Evening star., 1928-10-28

night by airplane and either drop him
behind the enemy lines by way of a
parachute or actually land him. In the
urgency of those days, the allies often
resorted to this.
Mata Hari was devoted to the blinded
Russian when ,fe got to Vittel. But
she also found time to cultivate many
friendships among the aviatorS there.
And soon after fatalities more fire.
quently than before began to overtake
the spies and the aviators who left
Vittel for Germany. No matter where
the landing was made, there were Ger
mans waiting for them.
Then, apparently weary of her blind
lover, Mata Hari returned to Paris.
Her automobile, with her own chauf-
feur, met her at the station. She got
into the closed car and settled herself
for the drive to her apartment in
Neuilly. Paris was no novelty to her,
and her thoughts as she rode along
we're elsewhere. 1t was with a shock,
therefore, when the machine stopped
that she found herself in part of the
city that looked strange to her.
II +
THE door of her car was opened from
the outside, and as she stepped out
several men closed in about her. Out
wardly polite, they were not in the least
cordial.
Madame will please accompany u.s."
the spokesman said.
Something in her quailed at that, but
she did not betray the fact. She pro-
tested in the grand manner of a court
favorite, until finally in the private
office where she was taken she encoun-
tered pair of steel-blue eyes in a man
who began to question her. He was in
civilian dress, but there was no mistak-
ing the professional military man. Be-
fore his grilling her hauteur began to
droop.
His questions we're guided largely by
a Sheaf of reports on the desk before
him. His manner had little of the cour-
tier in it, and he asked pointed ques-
tions indeed. Then he accused her of
frequent meetings with German secret
service men. And though she was well
trained to parry such thrusts she found
herself retreating, so to speak, to a wall
of stone.
$50 you've been gathering informa-
tion on military and naval movements"
the officer summed up.
She had only a last card to play.
"Only, I assure you, to serve the
allies" was her refrain. II admit aSso-
ciating with German secret service au-
thorities. But my husband was a Brit
ish officer. And some of my most be-
loved friends are allied chiefs. AL
though am Dutch, my heart is with
the allies. have waited to prove 1t.
Now am ready. The Boches think I
am their friend. have let them think
A.. faI1 vito lIvy
important military secrets Enroll me
in your espionage service. messieurS,
and I will put these secrets at your
disposal"
Only a sophisticated outlook will
enable us to understand what followed.
A naive reader would see an immediate
7nish for Mata Hari. But the Second
Division of the French Secret Service
was anything but naive. The leaders
knew what powerful friends in France
Mata Hari had; that overwhelming in
deed would have to be the proof that
would send her to her death. Evidence
enough to "scorch" an ordinary spy
would not be enough in this case. Later
developments proved this.
The chiefs of the Second Division
consulted in whispers while Mata Har1
surveyed them with her glamorous
eyes. 1leu IIlelT SpOAcSIHdiI ChAC0 W
her.
Madame" he said deliberately, 'you
are under grave suspicion. But we will
give you a chance to clear yourself.
We accept your offer to work with u.s.
We need your services in occupied Bel
GUM. We will give you list of 80
Of our agents there. Recently we have
been having difficulty in getting their
reports through the German counter
espionage service. Will you undertake
to collect these reports for us and bring
them back to PariS?"
Mata Hari drew a deep breath.
Gladly" she said.
She was given every facility to leave
France and cross the Channel. She
was supposed to go on from there to
Belgium. But the British authorities
developed an ungracious lack of faith
In Mata Harris protestations that she
was needed by her little daughter in
Holland.
Instead of letting her proceed to her
native land they deported her to Spain.
But the list of names she had been
given by the Second Division, presum-
ably those of agents in Belgium for the
French Secret Service, went on to Bel
gium just the same. OF this list of 80
the Germans could locate only one man,