’
I
THE STORY SO FAR: Colonel Flag
will, acting assistant chief of staff G-2,
in charge of mUitary intelligence, esti
mated from secret information that there
were 200,000 European troops In Mexico
being prepared for an attack on the
United States. Both he and the President
were powerless to act because of public
INSTALLMENT TWO
and congressional opinion which failed
to realize the significance of the troops,
in an effort to obtain more definite proof.
Colonel FlagwlU sent Captain Bennlng.
daring American Intelligence officer, to
the U. S. ambassador In Paris. Here he
was told to impersonate Lieutenant
Bromlitz, a former American officer who
had planned to work with the foreign
agents in Mexico. Expelled from the
U. S. army, he had desired to get re
venge for the ••insult.” Fortunately,
Bromlitz had been captured, so Bennlng
prepared to visit him In his cell to
study his mannerisms.
Now continue with the story.
CHAPTER II—Continued.
Bromlitz, stretched out face down
ward on a cot, raised his face as
the steel door opened on the little
hole to which he was confined. His
alert, beady black eyes searched the
face of his visitor, and he sat up
as recognition came to his face.
“Hello, Benning,” he said, his face
unaccountably brightening. “So it’s
you come after me, eh? Well, I’m
glad, if I must be hanged, that it’s to
be an American job.’’
“Merely a little visit, Bromlitz,”
Benning answered. “I’m not to take
you home, but you'll understand my
confession of gratification that you've
been run down at last. Corporal Hill,
the man you killed, was a member
of my company.”
They engaged in a strained con
versation. Benning prolonged his
visit while he studied Bromlitz for
his own purposes. He asked many
questions of the Bromlitz stay in
Luxembourg, which the prisoner an
swered freely. He was sharply puz
zled by the evident good humor that
his visit had brought to the fellow.
But Bromlitz’ parting words cleared
up that enigma.
“May I ask you a special favor,
Benning?" Bromlitz asked as Ben
ning rose to go.
The prisoner was suddenly sol
emn, there was a pleading note in
his voice, a beseeching look in his
black eyes.
“I owe you no favors, Bromlitz,”
Benning said brusquely.
“A very little favor to a man who
must die,” the other implored. “Let
me tell you, Benning, and you
mustn’t say no. Your coming here
has greatly relieved my mind. I
was—suspicious that I must have
been betrayed to the French, but
now I know it was the American
secret service that caught up with
me. A small distinction you say?
But an important one to me. The
one fine thing in my life has been,
Benning, a girl, whom I hoped soon
to marry. Please will you take a
message to her at Luxembourg? Tell
her I was killed by a train, drowned
—tell her anything but the truth. She
must think me dead. Out of her
loyalty she might wait for me
through empty years, and she’s too
fine for that ordeal. Please let her
think I’m honorably dead and can’t
ever return. You’ll do that for me,
please, Benning!”
CHAPTER III
A tramcar took Benning from the
Colonia Station in Mexico City to
Plaza Mayor, whence he crossed the
broad Mexican thoroughfare to the
great stone hulk of the Palacio Na
tional. He accosted a gendarme and
asked directions to General Van
Hassek's headquarters.
The policeman shook a puzzled
head and answered, “I’ve heard of
no such general in Mexico, senor.”
“Perhaps,” Benning suggested,
“you can direct me to General
Ruiz.”
The Mexican’s face lighted up,
and he spoke almost in awe, “Si,
senor, if your credentials are im
portant enough you may find Gen
eral Ruiz in the President’s suite at
the palace."
Benning smiled inwardly as he
turned to the Porto Mariano and en
tered the palace. Many times since
arriving at Vera Cruz he had in
quired about Van Hassek to find the
name unknown. It meant that Van
Hassek, a real master of the Mexi
can forces, was entrenched behind
a stout incognito, moving his pawns
in the name of young Ruiz, the new
dictator who had been placed in
power by a swift, furious, and mys
terious coup d’etat of European
planning.
An elevator shot Benning to the
fourth floor. He presented his cre
dentials to a staff officer with easy
assurance. So far, his carte d’iden
tite had passed him without ques
tion. The staff officer directed him
down a tiled corridor that rang with
the clatter of military typewriters
and all the hum and buzz of a gen
eral headquarters.
He was escorted into a large re
ception room at the far end of the
palace. The staff officer got to his
feet grudgingly.
“I'll see if Excellency wishes you
to report to him personally,” he said
in German. He left the room, but
was back in a few moments to say,
“General Van Hassek will see you
at once, Major.”
Benning found himself in an im
mense chamber whose rich furnish
ings ran a riot of vivid colors. His
eyes centered in some perplexity
upon the solitary figure in the room,
a man sprawled in a deep crimson
leather chair placed $t one side of
an immense blackwood desk.
Was this Van Hassek? The re
cumbent man’s figure was lost in
shapeless folds of fat. His wide,
squarish head was as bald as a bil
liard ball, his face was a network of
wrinkles, thick jowls cascaded from
jaw and chin. Moreover, he ap
peared wholly inanimate, a listless
gaze fixed in some strange detach
ment on the beautifully frescoed
ceiling.
“Sir, Major Brornlitz, reporting
from Luxembourg for duty with
General Van Hassek," Benning said
briskly.
“Sit down, Brornlitz,” the other
said without lowering his eyes. “I’m
Van Hassek.”
The Van Hassek uniform was the
simple brownish-tinted cotton khaki
of this new Mexican army. At the
collar was a silver crescent, insig
nia of a lieutenant general. The
only other ornaments on his severe
ly plain uniform were a glittering
order of merit at his left breast and.
under it, the iron cross.
Some moments passed in which
the only sound was the heavy ticking
of an immense German clock and
the vague hum of traffic in the street
below.
“Perhaps you can tell me, Brom
litz,” Van Hassek mused without
change of voice or posture. "Yes,
perhaps you can tell me."
A faint smile passed his thick lips
as he went on: “I’ve just come up
from the Salon de Espera on a low
er floor of the palace where I’ve in
stalled a hospital. Perhaps I should
refer to it as my laboratory. In any
event, no one ever leaves it alive,
“Sit down, Bromiitz.”
but they are only spies and traitors
who must die by one means or an
other. For some months I’ve been
watching them at the moment they
leave the world, yet I’m more mysti
fied now than ever. So you tell me,
Bromiitz, if you can, is death the
end of us?”
“Your pardon, Excellency,” Ben
ning answered. “I’m not a chap
lain.”
The other chuckled, and with a vi
tality in his mirth that was not that
of an ailing man.
"The profession of arms is so vast
and intricate, Bromlitz, I’ve given
up all hopes of mastering it in de
tail,” Van Hassek rejoined. "Be
sides, I find occasional diversion in
other lines of thoughts. So many,
many people must die of violence
within the next year or two that I’ve
been trying to satisfy myself wheth
er that will be the end of them.”
“You mean that many will die in
war, I take it, sir.” Benning suggest
ed.
"Millions,” Van Hassek answered,
stifling a yawn.
His pudgy arms thrust into the air
over his head, his heels stretched
forward, and he squirmed erect in
his huge chair.
"You were. I’m advised, an Amer
ican army officer,” Van Hassek said,
now speaking briskly in German.
"I’m told there are serious charges
standing against you in the United
States.”
Benning said: "I hope you’ll not
judge me by that, General Van Has
sek. Despite my past misfortunes
I’m a soldier, sir, and hold the view
that there is no other profession
worthy of a man. That being so,
when circumstances beyond my con
trol placed a price on my head in
one country, haven't I the right to
find service in another?”
"Ja, a soldier is always a soldier,
Bromlitz,” Van Hassek answered
with an approving nod. "I enjoyed
my three years in China as much
as my station in Vienna; and Mex
ico is even more to my liking be
cause there are big events shaping
up. Tell me in your own way, Brom
litz, what you think of the Ameri
can army’s fighting capacity.”
Benning pondered briefly and de
cided upon the full and unequivocal
truth which, after all, could only con
firm what Van Hassek must already
know.
“If you mean the American readi
ness for a sudden war, that is noth
ing short of pitiable, sir. The United
States land forces are scattered in
small garrisons, are not properly
NEXT WEEK
AmoM*** ALiosJUni} UnjtaUmMtt
equipped, and have very little train
ing in the team-play of the larger
combat elements.”
"What do you know of its
strength?”
“There are four army infantry di
visions and eighteen National Guard
infantry divisions together with
some four cavalry divisions. All
are at peace strength and it would
take months to put them on a war
footing, fully equipped. In total
manpower count on 300,000 men
within the territorial limits.”
“Ja, very good. What about their
fighting equipment?"
“Pitiable, when you consider the
whole picture. Their artillery is
largely World War vintage stuff.
They’re short on ammunition, anti
aircraft, instruments of precision,
modern rifles. Their anti-tank weap
ons aren’t out of the factories yet.
It would take them a year to make
the weapons they’d need, if they
couldn’t purchase them In foreign
markets as they did for the World
War. But they have a high-class of
ficer personnel, thoroughly trained
and—”
"Ja, I know of that,” Van Has
sek interrupted with a dash of im
patience. “But it takes modern
equipment and plenty of training to
fight a battle these days. Now, tell
me another thing, Bromlitz, would
the mass of Americans stick togeth
er in event of Invasion?”
Benning pondered briefly and an
swered, “I’m sure you can count on
it that they will, sir.”
“But what if they were overrun
suddenly? How long would they
stand up under terrific military pun
ishment when they had their chance
offered them to—to buy their way
back to peace?”
“Excellency, is it probable that
anyone would be audacious enough
to attack the United States on her
own soil?” Benning asked. “I mean
when her potential resources in
wealth and manpower are taken into
consideration?”
Van Hassek snapped out, “That’s
precisely why she must be attacked
on her own soil, because of her la
tent strength.”
Benning pretended perplexity and
countered, “I’m not sure I under
stand just what Excellency means.”
“I mean it was America’s stupid
intervention that wrecked the world
in the Great War."
"But didn’t her strength turn the
balance in the last war. Excellen
cy?”
“Strength, bah!” Van Hassek
scoffed. “Not for more than a year
after the United States jumped into
the war did her soldiers fire a shot
in battle. Then only after the French
supplied her with cannon, the Brit
ish with rifles, helmets, and gas
masks, and both sides conducted a
military kindergarten to instruct her
divisions in the art of war. Ja,
that was her latent strength!”
Van Hassek got up abruptly and
with an amazing agility. He went
to his desk and touched a call but
ton. The captain from the anteroom
responded promptly.
“Captain Schroff,” Van Hassek in
structed, “I’m very well satisfied
with Bromlitz. You may have him
report for the time being to Colonel
Bravot. Later I may have more
important use for him.”
CHAPTER IV
Benning found himself assigned to
a stuffy little room that was piled
high with American newspapers and
magazines. Half a dozen other offi
cers were engaged in reading these
publications.
Each day this group was required
to make a summary of American
press opinion as affecting Mexican
relations. Outwardly a peaceful
enough job. but one that Benning
knew to be a vital part of Van Has
sek’s war machinery.
During the next few days Ben
ning kept pretty much to himself,
though cautiously making friends
with the Austrian, Captain Fincke,
who sat at his elbow. A bit at a
time he meant to gather the infor
mation he had come for. If long risks
had to be taken in order to secure
important secret informations, that
would have to wait until he had the
lay of things at headquarters.
Mexico City, Benning observed in
his off-duty strolls, was serene and
untroubled.
Mexican troops themselves had
undergone a transition. They had
shoes on their feet and discipline in
their ranks and were used largely
as labor troops. Except for patrols
and a daily guard-mounting there
was no daily martial display in the
city.
Ruiz, holding the military rank of
colonel-general, was an imposing
figure, erect, lean, dashing. His uni
form was always vivid and he was
forever attended by flashily uni
formed aides and orderlies. Ben
ning thought Ruiz must have been
picked for appearance as well as
his susceptibility to control, in order
to put on a show that would catch
and hold the Mexican imagination.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
So This Is Jail!
The occupational therapy department of the penitentiary of the
City of /Vpto York on Riker's island is more like an art school than
a prison. The materials used are prison waste, much of it from the
junkpile. These photos show you the hehind-the-hars artists at work.
Good “badmenTwo inmates are working on a textile print
here. The cloth is salvaged from wornout bed sheets, and the cuts
were made from scrap pieces of linoleum.
Above: There are 6,000 ;
burnt matches in this
house, which is Complete- j
ly furnished. Windows
are “glazed' with cello
phane from cigarette
packs. The patience and
industry displayed by this
man indicate a change of
heart.
I
Right: This man not
only does the actual man
ual work of making
hooked rugs, but also cre
ates the designs and color
schemes. His materials are
burlap from old sacks and
wool unraveled from old
socks. He dyes his mate
rials to the tint needed.
j
General view of one of the classrooms of the occupational ther
apy department. It looks like a typical classroom in a typical art
school. Solomon S. Dameshek, WPA artist who supervises the work,
looks over the project of one of his pupils who is making a hooked
rug. Other students are plaster casting or working on leather.
WHO’S
NEWS
THIS
WEEK
By LEMUEL F. PARTON
t Consolidated Features—WNU Service.)
A^EW YORK.—In Goldfield. Nev.,
^ when the camp was going
strong we staged a “battle royal,”
with 10 men slugging each other, the
r» am . u victory going
Denny Must Have iQ tho last
Studied Decorum man to stay
In Code Duello on *'i5 foet
The referee
was an old desert rat, who didn't
like to stay out of a good fight.
Somehow he got mixed up in the
milling and flattened the three re
maining contenders.
One wonders at the self-control
of George V. Denny Jr., under
i 'mtlar provocation. With no
holds barred and no punches
pulled, America’s Town Meeting
of the Air is getting more like
the battle royal and less and less
like its antecedent chautauqua
meeting. In the melee over aid
to Britain, in which Verne
Marshall was the storm center,
It looked as though Mr. Denny
might be pulled in any minute.
But he wasn’t, and with rising
popular blood pressure and
tensing vocal chords, he gives a
marvelous weekly exhibition of
keeping cool and watchful, and
giving everybody a break. That
was the main idea of the town
meeting, which he organized,
and now directs.
, He began his New York career
as an actor in Paul Green’s "Pu
litzer prize-winning” play, "In Abra
ham’s bosom.” In the University oi
North Carolina, he became a mem
ber of the "Carolina Playmakers."
After his graduation, he was instruc
tor for dramatic productions at
Chapel hill, which experience may
have contributed to the uniformly
good showmanship of the town meet
ing.
Mr. Denny was worried about the
rising power of pressure groups, in
dustrial strife, intolerance and other
such matters, and these concerns
directed him to an association with
the League for Political Education,
of which he later became director.
The Town Hall of the Air was a nat
ural extension of the work of the
j league, founded by Dr. Denny in 1935.
IT MAY sound far-fetched to link
* the Monday morning hangover
with Britain’s chances for victory,
but such things can be, the way one
n . _. thing leads to
Perhaps Figs another these
May Be Gathered days. In the
From Thistleswanln* days
of the prohibi
tion era, Dr. Norman JollifTe, an up
and-coming young New York med
ico, made a timely study of the bod
ily and psychological aftermath of
bathtub gin. In translating “hang
over” into “polyneuritis,” he discov
ered that he was studying not nec
essarily alcoholism, but imperfect
diet which lessened a man’s capacity
to stand up to his liquor.
These imperfections or inade
quacies of modern diet led to studies
of vitamins as possible correctives,
with Dr. JollifTe’s later conclusion
that plenty of B-l would restore
caloric unbalance caused by alcohol.
He urged liquor manufacturers to
slip a small jolt of crystaline B-l
in every bottle. It wasn’t that he
was trying to help citizens keep up
with their drinking. He was just
taking homo sapiens as he is and
trying to give him a hand.
Moving on with their vitamin
studies, Dr. JollifTe and his col
leagues find Mars just as dura
ble as barleycorn, and an even
tougher antagonist, with vita
mins, again useful to buttress
resistance. So here’s the “Vita
mins for Britain” committee,
With Dr. JollifTe participating in
its effort to get “millions of vita
min tablets” over there to bol
ster the “Sceptered Isle” against
the effects of narrowed and un
diversified diet, nervous tension
and heebie-jeebies. Is it possible
that prohibition was a labora
tory to turn up a trick to save
democracy?
Dr. JollifTe, a New Yorker, was
graduated from the New York uni
versity medical college in 1926. His
vitamin researches gained him
membership in learned societies
and the American Association for
the Advancement of Science. He is
chief of medical service of the psy
chiatric division of Bellevue hospi
tal, and associate professor of medi
cine at New York university.
WHEN John D. Biggers was ap
pointed to organize and man
age the unemployment census in
1937, he invited criticism. “The
more stones thrown the better,” he
said. He now has a job both more
important and more vulnerable, as
director of the production division
in the new national defense office of
production management. Mr. Big
gers thinks the critical impulse is a
sign of healthful public interest.
Since, 1930 he has been president of
the Libby-Owens-Ford Glass com
pany.
Pattern No Z9208
C*ASY hooking was the motivat
*-* ing force behind the creation
of this beautiful pansy design in
oval shape.
• • *
7.9209 19c, brings the design In about
24 by 34 size on a hot iron transfer that
will stamp to your burlap. General hook
ing directions and instructions for making
several inexpensive rug frames come with
each order. Send order to:
AUNT MARTHA
Box 168-W Kansas City, Mo.
Enclose 15 cents for each pattern
desired. Pattern No.
Name .
Address .
Fortunately for Passenger
No Rules Were Broken
As the west-bound express train
thundered through the wayside
station, a door burst open and a
passenger fell out. Fortunately,
he landed on a heap of sand, so,
though badly shaken up, he wasn’t
hurt much.
The train shrieked to a stop and
the conductor hurried to the side
of the victim.
"Hurt bad?” he inquired.
"No, I guess not,” replied the
man, "but what’ll I do now?”
"Let me see your ticket,” said
the representative of the railroad.
When it was produced he exam
ined it closely, then:
"It’s all right,” he said. "This
ticket permits a break in the trip.”
Beware Coughs
from common colds
That Hang On
Creomulslon relieves promptly be
cause it goes right to the seat of the
trouble to help loosen and expel
germ laden phlegm, and aid nature
to soothe and heal raw, tender. In
flamed bronchial mucous mem
branes. Tell your druggist to sell you
a bottle of Creomulslon with the un
derstanding you must like the way It
quickly allays the cough or you are
to have your money back.
CREOMULSION
for Coughs, Chest Colds, Bronchitis
Knowledge and Integrity
Integrity without knowledge is
weak and useless. Knowledge
without integrity is dangerous and
dreadful.—Dr. Johnson.
% COLDS
auicktu u-it
LIQUID
TABLETS
SALVE
NOSE DROP*
COUCH DROPS
Great and Simple
The greatest truths are the sim
plest, and so are the greatest men.
May Warn of Disordered
Kidney Action
Modern life with its hurry and worry,
Irregular habits, improper eating and
'% drinking—its risk of exposure and infec
tion—throws heavy strain on the work
of the kidneys. They are apt to become
over-taxed and fail to filter excess acid
:j and other impurities from the life-giving
blood.
You may suffer nagging backache,
headache, dizziness, getting up nights,
5 leg pains, swelling—feel constantly
tired, nervous, all worn out. Other signs
of kidney or bladder disorder are some
times burning, scanty or too frequent
urination.
Try Doan't Pills. Doan's help the
kidneys to pass off harmful excess body
waste. They have had more than hall a
century of public approval. Are recom
mended by grateful users everywhere.
Atk your ntigkbor!
WNU—U 5—41
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