"
| Slakberg's only answer was a des-
perate rush for the door, the success
! of which was speedily determined by
Grant and Marquis. His impotent
curses faded into silence again as
Grant drew out a pair Of handouts
and dangled them before him.
It's a bit cold out" Grant said
| quietly. Would you like handouts p
Slakberg scowled. It'll go peace
ably"
So meekly did he submit to his en-
forced departure that although Grant
saw him draw a cigar from his pock..
away as though it were distasteful
action. The cigar rolled along the
gravelled pathway and stopped near
the door of the power house. In the
doorway lounged the electrician. AS
Grant and Marquis and their captive
disappeared around the corner the
electrician picked up the discarded
cigar.
Dixie Mason had been working in
the, factory since early afternoon as
shell loader. The table at which she
worked was near a window overlook
ing the factory yard. The events of
the last afternoon had not escaped
her. She had watched the departure
of Slakberg with Harrison Grant and
a feeling of relief that unconsciousIy
she was being helped had stolen over
her. But though Grant attached no
Importance to the cigar Slakberg had
tossed aside, Dixie from her point Of
vantage soon was given the opportun-
ity to.
Scarcely had the men disappeared
around the corner of the building
when she was the electrician emerge
from the doorway, and pick up the
cigar. The act was natural, Dixie or
dinarily would have thought nothing
Of it. Now her. gaze hung on him
curiously and then frightened into in
terest as she saw him break the cigar
open. Something white appeared as
the carefully wrapped weed was brok-
en- apart. She saw the electrician I'M
roll a tiny slip Of paper, read it hur-
riedly and then crumple it up.
Dixie, to all appearances overcome
by sudden illness, left the loading
room, slipped out Of the door and
across the yard to the power house.
The electrician was gone but where
he had stood was a tiny slip Of
crumpled paper which Dixie snatched
at eagerly and read as she hurried out
Of the building.
Warn Won Papen."
Dixie Mason Takes Up the Trail.
Dixie Mason did not return to the
loading room. Instead she took up
the trail Of the disappearing cleo
tr1cian. She saw him enter saloon:
In a nearby drug store she induced
the operator to put her on the same
line lust in time to hear the electrt-
clan receive orders to go to the hill
on the edge Of the town when dark
ness fell, Dixie waited feverishly for
events to resume their progress. She
did not know that in the Criminology
club they had SlaEberg sur
with the evidences Of his |
guilt and his cross examination be- |
gun. All Dixie knew was that the
had been told to warn Won
Papen and had been ordered to await 1
further instructions on the hill at
the edge of the town.
TIL day faded into dusk and the
dusk into darkness. The lights from
the munition factory blazed out into |
the night as the new shift took up /
its duties. At last Dixie saw the
emerge from the saloon.
She took up the trail, a trail that /
seemed never ending as he walked on
and on away from the town. They /
came to a freight yard. Out OF the
darkness above the freight yard a hill
doomed against the sky. The electr1-
clan stopped, and Dixie sought shell.
ter very near him by lumSar pile.
The night was very dark but sudden
" the sky was lighted by series OF
flashes. In their brightness Dixie
could see the electrician standing with
pencil and paper in hand. The flashes
stopped and the electrician moved
over to switch light which cleaned
with red eye into the surrounding
0lackness, He was examining the
paper closely by the dim light. The
rumble or an approaching freight train
broke the silence The electrician
.ossed the paper aside and glanced UP
he track toward the slowly nearing
engine and it's string of box cars.
Dixie saw him hurry up the track and
The guessed his purpose. He was
about to catch this train back to
own.
The train passed and in the dim
light she discerned his figure cling
ng to the side of car. Then she
,urried to the switch light and picked
ID the scrap of paper he had thrown
side. BY the light she saw a series
# Morse code dots and dashes which
he translated:
BLOW up the factory at once!" +
This was the message he had been
old to receive! And he had gone
o carry out its orders! Dixie rack
ID her mind desperately for ideas.
;he must get back at once, or get a
Message. But how? There was no
telephone near. No means of getting
'ack. The train numbering off into
he darkness was now gaining speed
very moment.
She remembered passing a motor
ervice station down the road. If
he could reach that she might still
g able to interfere with the electri-
ian's orders. She would telephone
ack to the factory-to Harrison
rant! One idea after another flew
through her mind as she hurried
yer the endless labyrinth of tracks
nd down the rough road, but when
he reached the little building, to her
reathless inquiries the keeper shook
lis head NO telephone here,' he
aid, there's one about a mile down
he road"
But I've got to get word back
. town somehow" Dixie urged des-
erateiy. He shook his head ais though
isrnissing the subject
Then Dixie brought out her secret
ervice commission.