Show ARED WHITE ID installment THIRTEEN THE STORY SO FAR faett more than warnings had gone unheeded the pres iret ington denning met flecka who had bad troops which had been went was wai killed whan washington was come there to do espionage work for his hi secretly transported to mexico suddenly bombed general brill commander ol of government overn ment denning continued to post pose invaded the united states intelligence the V U S army to in texas was wai opposed as ai a friend and prom pro weded eded to officer bennine bad discovered their by greatly superior perlor a forces led by van gate ate gold mining company plans while a spy la in mexico city aber IIa isek jn in spite of brills desperate operating in now new york tork lie he believed it he be had gained the confidence ot of fincke resistance Van troops pushed was wai a front tor for a vast spy ring and bravot two enemy oil officer leers but his relentlessly lessly forward lor ward returning to wash now continue with ur the story CHAPTER XIV denning benning left the hotel at nine and walked to the empire state BuH building dIng during the night nightie the he had collected available information of the andes gold cold mining and milling company the firm had been operating in new york for ten years past itwara it wasa was a small but regu regular dividend payer was not listed on the stock exchange and had conformed to all laws and requirements in regard to its operations and transactions simon salvatore a chilian chilean amhad had recently taken over as managing director on reaching the forty fifth floor benning went direct to the compa nys offices and stepped inside afat A fat roly poly of 0 a man with catlike smirk i m irk stamped on his round face came up to ao benning at once to search him with small round eyes that glinted suspicious appraisal i through horn rimmed glasses 1 I am mr office manager he said in an ingratiating purr Is 13 there something I 1 cando can do for you 1 I am a stockholder benning sat said id intent on completing his reconnaissance rials sance of the froomin room in the shortest lios possible sible time 1 I wish to inquire if it is true the company is disposing of two mines the palacio and the silver sabers upper teeth gnawed nervously at his lower lip at this blunt bluni identification of the visitor as avan a van hassek agent maybe hesitated hesitate di 1 you wi want nt to see senor salvatore N nonsense I 1 benning said with authority you say you alethe are the office manager and I 1 have just introduced myself fully im in a gr great eat hurry benning stepped decisively past the fellow and went to the open B cabinet at which areddy a ruddy clerk of slav features was working while i pa pattered tte red up with muttered protests benning thumbed through the baltimore entries ramsey ringold rosser rouse he noted that after each listed stockholder there were symbols purporting ingao to show num number berof of stock shares held dates of dividend payment and other uttered littered data ills his eye caught the pertinent detail that in the baltimore file as compared with other files through which he hurriedly skimmed there were many more entries on each card balt baltimore headquarters of the ardys third corps area and flanked by some of the ardys important port tnt arsenals ind and secret proving grounds was a logical beehive of espionage activity very good your baltimore file shows the proper activity benning announced turning cuming abruptly away to face thank you for your courtesy our tesy 11 senor salvatore will be here very soon said atas it is nic necessary essary that you talk with mr salvatore before you leave tell salvatore salvator benning said scowling at his watch that tha ill be ba back i ck by eleven at latest just now im in a hurry burry oh no but you will wait old fer whined ja you will wait or senor salvatore would never forgive me he turned to one of his clerks and cried here Bac kropp you will keep the gentleman company until mr salvatore arrives arrive sl I 1 A barrel cheated man whose squats squat legs long angular face and arms gave him the aspect of an orangutan stepped forward with a nod the others moved closer benning saw that only by force might he i pass gaii out the theodoor door oath of the andes and milling company numbers were against him rl all right I 1 he yielded with annoyance ill wait a a reasonable t time Bac kropp escorted benning into the salvatore private room behind the main office where lie he indicated a seat in iii front of Salva tores mahogany desk Bac kropp sat down close by and folded his ponderous arms arma across across his chest two others of old fers men quit their work at the files to take position just outside the salvatore door be benning nang saw that he was as definitely a prisoner as if he had been bound and gagged benning waited impatiently consulting his watch from timeto time to time barely fifteen minutes had passed before he heard some someone enter the office from outside he rose and walked to anipen an open window back ropp watching him narrowly casually he selected a cigarette from his case lighted it took two quick puffs and cast itous it out the wi window fidow its a long ivay way down to the street from here Bac kropp he said leaning out for a 9 brief survey below benning saw it a yellowish phosgene smudge trail arall out behind his falling cigarette and nd turned back to back ropp its not so far down Bac Pac kropp muttered if you dont wait to take a a elevator out in the office was speaking in a tremulous voice aja senor salvatore he may be all right said anxiously he introduced himself but I 1 dont like the way he nosed about into our things so I 1 have him walting waiting for you salvatore strode into the room an erect saturnine man in morning coat striped trousers ind and lurid neckwear even in the shock of recognition bennings startled mind flashed to a whim of professional observation this mans presence confirmed his every suspicion of the andes gold mining and milling company salvatore was gaujot the masquerader with whom he had traded shots at san antonio the man who as colonel bravot had been his chief 1 of sect sectioning section ionin in van hassek espionage service at the palacio nacional bravot sat down athis at his desk and fixed his gaze on his visitor in his cold blunt eyes there showed no recognition tion of the american agent whom he had glimpsed at san antonio and tailed failed to recognize in mexico city what explanation have you to of fer of your visit here bravot inquired im here from mexico city colonel bravot benning answer answered edwith with A k if ei 1 1 1 1 I 1 IV 81 1 1 Q 3 V A ponderous hand closed over bennings mouth calm assurance 1 I have identified myself and am prepared to do so again the precise nature of my mission I 1 am not permitted bitted to disclose to you beyond that tha tIve ive nothing to say without taking his eyes from ben ning bravot slowly opened a drawer of his desk and brought out an automatic pistol As he leveled the weapon across the desk Bra Br avots left hand wint went to a call button which sent ent a rasping summons into the outer office 01 old d ter fer came ln in at once we have had a close call old fer bravot said he passed his left hand across his forehead now wet with perspiration this man is an army intelligence agent who shot at me once and whom I 1 stupidly overlooked in hi mexico due to my preoccupation with other matters benning heard the outer door open terror leaping into his little eyes jumped across the room and slammed Br avots door benning sprang to his feet but the apelike arms of Bac Bic kropp were about him in arl an instant with all the crushing force of motor driven prongs A ponderous ponde ponder ious oui hand hafid closed over bennings mouth and shut oil of articulation benning felt himself lifted clear of the floor by a strength against which his own sinews were powerless Bac kropp carried him across the room to the bravot bon concrete crete vault that lay open behind heavy steel doors the ape man hurled him inside with a stunning ril violence olence and heaved the doors shut benning picked himself up and snook shook his head to clear hit his wits from the shock of his tall fall On only lythe the habit of self discipline saved him ahn fro from in panic as he found himself engulfed in this black steel eneas encased ed void he heard the vague click of bolts as the me door waso was locked cRed then silence he felt about the interior of his prison and estimated its dimensions as some six feet wide by ten teh feet in depth he knew that rescue depended largely upon that phosgene cigarette he had tossed out the window as a signal to td intelligence operatives below he argued that they had caught the signal it must have been G 2 men who invaded the andes office at the critical instant of his hig imprisonment his ears strained for sound but there here was only sIl silence trice he tried kicking at the foot thick steel doors but there was no no response it tame came NEXT WEEK W to him that in tite the heart of a great city with its teeming deeming millions he was as completely sealed away as a dead man in a tomb out in the offices of the andes gold mining and milling company a blunt new crew had taken over hea headed d by lieutenant colonel wallace corps area intelligence officer three of wallaces officers we were r e cheb checking kink through the company records three others were standing guard avei over four glum prisoners this sharp transfer of authority had been accompanied by a brief tragic violence in a comer althe of the office covered by a rug lay the body of Bac kropp A bullet from wallaces pistol had been needed to end Back resistance all right wallace threatened the cowering tat fat man who sat in front of him ill give you one more chance to remember the combination totham to that safe it if you do remember ill make it an an internment me nt camp if you dont ill have you hanged inside a week he lifted his wrist bohls eyes and glanced at atthe the time ill give you exactly thirty seconds more to decide whether you live or hang ten seconds had passed when the office door opened safe experts ra reported into in to tackle the job of opening the vault was jolted into decision by knowledge that if the man in the vault emerged alive the jig was up with him ill open itil iff he cried leaping to his hii feet ja ill open the safe if you promise me I 1 dont hang for iti fairly raced to the steel doors and nervously fingered the combination in his excitement three trials were necessary to complete the combination colonel wallace seized the door and pulled it open benning was lying on the floor his right hand clutching a small pocket notebook wallace lifted the unconscious man to io a sofa in the salvatore room A medical officer who had been hurried in from governors island took pulse and temperature and applied stimulants in a minute Benni benning tig opened his eyes and on orienting on his mind to the whirling v v y world about him attempted to hitup bit up the captain will be all right shortly the doctor predicted ats its just aswell as well howd however iver iou you got him gutof therewith there without oui much more delay half an hour later benning insisted on getting iddis to his feet his legs were wobbly under him the slow steady throb of his pulse ra reverberated ver berated in aching temples but he waved the medico aside and went into the office where wallace and his men were were working here benning better take it easy the corps area G 2 chief ded admonished im feeling better benning an the score nod now colonel colonel wallace was effervescent the andes gold mining and milling company he exclaimed is the most valuable mine in the world right now no question about it were headed for the biggest spy roundup in history wheres bravot benning wanted to know bra bravot vot tore the glow of wallaces face vanished into gloom pretty bod bad luck 13 benning enning he said heavily he managed to slip out his private door as we entered I 1 had lieutenant crane guarding the hall salvatore killed him with a small automatic and was lucky enough to catch a cage down before we could get out there by the way benning when you feel up to it colonel Flag will wishes you to call him at the war department benning checked through agh the haul of records there was no need of cryptographers cryptograph ers on the job in a false bottom of Br avots desk wallace had unearthed d a code book which unlocked thi the symbols the first estimates showed seventeen thousand cards of stockholders many of these were innocent purchasers wallacer wallace thought from the first results of his check but there was evidence of thousands of enemy agents scattered in important posts and positions throughout the united states an hour later Be benning went to the IvI cAlph his legs still lacked strength and he took a cab for the bhore ride upstairs tn in his room he called Flag will who was on the line promptly glad youre all right benning you had us wor worried riedl I 1 Flag will exclaimed A great piece of work simply greata report back as soon as you feel like traveling benning Flig wills voice trailed into gravity things are looking pretty black right now and weve got to find out ahead of us general hague suggested well if you think youve a chance at it thought you might learn something in mexico of course well let you decide very good sir benning assent ed ill report in washington Washing on the next available plane TO ITO BE CONTINUED |