Show 4 should read BY ARED WHITE W W installment XIII CHAPTER XIV denning benning left the hotel at nine clock i and walked to the empire vad a ate t i e building during the night he ad collected available information of the andes gold mining and milling company the firm had been operating in new york for ten years past it was a small but 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 chilean had recently taken over as managing director on reaching the forty fifth floor I 1 denning benning went direct to the compa nys offices and stepped inside A tat fat roly poly of a man with catlike smirk stamped on his round face came up to denning benning at once to search him with small round eyes L pat glinted suspicious appraisal 14 lt C brough horn rimmed glasses y 1 I am mr office manager he said in an ingratiating purr Is there something I 1 can do for you 1 I am a stockholder denning benning said intent on completing his reconnaissance of the room in the shortest possible 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 identification of the visitor as a van hassek agent maybe hesitated you want to see senor salvatore nonsense denning benning said with authority you say you are the office manager and I 1 have just introduced myself fully im in a great hurry denning benning stepped decisively past the fellow and went to the open B cabinet at which a ruddy clerk of slav features was working while e pattered up with muttered protests denning benning thumbed through the baltimore entries ramsey R ringold in rosser rouse he noted that after each listed stockholder there were symbols purporting to show number of stock shares held dates of dividend payment and other littered data his eye caught the pertinent detail that in the baltimore file as THE STORY SO PAR FAR more afore than warnings had bad gone unheeded the president foreign troops which had been was killed when washington was secretly transported to mexico suddenly bombed general brill commander of invaded the united states intelligence the U S army in texas was opposed officer benning had discovered their by greatly superior forces led by van plans while a spy in mexico city where in spite of brills desperate he had gained the confidence of fincke resistance van hassels Has troops pushed and bravot two enemy officers but his relentlessly forward returning to wash compared with other files through which he hurriedly skimmed there were many more entries on each card baltimore headquarters of the ardys third corps area and flanked by some of the ardys important arsenals and secret proving grounds was a logical beehive of espionage activity very good your baltimore file shows the proper prope r activity denning benning announced turning abruptly away to face thank you for your courtesy senor salvatore will be here very soon said it is necessary that you talk with mr salvatore before you leave tell salvatore denning benning said scowling at his watch that ill be back by eleven at latest just now im in a hurry 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 clefts and cried here Bac kropp you will keep the gentleman company until mr salvatore arrives A barrel cheated man whose 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 pass out the door of the andes gold mining and milling company numbers were against hirr him all right he yielded with with annoyance ill wait a reasonable time Bac kropp escorted denning benning into the salvatore private room behind the main office where he indicated a seat in front of Salva tores mahogany desk Bac kropp sat down close by and folded his ponderous arms across his chest two others of old fers men quit their work at the files to take position just outside the salvatore door denning benning saw that he was as definitely a prisoner as it if he had been bound and gagged denning benning waited impatiently consulting his watch from time to time barely fifteen minutes had passed before he heard someone enter the office from outside he rose and walked to an open window back ropp watching him narrowly casually he selected a cigarette from his case lighted it took two quick puffs and cast it out the window its a long way down to the street from here Bac kropp he said leaning out for a brief survey below denning benning saw a yellowish phosgene smudge trail out behind his falling cigarette and turned back to back ropp its not so far down Bac kropp muttered if you dont wait to take a elevator out in the office was speaking in a tremulous voice ja senor salvatore he may be all right said anxiously reintroduced he introduced himself but I 1 dont ake icke the way he nosed about into our things so I 1 have him waiting for I 1 you salvatore strode into the room an erect saturnine man in morning coat striped trousers and lurid neckwear even in the shock of recognition tion bennings startled mind flashed to a whim of professional observation this mans presence confirmed his every suspicion of the andes gold mining and milling se 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 of section in van hassek espionage service at the palacio nacional bravot sat down 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 failed to recognize in mexico city what explanation have you to offer of your visit here bravot inquired a im here from mexico city colonel bravot denning benning answered with pg 1 1 IX t k yi n n I 1 1 01 f k 1 41 A ponderous hand band closed over bennings mouth calm alm assurance 1 I have identified myself and am prepared to do so again the precise nature of my mission I 1 am not permitted to dis lose close to you beyond that ive noth ing to say without taking his eyes from benning bravot slowly opened a drawer of his desk and brought out an automatic pistol As he leveled the weapon across the desk Br avots left hand went to a call button which sent a rasping summons into the outer office old fer came in at once we have had a close call old ter 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 mexico due to my preoccupation with other matters denning 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 Dac kropp were about him in an instant with all the crushing force of motor driven prongs A ponderous hand closed over bennings mouth and shut off articulation ington benning met fincke who had come there to do espionage work for his government benning continued to posy as a friend and proceeded to investigate a mysterious gold mining company opera operating in new york ile he believed it was a front for a vast spy ring now continue with the story denning 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 concrete vault that lay open behind heavy steel doors the ape man hurled him inside with a stunning violence and heaved the doors shut shut denning benning picked himself up and shook his head to clear his wits from the shock of his fall only the habit of self discipline saved him from panic as he found himself engulfed in th this is black steel encased void he heard the vague click of bolts as the door was locked then silence he felt about the interior of his pris prison on and estimated its damens dimensions ions as some six feet wide by ten feet in depth H he e knew that rescue depended largely upon that phosgene cigarette he had tossed out the window as a signal to 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 imari imprisonment s his ears strained for sound but bu t there was only silence he tried kicking at the foot thick steel doors but there was no response it came to him that in the heart of a great j city with its teeming 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 com company any a blunt new crew had taken over headed by lieutenant colonel wallace corps area intelligence officer three of wallaces officers were checking through the company records three others were standi standing ng guard over four glum prisoners this sharp transfer of authority had been accompanied by a brief tragic violence in a corner 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 fat man who sat in front of him ill give you one more chance to remember the combination to that safe if you do remember ill make it an internment camp it if you dont ill have you hanged inside a week he lifted his wrist to his eyes and glanced at 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 reported 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 it he cried leaping to his feet ja ill open the safe if you promise me I 1 dont hang for it 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 denning benning was lying on the floor his right hand clutching a small pocket notebook wallace lifted the unconscious man to a sofa in the salvatore room A medical officer who had been hur ried in from governors island took pulse and temperature and applied stimulants in a minute denning benning opened his eyes and on orienting his mind to the whirling gray world about him attempted to sit up the captain will be all right shortly the doctor predicted its just as well however you got him out of there without much more delay pt half an hour later denning benning insisted on getting to his feet his legs were wobbly under him the slow steady throb of his pulse reverberated ver berated in aching temples but he waved the medico aside and went into the office where wallace and his men were working here denning benning better take it easy the corps area G 2 chief admonished im feeling better denning benning answered the score now colonel colonel wallace was effervescent the andes gold mining and milling company he exclaimed is the most valuable mine in the world rig right ht now no question about it were headed for the biggest spy roundup in history wheres bravot denning benning wanted to know bravot alias salvatore the glow of wallaces face vanished into gloom pretty bad luck denning benning 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 denning benning when you feel up to it colonel Flag will wishes you to call him at the war department enning benning checked through throng 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 a code book which un locked the symbols the first estimates showed seventeen thousand cards of stockholders many of these were innocent purchasers 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 denning benning went to the mcalpin his legs still lacked strength and he took a cab tor for the short ride upstairs in his room he called Flag will who was on the line promptly glad youre all right denning benning you had us worried Flag will exclaimed A great piece ot of work simply great report back as soon as you feel like traveling denning benning Flag 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 denning benning assented ill report in washington on the next available plane TO BE CONTINUED |