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Show IHE STORY SO FAR: Colonel Flag-WUI, Flag-WUI, acUns chl if of G-2, U. S. military jntwUlgence dcp irtment, estimated there were 200,000 European troops In Mexico preparing for in attack on the United SUtel. Intelligence Officer Benning was sent to Mexico City where he posed as INSTALLMENT FOUR Bromliu, an American traitor who had byen captured la Paris, and soon gained the confidence of Fincke, another offl. cer. Benning was accepted as an officer offi-cer by Van Hassek, leader of the foreign armed forces in Mexico. Several days later Benning was Joined by Lucette, tf r&l. M Bromlitz's sweetheart, who was actually actual-ly a French spy. told Benning the, ominous news that Bromlitz had escaped. es-caped. Later she reported that Boggio, an air carps officer, told her he had more than a thousand planes In Mexico. Now continue with the story. -n 76- 76- were figures of five digits. He sensed rather than heard the returning Bavarian. Instantly he thrust the map into the breast of his loose khaki tunic, closed the open drawer of Van Hassek's desk. Benning Ben-ning strode through the curtains into the reception room at the identical moment that the Bavarian reentered. re-entered. Although as an essential of his business, he had learned control of his emotions, Benning was unable to put down the racking suspense of the next few moments. Would the Bavarian discover at once that Van Hassek's desk had been tampered with? Benning's brief survey of the map had given him the vital information infor-mation for which he had been playing. play-ing. If no alarm came now, he could slip away in the night, haul out the Fernando plane from its hangar, and fly through to the border. bor-der. The Bavarian came driving through the portieres, black tragedy in his distended eyes. His cheeks few M CHAPTER IV Continued Benning searched Mile. Ducos' face and demanded, "Boggio told you that?" "Boggio has told me a great deal In the past few days," she answered. "I have " The orchestra brought their dance to an end. Mile. Ducos ended her sentence in a harmless platitude. They went back to their table. "How do you know this isn't some ruse, some trick?" Benning confronted con-fronted her when they were alone. "Why should a trusted officer betray be-tray such secrets to you or anyone (ise, mademoiselle?" She flared back: "Don't you credit cred-it me with knowing what I'm about, monsieur?" "I also credit Boggio with ordinary ordi-nary discretion in matters of such importance," he retorted. "Under what circumstances did he tell you of Van Hassek's air bases?" Mile. Ducos sat down and a cold smile replaced the resentment in her eyes. "For several days past, monsieur, mon-sieur, 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 the sky, for me to set him talking about them, and about himself. Yes, much more he has told me. In front of Fernando on the Laguna de la 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, mademoi-selle, the full significance of what you just told me?" he asked, his eyes searching her face. She shrugged her shoulders and said with a touch of annoyance: "Anyone who is too stupid to evaluate evalu-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 to attack the United States. The really important thing we've yet 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 at a little party he's giving for some friends tomorrow night at the palace. pal-ace. You may thank me for your invitation I think you weren't wanted. want-ed. But I couldn't afford to let Van Hassek think 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 disclo-sure of the operations map in Van Hassek's desk. Finally he nodded acceptance. CHAPTER V In his regal suite in the Palacio Nacional the next night, Van Hassek Has-sek had replaced his khaki field uniform uni-form with peacock military habiliments. habili-ments. Benning found discomfort in the presence of Colonel Bravot, alias Sergeant Gaujos. 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' arrival, had centered cen-tered his attentions upon Mile. Ducos. Du-cos. 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 centered cen-tered upon a scowling Bavarian lieutenant lieu-tenant who sat in Van Hassek's adjoining ad-joining military room, shut off by thick draperies. The 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 patient caution Benning waited wait-ed his time. The hour was close to midnight when he chose his opportunity oppor-tunity to strike. He stalked into the military room in the manner of a man who has been drinking too much. The Bavarian sat at his job, stiff as a ramrod. "A command for you, Lieutenant!" Lieuten-ant!" Benning blurted at him in German. "You will report at once to Excellency's junior aide-de-camp in the bar. See to it that you lose no time!" The Bavarian looked up with a questioning scowl, then sprang o his feet under the habit of obedier.ee to a superior officer. He hesitated for 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, Benning Ben-ning turned the key in the top drawer. draw-er. His steady hand extracted the one document that he found there, a folded linen map. Benning's face went taut as his hand thrust it open and he saw the legend of arrows superimposed on a map of the United States and upper Mexico. A gance told him that the arrows pointed to vulnerable points oi possible invasion. Behind each arrow that pointed across the Mexican Mexi-can border toward the United States ' rupted by a sudden noisy commotion, commo-tion, the half-hysterical cries of a Mexican girl who was being thrust into the ballroom from Van Hassek's Has-sek's bedroom. The staff colonel marched across to Van Hassek and handed him the stolen operations map. "Excellency, I found it pinned under un-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, identifi-cation, and slowly smiled. He tucked the document into the gold sash at 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-nocense, in-nocense, was bundled out of the room. Van Hassek slowly turned to his remaining guests with a cool bow. "Good night, my friends," he said gravely. "I regret it if your pleasure pleas-ure has been spoiled tonight, but on some other evening I'll expect to make amends. Now I must busy myself with the details of what has happened. Buenos noches." Mile. Ducos did not speak as Benning Ben-ning took her home in a cab. When they were alone, Benning saw her undergo an unexpected transformation. transforma-tion. Her eyes filled with tears and she sobbed softly to herself. Presently Pres-ently she recovered her self-possession and dried her eyes. "I suppose I shouldn't have such scruples about that girl when so many lives are at stake," she rationalized. ra-tionalized. "But I had no alternative alterna-tive than to do what I did. I only hope she convinces Van Hassek of her innocence or he decides she is too attractive to die." Benning busied himself with maps and pencil. From time to time as he worked he closed his eyes to examine ex-amine the sensitive film of his memory. mem-ory. A Van Hassek arrow thrust its point across the border at Laredo. Behind its shaft was the figure 50,-000. 50,-000. At Brownsville was the figure 10,000, at Eagle Pass another 10,000. On the California frontier were two arrows joined together behind a curved line, their points aimed at Tecate and Tia Juana, in the region of San Diego. The figure here was 60,000. Four arrows thrust from the Pacific, Pa-cific, 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 Atlantic Atlan-tic side, groups of red arrows pointed point-ed at critical points from Boston to New Orleans. Here, again, there were no figures. Benning handed his reproduction of Van Hassek's key map to Mile. Ducos. He saw the blood drain from her face as she studied it. She looked up at him with startled, staring star-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!" Benning got up and put on his cap. "I am leaving Mexico at once, mademoiselle," he said calmly. "You are welcome to come along with' me if you don't mind taking some chances with a pilot who's somewhat out of practice." She answered gravely: "My instructions in-structions require me to remain in Mexico, monsieur. But it's important impor-tant for you to reach your government govern-ment as quickly as possible! I learned from Boggio today that he can't see me tomorrow. All leaves of absence are being suspended, which means you'll not have long to wait for Van Hassek's attack. Au revoir, monsieur, and bon voyage." CHAPTER VI The sun was moving over the jagged jag-ged Washington skyline on the second sec-ond morning thereafter when Benning Ben-ning was put down at Boiling Field by a fast observation plane from Kelly Field. After his landing at Randolph Field from Mexico City the day before, he had passed the alarm to Eighth Corps Area Headquarters Head-quarters and sent a code report of details by wire to Colonel Flagwill. A military car was waiting for him at the airport. It sped him to the War Department where Flag-will Flag-will was waiting in the G-2 office. The colonel showed the effects of strain and sleeplessness, but was gravely contained. "A fine bombshell you've exploded in the War Department, Benning," Flagwill said solemnly. "I've reported only what I learned, sir," Benning answered. "Of course, the final appraisal of my information informa-tion is up to the General Staff." "General Hague took your report at once to the President," Flagwill said. "As a result the President had an ultimatum sent to Ruiz yesterday yes-terday 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 givt our military attaches at the embassy em-bassy full authority to visit all troop soncentrations to view first-hand what is going on." (TO BE coxtixied: A folded linen 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 hurried hur-ried over to Van Hassek. Mile. Ducos picked up hi Benning's Ben-ning's face some hint of his suspense. sus-pense. She left Van Hassek, now pawing drunk, and crossed the room. "Something has gone wrong, monsieur," mon-sieur," she whispered anxiously. "You have been up to mischief in Van Hassek's room." "Concealed in my tunic," Benning answered at once, "I have Van Hassek's Has-sek's operations map the most dangerous dan-gerous secret in Mexico. You must drop me at once." "Let me have the map, monsieur," mon-sieur," she whispered. "I took a desperate gamble," Benning Ben-ning coolly rejoined. "If I've lost, it's my funeral, not yours." With a quick decisiveness the French girl threw her arms about 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, in 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 received the alarm from his staff colonel. One moment Van Hassek was drunk, the next moment coolly sober. "No one will leave my quarters, Colonel," Van Hassek calmly instructed. in-structed. "With the help of my aides you will search everyone present, including in-cluding 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 ballroom, ball-room, thence to be taken one at a time to Van Hassek's bedroom for examination. Benning was taken first. The colonel co-lonel sharply demanded explanation. Why had he sent the Bavarian officer offi-cer away from his post of duty? Benning Ben-ning confessed bad judgment, for which he offered apology. His only thought had been that the Bavarian was a neglected guest who should be given a drink. He insisted that he 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 cigar his face grimly contained as if he waited in supreme confidence on the unmasking of a spy. Benning's thoughts were inter- |