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Show . . . , . Sv.Jn? Twitold Ihnrri Chcu-r R'l.ny ! Ms rims, -.11 bis inuia'.i, sr-iM " sp.r-j." .ir.ri trie mcfer.arue has Bt'iclt. Ku k .'om Kran.ti, tcilh n ' j'Ji' to do uri'-a ir.l tltlf? -i-4n (rr, lh ar.aC.m n: f.rp h SUltnbles fr. nn u; if..-:ij advo',j: tu tr.e h'vr.o of i'.f-rrar io Aria, u I;t:t';jt lin-'iM: .r. v'.-!3. by i nan -. he help hoot dnin h'Yn oii'i-tfl nrj't'ticra. t r:ii'r.r3 of a band of -..ar.hlstH acr::n-.t wh'.ni Aria 1,1 hereby CIH-liltJUtf on -i'A of lily tiff. trn;:i."-nt. Aria, needs Homo ane to pilot hn on ninht UHjs to Wtv.r.'lou by airplane, tMj ;.iee Jurnp ai. fl.o opoM'.'-ini '.y for ea-ciU,T:o;. We qaicKiy ciu-Linte.. u ct'l. clement cle-ment lu ihe Vfeiy a:vcrct'B of M;,i.;ia hr:. i..-.. hi twly a.falred el-; f.islfT. ilis fa'.r.or. an a-Jnairal, micrr.od a widow 'vmlo ni on wan i.i '-".an.e. and 8p!co rft'.zAH li.ia h.atrjy. .'.tor'.over, H 5 hn..3 hlo-if hlo-if :l1M'.::!I uii ria'a i-a-.iufnl UutiRlit-r. ijilhof. .Vijj la liTCi-:,-:h,i. ii- Vo.'. At the A.-111 rotirlry f.oirn;. to bili the i;.'.u.i y.ir'nt r.ij WoiiRtl tl, Kiliia a.-.d Ui ;la lor a visit, tne trirl cowj uGii Iir. A-driAn )aia. . tno llnAr.cr'ft chief all, )a3t he ta.i Utilpil an-jthcr of t'lo plotLui-3, a rou-jdJfti Daind Joann. wlao h'.d been masu..1:"-ttfluM masu..1:"-ttfluM tlii yacht's ftf.wrd nd h.'td fcjeaued into lv.o Ana hangar to tl'.sasa ti:o 3,riJUucs. Krjcn Jhtaco Ma-eia itaro tht flyu3 br. tfnne to town Mii.n one uf th Aria s.u:.ainil!eM to hivcsllirale a (j.blooa tlv KJ30WU ! Ijw i'Jl club. A (taper found CD the oVad steward lndi.-ntx-ti tfiat tins Is the n ii'j?tta- Leacjuartrs. V-'hn Suice IcUiphonetj that his car ham boon sloia Iijia in front of the club, W arena tiOtefl a hand in the s-hn.10. Benin a bora miinic-, elie U-Uribone the club. imulatjnK the voice t,t the dead jobraon, and commands the inmates to return the car loruiwitfi. iiacis from this adventure, adven-ture, Bplco procds to ask .ria for Ku'.her'a hand In Bisrvlnjo, and In refund, the rlnan-jer belioviuff tu.t J4WI nd CihllJi8 fuould not imruiajry. Thea W-r.iiJ. rc-e for a wini at hlttht and h.'ara two of ibe ttip!riJrs, ou a uiotortxiht. theusa a Dlau Jo ailtocX &l':c aod Aria irotn the air fa.-.d Hhoot lDm rfowii dumi one of lhe:r flichu to Wnshm-loc,' Wnshm-loc,' fn liin aic.:aiih she Muds Bplce stroUum ou h.i lawn with mMM aud warns tb.em of the lrjipoud-tnt lrjipoud-tnt tiacurar. NINTH INSTALLMENT. Uiiwk vs. Eagle. SPICB stepped back Instinctively, shocked, shock-ed, Btartled, astonished less at the news than In :-arcla'R sudden gust o lnten-eity. lnten-eity. Ho did not know what to make of It, nor did Isaacs, yet each felt that hers was no Jokiiis matter, that te girl was in dea- perate earnest. "We believe you, of course," said Isaacs culetly. " Do you mind telling us your source of Information. Marcla?" Marcla looked at Spice. " Do you believe me?" she asked. ' Yes, Ml Marcla." " Well, then, I got. the plan directly from the lips of ono of the watchers. He Is out In that motor boat between the Sylvia and Hound Island. He Is posing as a Belgian under un-der secretary or clerk of some commission on a holiday. There are two of them and they are no doubt friends of Spice." " Of mine! " "Yes. Your late hosts at the 101 club. Thoy mentioned Johnson. He had them pretty well informed of your movements.' Mai cia had no reason to be disappointed in her coup de theatre. The expression of Spice's face at that moment was full payment pay-ment for all past slights and jibes with compounded com-pounded Interest. He stared at her as though making her acquaintance for the first time and glad of the chance. " I overheard ono of them telephoning somewhere. When he came out of the booth he asked the steward if he could get communication com-munication with Atlantic City at any hour of the day or night. No doubt it did not occur to you that In paddling around the boats in here my motivo was not that of the tin panner or beach chicken, but that I might be trying to keep tabs to some extent on who was hanging round the water front. Well, I tagged these guys." "There is another candidate for the can," muttered Spice. " Go on, Marcla. Something Some-thing tells me that the worst is yet to come." "As chief of the soacoast stupidity service," serv-ice," said Marcla, " it immediately struck my highly developed and unquestioned sense of the unfitness of things that the chief of a Belgian commission should be drying out on the board walk at this season when he might be getting refreshing entertainment over the well stocked cellars of Newport and Ear Harbor. Also this pair looked more like plumbers than heroes of Flanders field. Therefore, knowing Mr. Aria's precarious position. po-sition. I put certain investigations in motion." mo-tion." She raised her pretty chin. "Don't stop." said Isaacs, his dark eyes burning at her. "The careful and conscientious stupidity agent," Marcla continued, " may leap at a clew, but not at a conclusion. Knowing that you were to leave a little after midnight of night before last. I slipped over to their boat, where I had established a listening post." " In the dinghy?" " No. brightcyes. In the water. While dangling from their anchor chain these two bravos came out and watched you start. One of them said that it was no use telephoning as the night was so dark. You see. they do not want to run any chance of bungling, as they know that this may be their last opportunity. oppor-tunity. The other remarked that Johnson had reported that you left usually a little before daylight, so it would be better to wait." Spice moistened his lips and stared hungrily hun-grily at the motor boat. Isaacs was speechless. speech-less. Marcla rose languidly to her feet and assumed the nonchalant pose of an illustration illustra-tion in a fashion pictorial. " That will be about all I think," said she "The Information is exact. Eeforo reporting further. Dr Isaacs. I shall have to work up certain other leads. Good-morning, gentlemen." gentle-men." And with gracefully drooping figure sha "-.fDned away toward the landing where Eha had tied up her canoe. For a full fifteen seconds the guardsmen of earth and air followed with their eyes the swaying form of this self-assigned guards-woman guards-woman of the sea The very back of her frilled, framboiso gown," the exaggerated mincing step, and something in tno suing of hip and shoulder scorned to wave them a mocidng adieu, and they could guess that in eplte of or perhaps actually because of the very gravity of the news Imparted this extraordinary ex-traordinary young person was laughing at tlicrn as she minced awny. IsaacJ, the least overcome, wa3 the tirBt r to speak. " Well, upon my word," said he, " I've run up against some cool hands in my fiocret service work, but never anything quite like that goddess of the assassin chase. Take a good look at her, E'.ting. You've neglected neg-lected your opportunities." Spice sighed. " 'Fraid you're right," said he. " In fact, I think I've Just met her. Fancy my calling her down for mixing with the flotsam and Jetsam that drift in here on little gas 'ioats. I wish there was another Jackass on this place. I'd go and back up against hirn. But what did she mean by that crack about having my car given back to me?" "She meant the literal truth. More than that, it's quUe possible that she saved your Innocent young life," said Isaacs, and mercilessly merci-lessly described Marcia's Impersonation of Steward Johnson over the phone. " She made . . i M-Vf Iff M i Wy? ' AA Mil M'4lWi3rr. t-.n lift r.v -mill! , " Thbt will be about all, I think. The information Is exact. Good morning, gen tlemen." me promise ;;ot to tell. Wanted to spare your feelings. Well, she seems to have got over that for some reason." Spice looked as though the unripe apple Just ingested was giving him pain. But his trouble was deeper than that. " I'm the reason," rea-son," said he. " My brotherly little talk on what every young girl should know." " I believe," said Isaacs, thoughtfully watching Marcla as she paddled away standing stand-ing erect in her canoe, " that if she were to discover suddenly that there was a mine under the Sylph and our cellar was full of TNT, and the 101 club had set up a six Inch gun on Captain's island during the night and were training it on the house waiting wait-ing for us to seat ourselves at the luncheon table, Marcia would come up to tell us turn- -lug handsprings or showering us with confetti. con-fetti. Everything she does is with a peculiar pecu-liar chic of her own invention." Spice was staring out at the motorboat. Isaacs, glancing at his face, was reminded of one of the Airedales looking at a covered cov-ered cateh-'em-alive trap in which it knew there were a pair of rats. " Yes." said he. following Spice's thought. "The question now Is, what are we going to do about it? Spice turned and stared at him with such a peculiar expression that Isaacs, though a soldier who had seen active service himself, was startled. " Yes." said Spice. " What are we? " And he turned slowly and stared at the motor-boat motor-boat again. Isaacs . stepped forward and dropped a strong hand on his shoulder. " O come, old chap, wake up," said he. " Come back We really can't do that, vou know." Spice swung about, almost fiercely. "Why not?" ha demanded. "What else is there to do? " " We can arrest these men." said Isaacs Siowiy, "and no doubt collar this devil with the airplane, though It's doubtful if we could get a conviction on Marcia's testimony alone." Spice's face blazed suddenly with that passion pas-sion of the battlefield which Is a thing apart frum all other passions, and his next words were not profane, as men of peace understand under-stand profanity. They were anathema, bit ter and sincere, an appeal to the vengeance of the Lord God of Militant Hosts. " God d n their rotten souls. Isaacs," he cried, " we don't want to arrest them. We want to kill them. Why not? Don't we know them for what they are? Haven't they come here to murder Aria? Aria, the best and bravest man in this country today, and the one who stands for all that is clean and fair and decent and kind and good!" " But look here. Spice," Isaacs began, soothingly, " for that very reason " " I know what you are going to say. Because Be-cause we belong to the hosts of light and they to the hosts of darkness we should temper mercy with Justice and all that stuff. I don't see it that way. To hell with them, and the quicker we send 'em there the better! bet-ter! " The blood surged up into his head. The thought of these slinking hellhounds lying there so close, waiting only the chance to fly at the throat of the strong and gentle spirit working for the peace and happiness of humanity's living millions, was causing the bay to see red. " It really can't be done, old chap." said Isaacs. " For one thing, the law must obtain. ob-tain. Self-defense is one thing and counter-assassination counter-assassination another. Mr. Aria would never countenance our adopting the methods that he is fighting to forestall. We can't start in to out-bolshevlst the bolsheviks, annihilate annihi-late the nihilists, and level the Socialists in the democracy of death. That's not quite the idea." " Well, it strikes me we've been working on a wrong one. whatever the right one may be," Spice said stubbornly. " I've thought so since I looked over that slick bunch at the 101 club and then learned from you that they were the slmon pure thuggee. If these birds had pulled their stunt a week ago they might have got away with It lhat' is, unless my wonderful sister (Isaacs smiled at this omission of the step) had piped them down. We've been carrying automatics where we can't get at them and several times aircraft have swung in close to give us the once over. The trouble with us is that we've been purely on the defensive. It'3 been the trouble with the whole country. coun-try. If a good big bunch of us would turn to and start a strong offensive there wouldn't long be any trouble about Immigration. Free emigration would be those swines pressing care. They'd be howling to high heaven for passports to beat it back to dear old central cen-tral Europe." " You may be right," Isaacs admitted, " but it's not the way the game la played." " Then me for starting a new set of rules," said Spice, doggedly. " We can try It out on this particular team and see what the rest of their fans think about it." " O come. Spice, be i-jasonable, old boy. Tou know we can't go out there and lynch the beggars." " That's not precisely what I mean. I'm after that bird who Is laying for me down the beach. He's going to fly his hawk at an eagle. In other wordj, I propose to frame the guy. Now listen," and with gleaming eyes Spice proceeded briefly to describe his m plan. Isaacs listened with a frown and when Spice had finished he shook his head. " It's too risky, Spice, said he. " Mr. Aria would never permit it." " Mr. Aria doesn't need to know anything about it until it's all over but dropping the wreath of poison ivy," saM Spice. " I propose to make the job of his murder so damned unattractive that they won't find any takers. You see, Adrian, these reptiles are not like anarchists organized to fight a tyranny. In a country like this their whole idea is silly, and they know It and are in it for just what they think it's worth. The whole thing is an open game in America; covt'iavnem. roliirinn. finance, trade an cpen game with no ante au,I the blue sky the limit." Isaacs nodded. " Of course the leaders of such an organization know that their the ories are illogical and absurd in a country like this where the government is of the people, for the people, and by the people. But that doesn'tprevent their getting a big and dangerous following." " Big, but not dangerous." said Spice. They can always get a gang of dupes Just like some bellowing, whiskered grafter that starts a new bum religion and collects a lot of converts who hope to draw something In the shuffle, If it's only a little free love. But the dangerous ones are the hirelings, and they are dangerous in direct proportion to what they draw. Now, It probably doesn't cost 'em much to make a batch of bombs and mail them variously about to blow the hands of a few poor employes, because they know that even if they get caught they'd probably be kissed lind forgiven. But to sign on a crew of professional killers to get a well protected man like Mr. Aria must come high, and what I propose is to make the price prohibitive." " How, Spice? " " By forcing the lighting. By taking a strong offensive. I'll down this buzzard waiting for me near Atlantic City, and then I suggest that we grab those tippers off on the motorboat and put them through the thirty-third degree. Find out who issues the death warrants, then take a leaf out of their own book and go utter that guy and get him! That's the only way to make them lay off." Isaacs shook his head. " But don't you see that such a course would be to cut loose from the very law and order which we are fighting to maintain? Besides, it's not our job, which Is limited to protecting Mr. Aria's life." " Well," said Spice, " it seems to me that what I suggest would be a short cut to that result Look hc-e. Adrian, the greatest great-est lesson of this war has been what is merely the secret of every successful scrap; a strong offensive. That's not always pos sible of course, because you may not be able to tell what's coming. In that case the next best thing Is a vigorous counter offensive." offen-sive." "That's precisely what Mr. Aria means to effect." " Yes if they don't got him first. Do you mind If I speak plainly?" ' Shoot, Spice." " Well, then, have you ever reasoned out why from time immemorial the Jews have suffered such bloody persecution?" Isaacs nodded. " There are a good many reasons, Spice." "No doubt. But one is enough. It Is because the nature of the Semitic race is against taking a physical offensive. Jews are anything but cowards, and they can fight. We have had plenty of proof of that In this war. They don't run away. Even In massacres they never desert their families. fam-ilies. Then stand fast and die. But unless led by trained soldiers they seem to be constitutionally con-stitutionally unable to carry through an offensive. of-fensive. I'm speaking of the mass. Take the case of the Armenian massacres by the Kurds at Constantinople in 1S97 for the Armenian is, of course, r. Semitic race and has been Christian only since converted by Saul of : Tarsus. The Armenians were well oi ganized to rise and throw off the Turkish yoke. They were armed and equipped and waiting the signal to attack when the Turks got wind of It and turned loose the Kurd hamal3, their own porters and servants, on them. Then the Armenians, let themselves be butchered like sheep In the shambles. That sort of thing has happened hap-pened over and over again and it will keep on happening happen-ing until the Jews " "Change their natures?" "No. Until they get it through their heads that their security lies in hitting first They've got the brains and the courage and the consolidarity. They're not afraid of getting killed. They simply hate to kill. Let me tell you something. On my transport going over a lot of the boys couldn't sleep for fear of mines and submarines. On the French liner I came back on I got acquainted with three Jew merchans who had made the voyage on that and other lines fourteen and fifteen fif-teen and eighteen times during the war and had been buying and selling at a loss to hold onto their clientele. They hadn't as much fear of submarines as I have of cooties." Isaacs reflected a moment. mo-ment. " All of that may be very true." said he, " but I can't see how It applies to the case at hand. We are not now in a state of war under martial law. Lynch law has effected good results, re-sults, no doubt, but that does not Justify it where there exist civil laws and means of enforcing them. Such measures here would be retrograde, belong to a state of civil chaos. You might as well argue that if you know a man to be trying to swindle you you would be justified in holding him up at the point of a gun and taking what he had, so as to discourage his efforts and be on the safe side." i t Spice laughed. " AVell, you're the doctor," said he. " Then let's make a compromise. If I'm attacked while winging my peaceful way some ten thousand feet above the surface sur-face of this wicked earth, I've got a right to hit back, haven't I?" " Y'es, I can't deny that. But hang it all, Spice " "Well, then," Spice interrupted, " let's call a session of the ways and means committee." It was still very dark when Spice, Dr. Isaacs, and Gakes wheeled the chasse machine out toward the landward doors of the hangar and over to its starting point on the far upper corner of the' lawn. The staccato exhaust had tired but a few times when Marcla, whoso subconsciousness had been on the alert for such a sound, roused herself from the light sleep of early morning, ' slipped on a kimono, and went above. Sho was ignorant of the plan afoot, but thought that she could guess it. Reasoning with her native acumen, she decided that it must be a trap set, both for the conspirators in the motor boat and others down the coast. The former would probably bo taken in the act of telephoning to announce Aria's departure, while Isaacs had doubtless spread his net to take the armed airplane on its return from an unsuccessful ascent. The quartermaster, relieved to find that this erratic young lady did not intend to indulge in-dulge In a niatlii.il swim, handed her his night glasses, through which Marcla perceived per-ceived immediate signs of activity aboard the motor boat. The dinghy tus hauled along side it when twj men got unoard and pulled off through the low lying hnz s in the direction of the yacht club Through the murky dark ness the girl thought that hn saw a dark opacity on tho water moving a few moments later away from the Aria landing. The darkness was too thick Cor Marcla to see what Immediately followed. The man Tony, himself an aviator, got his communication communica-tion with no difficulty, unnounccd his hnmo- v dlate departure, and was retui mate to go aboard his boat and when he found himself sudden: with a cedar skiff which matei1'' the murk before he could avoi'c f"' i boats came together with no vlt ''n rubbing sides, and the next Inst pair found themselves looking "" ' zles of two automatics in tho b. ' '' and Isaacs. They were curtly h their hands heavenward and, cred unarmed, were exhorted under escort for the Aria landinj which their captors marched t ' hangar. Here Tony was man ankles to a ringbolt In the ceu.o :-his :-his companion, a ratty looking fji and none other, by the way, tli i,r ' acquaintance, was furnished wi sj airman's costume and told to d. ' further parley. Spico had immediately reco v who had discovered tho Identity late guest through his marine day of the motor boat's arrlvi conspirator been an enemy of would have exchanged fclicltat had nothing Immediately to say . p agent of this type. A littlo latei -V he might have a few questions V the look in his eyes as they r. ! '; man's pale, defiant face was not "j to that bravo. His confederate :ij clothes with strong misgiving. " Say," ho growled, " what's tk "The most exciting la tho .'.f Spice. " You are going to act at Vt an air duel. In fact, your part even more thrilling than that. Y iK to play target. To understudy M ., a move on you now. We can't k ': lantic City friend cutting figur this lovely morning." Thus informed as to his role, ri some considerable pressure to gi jV promptly accoutered. He was tl "', across the lawn or, more propel assisted into the airplane, and hi ankles securely ironed to convenl., ;.: the machine behind him. Spice ti, ,, when Isaacs placed conveniently -.SS caliber repeating rifles. " Dum-dum bullets, Spioe," sail .-" " Let 'em spatter. This Isn't v . sport. All right, lachez tout." The mammoth flying insect bef across the lawn, humming with i ;; volume such as one might expec -cicada. It became suddenly mo f rushed forward, lifted, and soari -. the faintly lightening waters. II v most over Marcia's head as she ".; from the damp decks of the Sylpt .:. a sweeping curved and, heading tc ward, mounted rapidly. Up onto the higher strata It c " swift chasse machine, bound on -chasse this time, thought Spice, '.' But the slumping figure behind h get the exhilaration which come! ';. speed through the cool, rare atmo; i this wretch now fully realized his . part iu the drama ahead. He kn -was to be the dummy target for ;:, rifleman, no less than Lorenz, T against his will, had acquired m . skill in the Austrian army, but ha . to desert and return to America country was at war with Genna ; under a different identity, ho had;-talents had;-talents to the less dangerous and tive work of airplane construct!' government. . So here was a peculiar situationjj actual aerial duel a l'outrance ovei at peace witli all the world. Ye.,: more vital, perhaps, to the main the peace than any similar corral., throughout tho war. And as ttr. permeated Spice's soul he was cc a sublime exhilaration; of an upll : rising tug of the strong, light ta bore 'him aloft. As the boy saw , Aria stood for the champion of th -weaith, for peace and safety, aw order, as against anarchy and outn the horror and human anguish many months before he had lent", help suppress in foreign air. Ari : protector of peace and he was the. of Aria. Yet, oddly enough, in th!nkin there was no association of idea wl It was not this girl's image whlc. spired him In his high endeavor to ness to his hand and deadly surcn. eye. Instead he saw a laughing, girl with a mop of auburn hair and smile on her curved lips, warnln" avoid that destination for which h his course. But this was a fleeting picture, gularity of his position now filled h sort of thrilling awe. During the w been but one of a hive of stinging value of whose results had to bo esl tiic aggregate, and where it rarely lot of the Individual to change the somo great movement. But he playing a lone hand, taking the of a tremendous responsibility. Spice had no fear for the result I the presence of the manacled male hind him did not by any moans I safety, though it tended to this, tacker would naturally direct his efforts toward what ho must supP the person of Aria. But this reall greatly matter, the two being so gother that to shoot at one of th. targets from a moving base was a! shooting at cither, and also becaus. lug of the pilot was practically c uehlove tho destruction of beth. To ho conlltitH'd- LConyrl.-lit: 1919: By Hour C. B |