The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-29
EVENING STORY
For Fritz's Sake.
BY MAUNA COwLES.

to go on talking German Mrs. Van
Bergen told. her daughter Freda, as
they approached the hotel where the
Van Bergens had their winter apart
ments. F'reda raised two Teutonic
eyes to her mother appealingly. But
Fritz cannot understand English she
said. Can you, FRITZ. DEAR At
which a very long Short-legged dachs-
hund, whose silky coat showed Freda's
devoted care, wagged his tail and
tapped his ears. He had at least I'M
dertsoood Freda's tone of voice, tho
not the gist of the conversation.
well, of course, you will do as you
choose-you alway do" said Mrs. Van
Bergen. But l think you are taking
risks. You are perfect Gretchen
type. | can't ina CINE where you get
that flaxen hair There hasn't been
blonde in our family for generations,
and none of your fathers people look
ed Teutonic. And that awful German
dog and your incessant German. 1t
was your fathers idea to have a Ger
man governess, not mine. You talk
like "A native, and added to that. the
name of Van Bergen, why you would
be taken for an alien any time. The
secret service people are getting very
careful
But Van Bergen isn't German
it's Holland Dutch insisted Freda.
And anyway, I'm sure l don't look
like a spy
you can never tell" reiterated the
| mother. Sometimes simple looking
people are shrewd enough, and it
would be just like the Huns ito make
an accomplice of IA simple little
Gretchen-and that's what you look
| like
Freda especially resented this atti-
tude on her mothers part, because she,
thought that the motive was entirely
| Mrs. Van Bergen's hatred of Fritz,
and that she was merely trying to
| brighten Freda into giving up her pet.
| Still she' recalled that she had fire.
i quentIy ben taken for German girl.
| and German tradespeople not infre-
| quently been taken for a German girl,
| language as matter of course.
| The next morning. as she was tax
| ing her breakfast in the Van Bergen
| apartment, with the cherished Fritz
sitting on a cushion in a chair at her
side-for Freda breakfasted an hour
| CT before her parents-she glanced
at the headline in d newspaper, emit
ted a little shrek of fright, and then
began to fondle Fritz's soft long ears
because she needed some encourage
ment. The article whose headlines
she had read told of the taking of
| girl spy, and of the suspicion
! entertained b. the secret service men
| of three Or four women accomplices
One of them, the account said, was
la blonde young German girl Of the
perfect Gretchen type. She made her
headquarters at one of the big city
hotels and was never seen without a
IthOrobred German dachsbund. Soon.
however, Freda forgot her fright and
she was light-hearted and Joyous
when she started forth from the
hote' with Fritz pattering behind her,
for Ter constitutional in the nearby
park Even more joyous than usual
passed sedately from the elevator
thru the. lobby she changed to see a
certain wel1-buiIt, Tthorefy American
young man whose eyes had more
than once met hers as they dined at
adjoining tables in the hotel dining
room There had never been an in
PRODUCTION. but today the young man
raised his hat in a dignified manner
as she passed in the lobby. Somehow
that little courteous ceremony made
the world seem like a nicer place
than ever to live in
When Freda returned her mother
had gone out for shopping tour and
again her only companion was Fritz
he sat beside her she practiced a
Beethoven sonata on the piano The
telephone sounded and presently her
| motners maid came to her to saw
that Mr.. Drew wished to speak to
her But as Freda had never hea I'd
OF a MI Drew and did not wish to in
terrupt her practicing, she asked the
maid to take the MESA ge.
l. V, L
disturb yoL, but all he wants 10 know
is whether or not you're a German -
Il F'reda thought Immediately of the
headlines she had seen in the paper.
can't imagine why he wan to
know" she said. will YOU please
ask him who he is and what his
business is
The maid returned, saying that Mr.
Drew realized that he had been
abrupt, but he would call and explain
himself at the apartment.
All Freda's fears returned. and
gathering Fritz in her arms, she hur-
r1ed to her room, assuring her pet in a
volley of her best German, that she
d1dn deserve to be treated like a spy,
and that if they took her away to
prison even she would not be sepa-
rated from him.
Presently the maid came to her
room. bearing a card. Mr.. Drew had
failed to put any of his personal call
hence he had only a business card tc
send to her. Under the name of Mr.
Drew there was the simple words
National Detective Bureau" and the
address of that concern.
He says If he could please to see
you, he would explain why he was in
truding,' the maid said.
Freda's round blue eyes were
rounder and bluer than ever. and heI
heart had never before beaten Sc
fast. IF I had only taken mothers
advice" she whispered to Fritz in
German. Tell him Im-I'm NJ she
said to the maid And if he starts to
search the apartment" she added
with trembling voice why you'll
| know I've gone down the fire escpa e. -
Mr.. Drew did not attempt to search
the apartment. but he told the maid
he was extremely sorry to have both
cred Miss Van Bergen, and that he
was surprised that she was ILL., since
he had seen her that morning, and
, had judged from her appearance and
from the fact that she was speaking
| German to her dog. that she was OF
| German origin. That was his only
reason for looking her up. he said
"One finds so few Germans about
nowadays" he added in an en-
| 10. .yl,a