The Washington herald., 1919-04-18
CONFESSIONS OF A
WAR BRIDE
Fate Takes a New Turn and
AJv.ntu,s. Come Fast


Acting Immediately on my impulse.
started to pull myself over the stifr
belt OF the divers suit. 1t was early
morning-the clock on the mantel in
my room was Ginning five. I prepared
to dress very quietly. then go down.
stairs and send a servant for DIR.
Certeis. Then would trade my knowl-
edge OF where the gems were sunk for
my freedomI And I would make a
pact which would forever restrain
Certeis from following me.
1t was a very good plan. and, think.
it would have worked well. but-as I
started to climb out OF the rubber
garment, I heard the key click in the
lock Of the closet door!
My heart stood still! Clad as I was.
I couldn't expect to exact advantage
Gus terms from the man who had
threatened me at midnight,
Fright paralyZed me, and, perhaps,
saved me from disaster,
NV eyes were fixed in terror on the
door, but all that I saw was a hand
and an arm which reached and grab
bed UP the suit case which stood in
the corner 1t was the suit case I
had opened the night OF the fre-the
one which had awakened old memories
Of Bob's jealousy. the suit case which
contained one complete outfit for q
banana peddler,
The hand withdrew this precious
picce OF luggage. leaving the door
partly open. as II II were to be used
again. shrunk up into what seemed
half my normal size and slumped back
into my hiding place.
Something important was going TO
happen. but I didn't have a very de-
sirable post Of observation. The door
was swung at small angle: l could
see only a strip. OF the wall paper in
Certeis' room. however. could hear
his man come and go. and soon the
Tlea4ing aroma OF coffee fioated my
way
And the clock had not struck six
when the closet door was flung wide
and with half an eve I beheld a jaunty
swarihv fruit vender, Daddy Ior'mer
acute man OF business and best friend
, Of Hamilton Certeis. would never have
discovered the famous surgeon in his
queer disguise
Certeis was absorbed IN his own
plans. otherwise I am sure he must
have observed that the legs of the
divers suit were not as fiat as usual
He was knotting some leaflets in a
lhandana-they suggested the Bolshevik
papers 1 had found in the files. Was
il to distribute such stun that the
debonair doctor assumed the garb of
poverty?
I doubted II. Once he had spoken
to me Of "a plot to catch plotters. "
As he busted himself with his papers
I thought of the phrase "a thief to
catch a thief" Certeis ruled his sub
ordinates, with an iron will: neverthe-
less, he might have to do his own
spying. sometimes to test their loyalty.
That theory would partially account
for the strange assortment Of COS
TUNES which the closet held.
But ii was not to track his people
that he changed his clothes the morn
ing after girl had tricked him and
fed from him! He was on to find
the girl
."Oh. la la I thought and then all
OF my thinking processes were numb
ed. saw Certeis can over and turn
back the end OF the rug on the closet
floor. then he Lifted up an ordinary
trap door and disappeared down a
ladder. closing the trap behind him.
I had come close to a collapse. for
he had brushed me, had touched me,
at the very moment OF descending!
But my very best brand of Courage
came back as soon as the danger was
over. in quite human way.
1 climbed out OF the divers suit and
gave it loving pat. And whispered
to It:
"old dear. I'm going to have a very
busy morningr'
CTo Be ContinuedN