Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-02-23
The APARTMENT NEXT DOOR
n @ BY WILLIAM JOHNSTON E
AUTAon OF .TnB HoUsE or wusPERs, AND aIGarrF, ETC, ETC:


him to go to the matinee with me-"
That will do splendidly. Has he
been with that navy officer lately?"
mot since Sunday, to my, knowl-
edge. l wonder If old Mr.. Hof has
left n more cipher messages at the
b%ookshop?"
mo" said Dean. "he hasn't The
but he hasn't been near It since that
first day." |N
I'm afraid" sighed Jane despond-
emily, IT betrayed the fact that we
we're watching them to the nephew.
He overheard me talking to Carter
about the fifth book and of course
he knew what it meant. I'm certain
the old man is still reporting about
our transports Every day I can hear
some one telephoning. to him. He
waits for the message, and then he
goes out"
"He certainly is expert in. eluding
shadowers." admitted Dean. Every
day he has been followed. but always
he manages to give the operatives The
slip. He must know he is being
watched"
"I'm anxious to know what the
nephew will say to me today said
Jane. Il know he knows what l am
doing. He looks at me in such an
amusedly superior way every time he
sees me-"
BE careful about trying to pump
him." cautioned Dean. III strikes
me as by far the more intelligent of
the two. 1t would not surprise me In
the least II he were not old HoFs
nephew at all, but roally his superior.
sent over especially by Wilhelmstrasse
to take charge Of the plotters. He
doesn't in the least resemble old
Hoff."
mo indeed. he doesn't" admitted
Jane. HE certainly Is clever, too We
haven't learned a single thing that in
eliminates him. have WEI"
Nothing definite, yet everything
taken together looks damaging
enough. Here is a young German OF
military age and appearance, who ar
rived from Sweden Just before we
went into the war. He has plenty OF
money and spends his time idlins
about New York, in frequent COM
munication with at least n navy Of
ficer. He selects a home overlook
are departing for France. 0 your
self saw him pursuing K-1s-the
other K-19-who a few hours after
ward was found murdered"
Things don't look right" Jane
agreed, yet a few hours later as she
sat opposite the young man at tea. she
found herself doubling. It seemed in.
credible, impossible. that Frederic
Idoff could be a murderer. Her in
stinctive Of justice forced her to
admit that it was hard for her to be-
cultured, so clean. so straightforward,
so nice. II she had not seer that un-
forgettable look of hate on his face
that night as she watched him from
the window she could not. she would
not have believed evil of him.
The tremor Of excitement
in which she met him quickly passed.
and she found herself once more
chatting intimately with him and en-
joying it.. He talked well on practi-
cally all subjects. showing reserve on
about himself. Her previous expert
ences with the opposite. sex had
taught her that most mems favorite
topic Of conversation is themselves
but Mr.. Hon appeared to be the ex.
ception. Adroitly he baffled all he,
efforts to get him to discuss his fam
lily. his achievements. or his past, ever
when she sought to encourage in
timacy by telling about her brothe,
who was abroad in Pershing's army.
"You must let me be your big
had suggested CALAMITY.
"All right, brother" she had chal-
lenged him. "Ill take you on at once,
I have seats for a matinee tomorrow.
I'd much rather go with a brother
than with n Of the girls"
Il would be delighted" he answer.
ed unsuspectingly, but unfortunately
I have an engagement that takes me
out OF town."
Wen go next week. then--Wednes.
day."