Show C BY GENERAL J 1 ft ARED W RITE t I t THE T E STORY SO FAR Colonel Flag will acting chi it If of C 2 G 2 U. U S. S S military Intelligence tnt dep estimated there were European Ea n troops In to Mexico preparing for or in r n attack on the United States Intelligence Officer Henning was sent to Mexico City where he posed as al V v T CHAPTER IV IV Continued Continued Benning Henning searched Mlle Mile Ducos' Ducos face and demanded Boggio told you that Boggio has told me a great deal dealIn In the past few days i she answered I have have- haveThe haveThe The orchestra brought their dance to an end Mlle Mile Ducos ended her sentence In hi a harmless platitude They went back to their table How do you know this Isn't some ruse ruse some trick Benning Beaning con con- confronted confronted fronted her when they were alone Why should a trusted officer be be- betray betray betray tray such secrets to you or anyone anone else Ise Ilse mademoiselle She flared back Dont you cred cred- credit it me with knowing what Im I'm about monsieur I also credit Boggio with ordinary ordinary nary discretion hi In n matters of such Importance he retorted Under what circumstances did he tell you of Van Hassek's air bases Mlle Mile Ducos sat down and a cold smile replaced re laced the resentment in her eyes For several days past mon mon- monsieur I Colonel Boggio and I have been going about the city while he showed me the sights It was very simple when we saw planes in n the sky for me to set him talking about them and about himself Yes much more he be has told me In front of Fernando on the Laguna de la laI laMadre I Madre Van Hassek has a secret field for his bombers and pursuit ships He has more than a thousand planes In all with more coming to them by sea Do you understand mademoiselle selle Belle the full significance of what you Just told me he asked his hise eyes e es searching her face She shrugged her shoulders and said with a touch of annoyance Anyone who is too stupid to evalu evalu- evaluate evaluate ate Information would be too dumb to collect It monsieur But all of this information only confirms what we already know that Van Hassek means means' mean to attack the United States The really important thing weve we've yet yetto yetto yetto to learn is when and for what real purpose I meant to tell you that Van Hassek sent an aide to see me today to Invite me to be his guest 1 at a little party hes he's giving for some friends tomorrow night at the pal pal- ace You may thank me for your Invitation I I think you weren't want want- ed But I couldn't afford to let Van Hassek think Im I'm running too much at large You'll go of course At eight Benning hesitated while he searched the possible ramifications of such an adventure His mind fixed upon Captain Fincke's disclosure disclosure disclosure sure of the operations map In Van Hassek's desk Finally he nodded acceptance CHAPTER V VIn VIn 0 In tIn his regal suite In the Palacio Nacional the next night Van Has Has- Hassek Hassek Hassek sek had replaced his khaki field uni uni- uniform uniform uniform form with peacock military ments Benning found discomfort In hi the presence of Colonel Bravot alias Sergeant But Bravot was to remain only a few minutes his departure made the occasion of a puzzling ceremony Van Hassek from the moment of the French girl girls arrival had cen cen- centered centered centered his attentions upon Mlle Mile Du cos coso Benning promptly suspected that she was the real motive for this Van Hassek party a show to turn her head But the Benning Interest had cen centered centered n- n upon a scowling Bavarian lieu lieutenant tenant who sat In Van Hassek's ad ad- adjoining adjoining adjoining joining military room shut off of by thick draperies The Bavarians Bavarian's erect posture suggested that he was present on a purely duty status It was obvious that the object of his vigil was the Van Hassek blackwood desk With patent pa nt caution Benning wait wait- waited waited waited ed his time Um The hour was close to midnight when he be chose his opportunity opportunity opportunity to strike He stalked Into the military room In hi the manner of a aman aman aman man who has been drinking too much The Bavarian sat at his job stiff stifT as a ramrod A command for you Lieuten Lieuten- Lieutenant ant Benning blurted at him In hi German You will report at once to Excellency's junior camp aide aide camp de-camp in the bar See Sec to it Il that you lose loseno loseno loseno no time The Bavarian Bava looked up with a questioning scowl then sprang 0 o his feet under the habit of to toa toa a superior officer He lIe hesitated for fora a moment and stalked through the heavy portieres and headed toward the bar As the portieres rippled behind the guardian of Van Hassek's desk Ben Benning ning turned the key In the top draw draw- er His steady hand extracted the theone theone theone one document that he found there a folded linen map Bennings Benning's face went taut as his hand thrust and he saw the legend of arrows superimposed on a I map of the United States and upper Mexico A glance told him that the arrows pointed to vulnerable points of possible e Invasion Behind each arrow that pointed across the Mexican Mexican can border toward the United States INSTALLMENT FOUR an American traitor who had hadwen wen been captured In Paris Puis and soon loon gained the confidence of f FIncke another om cere Benning was accepted as an om oID officer by Van Hassek leader of the foreign armed forces In is Mexico Several days later Benning was wal Joined by Lucette k were figures of five digits He sensed rather than heard the returning Bavarian Instantly he hc thrust the map into the breast of his loose khaki tunic closed the open drawer of Van Hassek's desk Ben Ben- Benning BenI I ning strode through the curtains Into the reception room at the identical moment that the Bavarian re- re entered Although as an essential of his business he had learned control c of his emotions Benning Beaning was unable to put down the racking suspense of the next few moments Would the Would the Bavarian discover at once that Van Hassek's desk had been tampered with Bennings Benning's brief survey of the map had given him the vital Information information information mation for which he had been play- play Ing If no alarm came naw now he could slip sUp away In the night haul out the Fernando plane from its hangar and fly through to the bor bor- der The Bavarian came driving through the portieres black tragedy In his distended eyes His cheeks checks l t tt t rc r t tI I t k 1 1 S 4 r r J I Y t f fI r I r rv v r r r rA A folded linen lineD map were flushed and heavy veins welled at neck and forehead The Bavarian strode to a colonel of the staff and whispered avidly The colonel hur hur- hurried hurried ried tied over to Van Hassek Mlle Mile Ducos Du os picked up in Ben Ben- Benning's Bennings Bennings Benning's ning's face some hint of pf his sus sus- pense She left Van Hassek now pawing drunk and crossed the room Something has gone wrong mon mon- monsieur monsieur monsieur she whispered anxiously You have been up to mischief In Van Hassek's room Concealed In n my tunic Benning Beaning answered at once I have Van Has Has- Hassek's Hassek sek's sek operations map the map the most dan dan- dangerous dangerous dangerous secret in Mexico You must drop me at once Let me have the map mon mon- monsieur monsieur monsieur she whispered I took a desperate gamble Ben- Ben ping pl coolly rejoined If U Ive I've lost its it's my funeral not yours With a quick decisiveness the French girl threw her arms about Bennings Benning's neck and kissed him to screen the deft movement in which she stripped the map from under his tunic She stood close to him while she concealed the document in her dress Then she stepped back spat at him and angrily slapped his face Very well she raged rag d. d In n a voice that reached through the room If that's the way you feel about me you can go to the devil Van Hassek slowly drew himself erect and his face went livid as he be received the alarm from his bis staff coloneL One moment Van Hassek was drunk the next moment coolly sober No one will leave my quarters Colonel Van Hassek calmly in in- With the help of ol my aides you will search everyone present In Including eluding our own officers until you find the spy and recover my map At once Outer doors were promptly locked windows put under guard All were required to assemble in the ball ball- ballroom ballroom room thence to be taken one at a time to Van Hassek's bedroom for examination Benning was taken first The colonel co co- colonel colonel lonel sharply demanded explanation Why had he sent the Bavarian officer away from his post of duty Ben Ben- Benning Benning ning confessed bad judgment for lor which he be offered apology His only I thought had been that the Bavarian was a neglected guest who should be given a D drink He insisted that he be be searched immediately The Van Hassek guests had been jolted Into sobriety One by one they were taken for search Van Hassek stood to one side smoking a D cigar his face grimly contained as If I. he waited in supreme confidence on the unmasking of a spy Bennings Benning's thoughts were inter inter- NEXT WEEK Il Il sweetheart who was wai actual I ly Iy a French spy 9 97 told fold Benning tho the ominous news new that had bad es el aped Later Lahr La r she reported that Donlo an aD air corps officer told her he had more than a thousand planet planes In Mexico Now continue with the story No by a sudden noisy commo commo- commotion commotion commotion tion the hysterical half cries of a Mexican girl who was being thrust Into the ballroom from Van Has Has- Hassek's Has I Hassek's I sek's bedroom The staff starr colonel marched across to Van Hassek and handed him the stolen operations map Excellency I found It pinned un un- under under under der the lace flounces of this wench's gown the colonel reported Van Hassek took the map with a casual hand opened it for identification Identification cation and slowly smiled He tucked the document into the gold sash at athis athis athis his waist and with a toss of his hand indicated that the prisoner be taken away in close arrest The Mexican girl loudly protesting in- in innocense was bundled out of the room Van Hassek slowly turned to his remaining guests with a cool bow Good night my friends he be said gravely I regret It If U your pleas pleas- pleasure ure has been spoiled tonight but on OD some other evening Ill I'll expect to tomake tomake tomake make amends Now I must busy myself with the details of what has has' happened Buenos noches Mile Mlle Ducos did not speak as Ben Ben- Benning Benning ning took her home in a cab When they were alone Benning saw her undergo an unexpected tion Her eyes filled with tears and she sobbed softly to herself herselt Pres Pres- Presently Presently Presently she recovered her self posses sion sJon and dried her eyes I suppose I shouldn't have such scruples about that girl when so 80 many lives are at stake she ra ra- ra- ra But I had no alternative five tive than to do what I did I only hope she convinces Van Hassek of her Innocence innocence or or he decides she is too attractive to die Benning busied himself with maps and pencil From time to time as ashe he worked he closed his eyes to ex ex- examine examine examine amine the sensitive film lm of his mem mem- ory A Van Hassek arrow thrust its point across the border at Laredo Behind its shaft was the figure 50 At Brownsville was the figure at Eagle Pass another On the California frontier were two arrows joined together behind a curved line their points aimed at Tecate and Tia Juana Juan In the region of f San Diego The was figure bere r r Four arrows thrust from the Pacific Pa Pa- Pacific behind them no legends One pointed to Seattle a second at the mouth of the Columbia River a third just north of San Francisco a fourth at San Diego On the Atlan Atlan- Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic tic side groups of red arrows point point- pointed ed at critical points from Boston to New Orleans Here again there were no figures Benning Beaning handed his bis reproduction of Van Hassek's key map to Mlle Mile Ducos He saw the blood drain from her face as os she studied it She looked up at him with startled star star- staring starIng staring ing eyes Mon Dieu monsieur she gasped This means the very worst is to happen Such attack upon you will set the whole world in flames I Benning got up and put on his cap capI capI capI I am leaving Mexico at once mademoiselle he said calmly You are welcome to come along with me if U you dont don't mind taking some chances chan es with a pilot who's I somewhat out of practice She answered gravely My in instructions in- in instructions require me to remain in Mexico monsieur But its it's Important important important tant for you to reach your govern govern- government government ment as quickly as os possible I I learned from Boggio today that he cant can't see me tomorrow All AU leaves of absence are being suspended which means you'll not have long to wait walt for Van Hassek's attack Au revoir monsieur and bon voyage CHAPTER TER VI VI- The sun was moving over the Jag jag- Jagged jagged jagged ged Washington skyline on the sec sec- second second second ond morning thereafter when Benning Ben Ben- Benning Benning ning was put down at Bolling Boiling Field FJeld by a fast observation plane from rom Kelly Field After his landing at Randolph Randoph Field from Mexico City the day before he had passed the alarm to Eighth Corps Area Head Headquarters quarters and sent a code report of details by wire to Colonel A military car was waiting for him at the airport It sped him to the War Department where Flag Flag- will was waiting in the G 2 G 2 office The colonel showed the effects of strain and sleeplessness but was gravely contained con A fine bombshell youve you've exploded In the War Department Benning said solemnly Ive reported only what I learned sir Benning answered Of course the final Onal appraisal of my Information lion tion is up to the General Staff General Hague took your report at once to the President said sold As a result the President had an ultimatum sent to Ruiz yes yes- yesterday yesterday yesterday by the State Department Our ambassador at Mexico City was Instructed to say that Mexico must explain fully its European army within forty eight hours and give our military attaches at the em embassy bassy full authority to visit all troop concentrations to view vew hand first what Is LI going on no To BE c CONTINUED y t |