The Lost Despatch
Page 6
CHAPTER VI
THE SIGNAL LIGHT
"Are you sure you have made no mistake, Lloyd?" whispered Colonel Bakerin his companion's ear.
"Positive, Colonel; I have laid my plans too carefully for that."
The two men were crouching behind a corner of a tumbled-down stonewall. Their position commanded a full view of an old square mansionstanding some little distance from B Street. The galleries on the southside of the house overlooked a low, rolling meadow which ran down tothe Potomac River.
"Have you no proof against the girl?"
"No tangible proof so far, though I am morally certain she is thecleverest spy of them all."
"Why not arrest her on suspicion?"
"What good would that accomplish? Her family and friends are the mostinfluential in the District. Without actual proof of her guilt, youcould not hold her forty-eight hours."
Colonel Baker moved restlessly. Such tactics were foreign to hisnature. He believed in arresting first and investigating afterward. Buthis department had gone too far in a recent case, and he had beenwarned by no less a person than the President himself that hishigh-handed methods would no longer be tolerated.
"My idea is to make her convict herself," resumed Lloyd, after a slightpause.
"And you think your plot is going to work?"
"It has succeeded so far. I found out that Colonel Mitchell wasentertaining Senator and Mrs. Warren, and that Miss Newton was to be ofthe party. The colonel's sentiments for her have changed within thelast few days. I shouldn't be surprised if she had snubbed him, andwounded his vanity. Anyway he was quite willing to enter into a littlescheme I suggested. I put it on purely patriotic motives, mind you,"Lloyd smiled grimly to himself, "that, as a loyal Union officer, it washis duty to assist me. So he wrote a bogus despatch, purporting to comefrom the adjutant-general, which he was to drop accidentally beforeMiss Newton, and then give her an opportunity to pick it up."
"Did she do it?"
"I am positive she did, although I did not actually see her. I sawMitchell, who managed it very cleverly, drop the paper, and as theyleft their table I walked over to it. The paper had disappeared fromthe floor."
"Why didn't you arrest her then?"
"Because I want to find out her method of passing information on to therebels. She may have a confederate who would carry out her schemeswhile she is in prison, and we would be none the wiser and still unableto stop the leak. I judged that the moment Miss Newton had time to readthat paper she would instantly try to communicate with the rebels. AndI judged rightly." He paused to look up and down the silent street.
"Go on," whispered Baker impatiently.
"Symonds and I shadowed her home. She stayed in the house just longenough to change her dress, then came on here by a circuitous route.She has been in there about ten minutes," nodding his head in thedirection of the house.
"I am glad I met you," rejoined Baker grimly. "I enjoy being in at thedeath. Sure she cannot escape you?"
"The house is surrounded by my men. I am going to give her a few moreminutes before I interrupt her little game."
Somewhere in the neighborhood a dog bayed, but there was no sign oflife about the house, except a loose shutter banged dismally to and froin the cutting east wind. No stars were out, and the men had to straintheir eyes to make out objects in the dark. Suddenly Baker clutchedLloyd's arm and pointed to the south. A faint light had appeared from awindow over the south portico, which grew brighter as it moved once tothe left, then to the right, and then was raised, shedding a brilliantgleam on the deserted galleries.
"Signaling, by God!" swore Baker. "Come, man, in with you."
He started to his feet, but Lloyd pulled him down again.
"Wait," he cautioned. "We can interfere there at any moment."Reluctantly Baker followed his advice. Five minutes, ten minutes passedon leaden feet to the anxious watchers. But their vigil was rewarded.Lloyd touched his companion on the shoulder, and muttered: "If my eyesdon't deceive me, here comes some one in answer to that signal."
Baker glanced up the deserted street, and dimly saw a man slowlyapproaching, apparently picking his way with care. The newcomer wasnearly opposite the dilapidated entrance gate, when the side door ofthe house was cautiously opened and a figure stole out, and, making aquick dash through the gate, collided violently against him.
The Secret Service men were too far away to catch what was said, butthey saw the two shake hands. Lloyd's men to the west of the house hadwitnessed the meeting, and, without waiting for a signal, were closingin on the pair, who stood still for a moment, then turned and walkedstraight toward the place where the two officers were crouching.
"Given into our hands," muttered Baker exultingly; then, as thenewcomer stepped almost in front of him, he sprang forward, and seizedhim in no uncertain grip. "I've got you," he shouted in triumph.
The man straightened his bent shoulders to his full height; then stoodpassive.
"Well, well, so you have," said a quiet voice, "and what are you goingto do about it?"
"A light here," roared Baker.
Obediently one of the soldiers who had come running up struck a match,and held it in the hollow of his hand so the wind would not extinguishit. As the tiny flame grew brighter, he raised the match, and the lightfell full on the face of Baker's prisoner.
"Good God! The President!" gasped the colonel, and his hands fellnerveless by his side.