On Secret Service

erfeiters a few years ago, to be precise-"is back on the first page of the papers again after being crowded off for some four years because of the World Wa

ed in Serbia, not Mexico. Outside of the rumblings of the Algeciras case and one or tw

went up in interrogation. "

whi

Mexico City café which led all the way to Berlin and back to Washington an

ound history that I haven't read-and I must

make the investigations for the Department of Justice and the Post-office Department-but the Department of State, for obvious reasons, conducts its inquiries in a rather more diplomatic manner. Its agents have to pose as commercial investigators, or something else equally as prosaic. Their salaries are, as a general

s Jack Stewart and what was the nature of the

f. Nothing exceptional about him at all-which was probably one reason for his being selected for work as a secret agent of the Department. It doesn't do, you know, to pick men who are conspicuo

nde, if you recall, had been none too quiet for some time prior to 1914. Taft had had his troubles with it ever since the end of the Diaz regim

nited States, and that some other nation was behind this feeling, keeping it constantly stirred up and overlooking no opportunity to add fuel to the flame. Three or four other members of th

s would give him an opportunity to seek the acquaintance of Mexican officials and lend an air of plausibility to practically any line that he found it necessary to follow. But, once at the capital with his alibis well established, h

Germany, feeling certain that the greatest war Europe had ever known was a matter of the immediate future, was laying her plans to keep other nations out of the conflict. She figured that Mexico was the best foil

financial basis than ever before, were outspoken in their criticism of American dollars and American dealings. The people as a whole, long dominated by Diaz, were being stirred to resentment of the "Gringoes," who "sought to purc

nteresting, it was hardly news. The State Department had known all this for months. The q

find something definite to report," was the s

the very inviting cafés of the Mexican capital and making friends

time he had uncovered a number of leads-but every one of them was blind. For a day or two, or a week at most, they would hold out glowing promise of som

he life of continual mystery, of developments that never developed,

ront of a sidewalk café on the Calles de Victoria, that the Amer

at a table near his he pricked up his ears purely by instinct, ra

he Mexicans remarked, in a tone a trifle louder than necessary, that "the United States is a nation of cowardl

ntil his logic reminded him that his mission was not to start a quarrel, but to end one. He knew that no good could ensue from his taking up the challenge, and the very fact that the speak

is complete knowledge of the language was the one thing which he had managed to keep entirely under cover ever since reaching Mexico,

worked to

ken. "Lemonade! Pah!-they haven't the nerve to take a man's

raised his glass and regarded it in silence f

erican hog does not speak Spanish well enough to unders

. Spanish had always been a hobby of his-b

orm in which the populace referred to Victoriano Huerta, self-appointed President of Mexico and the man who had steadfastly defied the American government in every way

ms will be forthcoming within the fortnight there is nothing further to fear from the Yankee pigs. It will be easy to stir up sentiment against them here overnight, and be

on of what was evidently a Spanish name was so jumbled that all Stewar

name?" aske

two weeks for the passage-she isn't fast, you know-that would bring her into

at, when Stewart had time to catch his breath, he foun

in the State Department's secret organization-Dawson, who had been prowling around the West Coast on an errand similar to his. Before he knew it Dawson h

but-they were spoken in fluent, rapid Spani

d you see?" and he bent forward to

elf instantly, but the

down and have something? Rotten weather, isn't it? And not a lead in sight. These Mexicans seem to be afraid t

companion out of the corner of his eye, he steered the conversation into harmless channels, but a mo

matter?" a

exico City. As luck would have it, there was a couple seated at the next table who were giving me what sounded like the first real dope I've had since I got here. I'll tell you about it later. The question now

. "Well, there are two of us and I'd like to see

-if anything should happen-wire the Department in code that a vessel with a Spanish name-something that begins with 'Eep'-has cleared Hamburg, lo

alk deliberately stumbled against his chair and sent him sprawling. Dawso

nd that one of the men who had occupied the adjoining table w

t seized the swaggering native by the legs in a foo

hand slipped into his coat pocket where the small, but extremely efficient, automatic with which all government agent

hting system of the Mexican capital, however, was rather a help than a detriment, for in the struggle which followed it was practically impossible to te

help it," Stewart warned. "We d

n he had singled out of the bunch. The ten seconds that followed were jammed with action, punctuated with the shrill cries for reinforcements from the Mexica

d brought closer the arrival of help from the rear, but Dawson waited until he could h

k!" he called

ws and he knew that he nursed a sore wrist for days, but Stewart claimed that his energies were concentrated solely on the scrap and that he didn't have time to receive any impre

the devil and trust to luc

the Calles Ancha, running in a form that would have done credit to a college track team. Behind

olice any more than we do," gaspe

of a bullet, accompanied by the sharp cr

"We've got to skirt that st

rumpled up, a bull

ulder, and staggered on, his right hand groping for his automatic. Once out of t

t spelled safety-one of the open nighthawk cabs th

automatic. There was only a dull mass of whitish clothing some fifty yards away at which to aim, but he knew that the counter

et lamp Dawson dragged his companion toward it, seized the hor

none too gently into the small of the driver's back. The weapon was empty, but the Mexican didn't know that, and

up the street, the drive to the Embassy was uneventful, and,

was dictating a code wire to Washington-a cable which stated that a vessel with a Spanish name, commencing with something that sounded like "Eep," had cleared Hamburg on the seven

was instantly transmitted to Berlin, with instructions to Amb

ioned, presumably loaded with grain. Rumors here of large shipment of arms to some Latin American republic. Pra

that a special Cabinet meeting had been called, but no announcement was made of its purpose or of the

ton flashed a message to Admiral Mayo, in command of

, loaded with arms. Prevent landing at any cost. Blockade upon pret

spread across the front pages of American papers in big black type-but the fact that a steamer named the Ypiranga had been held up by the American fleet and forced to anchor at a safe distance offshore, under the guns of the flagship, was given little space. Apparently it was a minor in

e paused, "what became

s before the rest of the world dreamed of war. Dawson, I believe, is still in the Department, and rendered valuable assistance in combating German propaganda in Chile and Peru. He'll proba

in front of a café in Mexico City? That's one beauty of government detective work-you never kno

lack Tom affair would have been a Sunday-school party. She never dreamed that she would prevent the loss of mi

" I a

Quinn's likely to be fussy if I'm not home by twelve at least. She says that now I have an office job she can at least count on my be