Edwin Balmer

“ Detective McBirnie muttered perplexedly, at the same instant that Colbert asked the question aloud: "What is behind this, Racicot?"
"Ah! Monsieur, you think matters have not gone well with me here. A mistake was made—yes, I admit it—in holding for ransom Monsieur the American Secretary of War; for I observe now that Americans do not venerate their rulers or care what happens to them. But in Europe it is different; so now, as a beginning, I will carry off—perhaps the Czar of Russia, perhaps the Emperor of Germany; for one of these the Russian or the German nation would give many millions. ”

“ What a woman to win with an empire!" His instantaneous delight aroused their admiration against their will. "What a one to hold with us the capitals of the world under the ransom of the aeroplane! Meldazis, Pocrass, Bonnefoi! you have forgot yourselves for a moment. We have, at the smallest, two hours before troops can reach us," he clapped them on the chests with a self-confidence which carried no conviction to Colbert, though it impressed the others. ”

“ But McBirnie, again beside him, tapped more loudly on the resounding tank behind the engine.
"It's no use turning the cocks, Mr. Hayden Colbert," he advised calmly. "It's the fuel that's gone. The tank's empty. See? And besides, it won't be necessary!" He pointed to a slender stream which, like a silver cord in the bright sunlight, seemed hanging from the aeroplane above them. "For their own fuel is going! The shot which hit Pocrass must have gone through their tank." ”

“ With forty machines, in one night I can destroy London, Paris, Berlin, St. Petersburg! But forty machines is the beginning only. I will get more money, more machines! Men will come to me. Mademoiselle, five hundred thousand men died that Napoleon might go from Paris to Moscow and accomplish nothing; but when I am ready, in one night if I wish it, I can put fifty thousand men before the doors of the Kremlin, and in the morning, their work having been accomplis'—behol', they will be gone again! Since the world began no man has had power like me—Henri Racicot! ”

“ McBirnie puzzled over the enigmatical message. "Perfected? Is it cipher? Perfected what?" And he arranged the perplexing incidents he had unearthed as nearly as he could in their sequence:
"A Frenchman leaves the Shoreham without his baggage; Colbert cables Travis 'Perfected'; Travis cables Alice Endicott 'Expect me in a week': Germany gets bumptious; an American calls on the Secretary of War, and the Secretary goes out with him and never comes back: an Italian picks my pocket! Miss Alice Endicott, I beg your pardon; 'international' is the correct word!" ”

“ Endicott!"—Colbert swung again to the Secretary of War—"you, as American delegate more than once to the Peace Conference at The Hague, know that ninety per cent of the claims arbitrated there concern, as at least one party to the dispute, the English-speaking nations. Most of all, the people of the United States stand for the settlement of international difficulties by arbitration. They stand for peace; while the peoples of continental Europe are still unable to shake themselves free of the ever-present idea of an appeal to war, which their huge standing armies indicate. ”

“ Oh!"—she sank back, half apologetic and half teasing—"shouldn't I have told him, Roland?"
Roland Travis, the owner of the car, bit the lip half hidden by his Vandyke beard and controlled himself. But the Frenchman threw up both hands in delighted acquiescence.
"Yes, yes! Precise'; precise', mademoiselle!" he cried, with a look of something more than admiration at the beautiful girl. "For why? Mademoiselle discerns plainly that The Hague is always futile! The nations are disperse'—all remain little—petit. They fight forever their little wars. ”

“ Meldazis, who was one of Santos Dumont's assistants; Eller, here, of Berlin; Pocrass; Loderbauer; Caviale; Racicot; and—I hire and pay him, too—you, Colbert. And I keep you all working together under my pay until at last I take the aeroplane out of the class of proving-ground experiments and the flying machine, made by my money, is as safe as the railroad, simpler than the automobile, and faster and good for better distances than either; and then you——"
"You take the aeroplane out of the experimental class!" Colbert burst in upon him. "I beg your pardon, Alice—Mr. Endicott," he cried. ”

“ As the train of sleepers drew into the Baltimore and Ohio station McBirnie rushed forward, hat in hand.
"Miss Endicott!" He checked the graceful girl as she descended the car steps, and with his long forefinger he pointed to himself: "McBirnie, of the Secret Service. Your motor is waiting—chauffeur with a scar under his right eye—I thought so."
He led her out to the motor, stepped in and closed the door of the limousine behind him.
"Allow me to ride up with you. Saves time! Now, Miss Endicott," he said impressively, "why 'international developments'?" ”

“ He turned back to them almost terribly. "Germany has stopped its other war preparations, of course, to devote all its armories to making these engines of war, so dreadful that a single one could destroy a hostile capital. It lacks only the secrets Colbert has retained to make it the invincible war lord of Europe, of the world—and it is in hourly expectation of receiving these from Travis!" He whitened at the realization and—disregarding Travis as though he were not present—he caught Colbert's arm. "Racicot was right! I must get back to Washington at once—in any way—at any cost, Colbert!" ”

“ A dago chauffeur, who may be another of your men, picks my pocket of that automobile gauntlet, and afterward I find him in a silk hat, looking up your name on the Shoreham Hotel register. Now, Mr. Roland V. Travis, do you think it is good sense for you to try to make me believe you know nothing about it? If you were some men, Mr. Travis, I'd lock you up until you told. But a man that's got $30,000,000 is as good as locked up anyway, for you can always find him. ”

“ You're not going to take the slightest chance of being hurt!"
"Let me up! Are you crazy, man—are you crazy?" Colbert spluttered, trying to break the detective's wiry hold, as he could see through the window the first aeroplane, which Racicot had retained, slanting up again swiftly into the sky. "See—Racicot is escaping; and the troops are too late. We must do it at any cost!"
"Not at your cost, Mr. Hayden Colbert!" McBirnie tightened his hold. "And don't worry," he continued calmly, as he rolled for an instant on top of the other and he could see the rising aeroplane out of the window. ”

“ It is necessary,' said Monsieur Colbert, 'to have at the tail of the aeroplane something automatically governing its motion, and it is necessary to have a fuel which will not heat the engine; then men will fly, not as now over mere parade grounds, but from continent to continent if they wish it.'"
The girl started.
"Then, when Mr. Colbert's motor car broke to pieces on the Rhine road——?" she cried excitedly. ”

“ Travis, we'll let it go at that. I've got you. You can't get away from me. A man like you can always be found. Besides, I'm going to get a man or two to help me watch you. And I'll make an appointment with the President for you at eleven o'clock tonight when he gets back, and at half-past ten I'll come and get you. I'll give you your own way, you see, if you promise to make a clean breast of it. For, Mr. Roland V. Travis, I've got you! Will I find you here or at the hotel?"
Travis glanced at Alice Endicott. ”

“ Roland V. Travis," McBirnie expostulated, "I'll leave it to your good sense. You meet Miss Alice Endicott in Europe, where you've got men of four or five different nationalities working for you, and you tell her something important is going to happen, and you give her a sign so she'll know when it's to be expected. When some nation, you say to her, stops war preparations you'll find Roland V. Travis at the bottom of it. Very good. Germany stops war preparations. Your man Racicot, who was with you in Europe, registers at the Shoreham, Washington, and disappears. ”

“ Endicott and Miss Endicott. That's all!"
"Eh, bien!—and in return?" the Frenchman queried.
"In return," Colbert replied, "I give you my word not to try to escape or to interfere in what you are doing, as long as she is safe, and to use the revolver only in defense of Mr. Endicott and his daughter or—myself."
"You must give me the revolver, Monsieur Colbert."
"You know you can trust me," Colbert objected. "You know I cannot trust you!"
"Ah, well!" the Frenchman said after a considerable pause. "It is my fault always to be too generous. I accept your terms. ”

“ For, as we have just heard from Caviale, at this instant trains full of soldiers make for us here, summoned by a pigeon voyageur which she carried and loosed! Sol!"
"Sol!" The Pole also clenched his fists angrily.
"It cannot be so!" Racicot denied hotly; but as Bonnefoi continued to point to the recording tape of the wireless instrument, with its communication from Caviale, he swung in apparent appeal to Colbert. ”

“ Colbert smiled in spite of the seriousness of the situation, as the stranger, with his binoculars—which he had slipped into a leather case dangling free from his shoulders—picked his skillful way toward him, hiding behind the larger bushes and stepping over the small ones; and when the other had come under the window of the tower he repeated his question aloud: "Who the devil are you?"
"McBirnie—Peter McBirnie, of the United States Secret Service. ”

“ Colbert cried, fighting more desperately against the skillful hold of his lanky antag- onist as their struggles brought them back to the door, and he could see down the hill. "And Eller and Loderbauer have out the second machine. They will all get away! Listen!" he cried, as a clear but far-off tone of a cavalry bugle rang up the valley from the hills toward Washington. "Your troops which Bonnefoi saw cannot get here! Once in the air they can escape clear. ”

“ He is murdering them!" Colbert cried, paling helplessly as he dashed to the window. He stood staring, more relieved for the prisoners, but more startled at what he saw, as Racicot, dragging Meldazis—wounded—came running out of the house in full flight.
"So Loderbauer has armed them and got them out already!" Colbert comprehended excitedly, as the powder smoke in the doorway cleared and he made out Travis and Eller and, behind them, Loderbauer reloading their revolvers. Then the three in the doorway after reloading, broke for the shed where the second aeroplane was sheltered. ”

“ Then I will have money, and that will be the beginning——"
"It begins well," interpolated Detective McBirnie interestedly. "Let's hear the finish!"
"With money all else follows," Racicot went on without heeding him. "Is it power you want, Monsieur Colbert—riches? Behol'! the world is spread out before you," he gestured dramatically and anxiously; " for since we have the secret of the long-distance aeroplane none can oppose us. ”

“ We were working on something—Monsieur Colbert and the German Eller and the Italian Caviale and myself—by aid of Monsieur Travis' money. But at that moment most depended upon Monsieur Colbert. He has ideas—remarkable! But not like mine! Monsieur Colbert had said wisely to himself, 'Two things are the matter with the flying machine. As yet, men fly only by adroitness. By long practice a very few expert men learn to balance themselves for a few moments with the aeroplane, but presently the man forgets to balance himself and the aeroplane comes down. ”

“ The cabin caught quickly and filled rapidly with smoke. From the window Colbert saw Racicot rush from the stable door; then others, wildly shouting.
"The key! Mon Dieu, the key!" cried Racicot.
They turned one to another, but the key was not forthcoming.
A man dashed off to get it. The white face of Alice Endicott showed suddenly at a window in the west wing, and was the last sight seen by Colbert before the rapid spread of the flames drove him from his place. Stifled, choking, blinded, he crawled to the center of the cabin, away from the blazing walls. He had miscalculated ”

“ He gesticulated grandly to the wings of the aeroplane. "Observe! It is more simple than the automobile. A child can run it! Still, I said nothing, but waited. One night monsieur went away and return' with Mr. Endicott. 'Now, Henri Racicot!' cried I to myself, 'is the time—strike!' Everybody is with me except the German, Eller. I seize Monsieur Colbert and Monsieur Endicott and lock' them up——"
Alice Endicott uttered a cry.
"Wait, mademoiselle! No harm has come to them. Presently after comes a message from Monsieur Travis, who has reached Washington, to the German, Eller. ”