Social problems -- Fiction; War stories; World War, 1914-1918 -- Fiction
“No, Heinrich didn't have to be tempted. It was on account of
Heinrich that we began the investigation. He has been making
explosives and planting them all over the country. His name isn't
Heinrich, and he isn't a nephew of Kumme; his name is von Holtz, and
he's a Prussian officer, a personal friend of the Kaiser.”
Jimmie was speechless. For the love of Mike! He had been sitting in
the back part of old Kumme's bicycle-shop, filling his pipe from
the tobacco-pouch of a personal friend of the Kaiser. He had called
this personal friend of the Kaiser a fool and a jackass, informing
him that a real mechanic could put a ball-bearing together while he,
the personal friend of the Kaiser, was spitting on his hands. Could
you beat it?
Mr. Harrod, the “special agent”, informed Jimmie that he would have
to testify as to what he knew; and Jimmie was so indignant at the
way he had been taken in that he was willing to do so. He would have
to give bond to appear, added the other; did he know anyone who
would vouch for him? Jimmie racked his harassed brain. Comrade Dr.
Service might consent, if he were quite sure that Jimmie had not
really meant to help the Germans. Mr. Harrod kindly consented to
give this assurance, and called up Dr. Service, whom he seemed to
know, and told him the circumstances. Dr. Service finally said that
he would put up a couple of thousand dollars to guarantee Jimmie's
appearance before the grand jury and at the trial. Mr. Harrod added
that if Dr. Service would promise to come in the morning and attend
to the matter, the government would take his word and let the
witness go for the night. The doctor promised, and Jimmie was told
that he was free till ten o'clock next morning. He went out like a
skylark escaping from a cage!
V
He had been warned not to talk to anyone, so he told Lizzie that he
had been kept late to make repairs on a motor-cycle. And next
morning he got up at the usual hour, to avoid exciting suspicion,
and went and stared at the shop, which was locked up, with a
policeman on guard. He bought a copy of the Leesville Herald, and
read the thrilling story of the German plot which had been unearthed
in Leesville. There were half a dozen conspirators under arrest, and
more than a dozen bombs had been found, all destined to be set off
in the Empire Shops. Franz Heinrich von Holtz, who had blown up a
bridge in Canada and put an infernal machine on board a big Atlantic
liner, had been nailed at last!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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