“Maybe he owns it,” suggested Carter.
“Perhaps,” said Fleck, as he began studying the advertisements, “but it would not surprise me if these advertisements contained some sort of code messages.”
“Messages in advertisements,” exclaimed Carter incredulously.
“Why not? The Germans have hundreds of spies at work here in this city and all over the country. What would be an easier method of communicating orders to them than by code messages concealed in advertising. They have done it before. When the German armies got into France they found their way placarded in advance with much useful information in harmless looking posters advertising a certain brand of chocolate. I’d be willing to bet that every one of these advertisements carries a code message. I’ve noticed that these advertisements, all peculiarly worded, have been running for some time. I never thought of hooking them up with German propaganda, but, see, it is a German firm that inserts them.”
Carefully he cut out the two advertisements and laid them side by side on his desk. Turning to Carter he said:
“Go at once to see Mr. Sprague, the publisher of this paper. Get him to give you a copy of each paper that has contained an advertisement of this sort in the last six months. Find out what agency places the advertising. Tell him I want to know. He’ll understand. We have worked together before.”
Alone in his office, Fleck bent with wrinkled brow over the first of the two advertisements, which read:
REMEMBER
Please, that our new paste, DENTO,
will stop decay of your teeth. Sound
teeth are passports to good health and
comfort. Now, no business man can
risk ill health. It is closely allied with
failure. The teeth if not watched are
quickly gone.
USE DENTO