The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-05-06


always instnctively knew to be spy, the
so-called Pole, Stepan iVoronz."
ooh. But Stepan Woronz saved my life,
you know
"He did But that does not preclude his
being in the pay of Nordernreich. We have
made close inquiry, and there is no doubt
at all of its being SO. Rastitch knows that
he was hand and glove with Won Reulenz
from the first, he is certain they were not
strangers to one another"
"But Anton-how do you know that he
Because l myself, with my own eyes,
saw Woronz steal up the mountain side to
Anton's cottage long after midnight. He
was wearing pair of the regulation boots,
stamped in the sole with the Swan, which
are worn by the Forest Guard, so that his
footprints might not attract the suspicion
of Mistitch. He must, of course, have OBJ
tanned these boots from Anton
Evadne's profound attention being now
secured, Varley proceeded to tell her that,
on the morning after her rescue, Woronz
had, as he had been assured by Anton's
sister, gone up to their cottage, where he
remained in bed until his fatigue passed
away. Anton told quite different story
to Mistitch. Finally he described to her
how he himself carried her letter to Anton's
cottage to see whether they knew of the
present whereabouts of the Pole, and how
he had seen Anton's sister give it to a little
old peddler, who came up the mountain
side, whisthng the signal tune.
"a little old peddler!' cried Evadne with
a start.
odd he come here?" questioned the
young man sharply; and when she admitted
it
"Nordernreich has tentacles everywhere"
he remarked thoughtfully; land that brings
me on to what l wanted to tell you last
night. Woronz the Pole is back again.
saw him yesterday skulking in these woods"
Evadne was struggling with an awful sur
mise; but she battled with it because it
seemed too wild for belief.
"But why?" she cried. "Can you tell
me why they should spy on me? Who am
l, what have l done, that my doings are
matter of interest to Nordernreich?"
81 can easily tell you that. There is
something afoot in Pannonia, and they be-
lieve you know what it is. If l might be
allowed the criticism, think that toast you
gave at supper on the island might be de-
scribed as indiscreet. Nobody drank it.
But it confirmed all their suspicious. The
messenger, whoever it was, who conveyed
to you the last message may have had to
hang about for days before finding chance
to deposit it, and may have been seen by
Woronz. since, according to Mistitch, Wo-
ROM had you under observation even before
the embassy came to Veros. Now, if the
spies of Nordernreich have reason to believe
that message has somehow got through to
you, they will use great effort to find out
what it is. Is not that probable and rea-
sonable?"
Evadne upright in her hammock,
white even to her lips. "You mean-you
think they would come here to-find it
to get 1.-THE message?"
II am quite sure they would That is
why l was so anxious to give you hint last
night I was afraid you might be disturbed
if there wa a shindy of any kind But,
as it turns out that you are all right, per-
haps it was best not to alarm you OF
course, l know Mistitch is tremendously
careful, nowadays
Evadne rose, walked to the far end of
the veranda and stood there for some mo-
ments, her hands to her forehead Varley
saw that her agitation was so extreme that
her accident must have taken away her
nerve.
He could not know that she was wrestling
with an idea so horrible that the bare intru-
sion of it turned the sunlight black for her.
The man who came to her under cover of
night had indeed told her things which she
believed to be known to her husband alone