On Secret Service

ient chair, remarked that, now that peace was finally signed, sealed, and del

what?" I

ly retired from Secret Service when an inj

ne way or another-and the only reason the other one didn't follow suit was because he knew enough to keep his mouth shut. That's how Uncle Sam

ss get to work again, only to be nabbed in port. Inasmuch as ocean travel has gone up with the rest of the

and you never knew when you were going to spot a hidden necklace or a packet of diamo

the case of Ph

r full name, as it appeared on many passenger lists during the early part of 1913, was Mrs. Mortimer C. Dodge, of Cleveland, Ohio. When the customs officials came to look into

ty. In the language of the classics, she was there. Black hair, brown eyes, a peaches-and-cream complexion that came and went while you watched it, an

erness-extraordinary because it was so perfectly obvious-we'

the jewels and they had turned up a few weeks later in New York or Chicago. But the Customs Service never considers it wise to trace stones back from their owners on this side. There are too many ramifications to any well-planned smuggling scheme, and it is too easy for some one to claim that he had f

en times in as many months, and the matter finally got on the chief's nerves to

re was the same-though the only princ

e. Anywhere from six weeks to three months later the necklace would turn up in the possession of a jeweler who bore a shady reputation. Sometimes the article wouldn't appear at all, which might have been due to the fact

s Yquem emerald-a gorgeous stone that you couldn't help recognizing once you got the description. The purchaser was reported to

om Chicago that a pork-made millionaire had added to his collect

the job in Washington. "We can make the man who bought it tell us wher

o land those birds and land 'em with the goods. We can't afford to take any chances with this crowd. They've evidently got money and br

l New York to turn loose every man they've got-though the

didn't take Joe very long to get the details. They weren't many and he immediately discarded the idea of possible collusion between the buyers of the stones abroad. It looked to be a certainty on the face of it, but, once you had discovered that, what good did it do you? It wasn't pos

purchased in Europe and had turned up in America, without going through the form

se, as usual, that the chief will be as peevish as Ha

" admitted one of the men

en purchased and those on which they had been locate

the past year," he directed. "Of course it's possible that these things might h

Gregory stuffed them into his su

d McMahon, the man in char

acks for a few day

g brought over by airplane and landed inl

t this stuff," and he tapped his suit case. "Somewhere in this bunch of b

ngly light. Apparently every one of the passenger lists had vanished. As a matter of fact,

he Catskills?" was the question

"Went up to a camp in the Adirondacks-c

atch out for a hundred-thousand-dollar string of pearls sold

was," Gregory cut in. "What

sixte

anced at t

ond," he mused. "What boats a

e Tasmania ought to get in to-morrow. T

list. It's too late to go down the harbor now, but not a person's to get off that ship until I've

s usual-except for the fact that the luggage of everyone and the persons of not a few were searched with more than the average carefulness. But not a trace of the pearls wa

s than half a page had been received when Gregory uttered a sudden exclamation, reached for his notebook, compare

somewhere," commented

fish is a different matter. Whoever's on the oth

st bit worried. In fact, his hat was at a more rakish angle than usual and his can

rded the quarantine boat the next morning, clambering o

he informed the purser, after he had shown his badge

cept that she is a most beautiful and apparently

ory. "Came over in Janu

id. I'd forgotten that. But, beyond that f

miliar with an

her on deck with the Mortons quite frequently. Probably met them on her

ut my inquiries, of course," and he mixed with the throng of newspaper

docked, Gregory wa

as you can about it. Say that we've received word that some uncut diamonds-not pearls, mind you-are concealed on the Tasmania and that orders have been given to go over e

t in a few dutiable trinkets, but they were all down on her declaration, and within the hour she was h

taxi, top up and Gregory's eyes glue

id went in, followed by a pile of luggage which had been searched until i

they were out of si

had stopped at the hotel several times before and the house detect

e maid?" inqu

he is the same one she had before. Pretty little thi

t it's the feeling that a good operative gets when he's on the right trail-told him that he was "warm," as the kids say. Appearances seemed to deny that fact. Mrs. Dodge went only to the most natur

he house detective tipped Joe off tha

orders to have a taxi ready at nine and her trunks taken down to

at just yet," Gregory

acting on orders which he had delivered over the phone, no less than half a dozen

the maid remained to help with the unpacking until the "All-ashore-that-'re-going-ashore" was be

right." And that night he wired to Washington to keep a close lookout for th

other end of the wire, "why in Heaven's

string of pearls, perfectly matched, answering to the description of the

urned the wires, short but to the point. "Either the man w

e me three weeks and you'

lis Dodge had something to do with the smuggling game, he had put in time

p room on Twenty-fourth Street. Most of the time she spent in wandering up the Avenue, and it was there that Gregory made her acquaintance-through the expedient of

idn't seem to get him anywhere. She was perfectly frank about her position. Said she was a hair dresser

dge is only here three or fou

you for your t

eplied; "she's mo

hought to himself-but he consider

made money in the West, he took Alyce everywhere and treated her royally. Finally, when he considered the time ripe, he injected a little love

stated in so many words that she had a place that suited her for the time

ke your time about it. Meanwhile we'll continue

Alyce, "er-that

ed Joe. "What's c

ic," was the reply, "and I'll have to

nce and inquired if there had been any recent reports of suspicious jewel sales abroad. "Yes," came the voice from Washington, "pearls again. L

Mrs. Dodge landed. Again she was searched to the skin; again her lug

he Knickerbocker, but Aly

s own devices, Gregory took a long walk up t

minates collusion with any of the crew. Doesn't stay at the same hotel two t

sessing man, dressed in the height of fashion, throwing his hat in the air and uttering a yell that cou

ook gave him the number he wanted-

t you? Worked on the Maitland diamond case with you two years ago.... Wonder if you could tell me something I want to know-is Mrs. Mortimer C. Dodge booked

th they would have marveled at the look of keen satisfaction and relief that was spread over h

rather surprised to see Gregory stroll do

e uptown on the chief's pe

Joe. "But that's pr

the "All-ashore" call. Then he took up his place beside the gan

at she doesn't get away, and you, Bill, beat it on board then and tell the captain that the boat

been saying good-by to friends and relatives, she spotted Joe waiting for her, and star

come down to meet you. What've you got in t

hen the matron joined the party, as previously arr

don't want to keep the boat

out of the door long enough to report: "We found 'em

ob turned he was inside, informing Phyllis that she was under arrest on a charge of bringing jewels into the United States without the f

desk of the chief of the Customs D

t. Claims to be from Cleveland and sails under the name of Mrs. Mortimer C. Dodge-first nam

ng the stuff on this side as well as the ones who were mixed up in the scheme abroad-they let her go scot-free, with the proviso that she's to be rush

ks. Went there to be alone and concentrate. He found that of all the people listed, only three-two men and a Mrs. Dodge-had made the trip frequently in the

ught aboard, passed on to Phyllis, and she tucked them away somewhere in her stateroom. Her bags and her person could, of course, be searched with perfect safety. Then, what was more natural than that her maid should accompany her on board when she was leaving? Nobody ever pays any attention to people who board the boat at this end, so Alyce wa

to make love to Alyce and got the idea that Mrs. Dodge was going right back to Europe hamm

and put on that Kreisler record-'Drigo's Serenade.' I love to hear it