On Secret Service

ct of transportation cropped up and, as a collateral idea, my mind jumped to taxicabs, for the reason that the former Se

e von Ewald chase-you remember Mary McNilless and the clue of Shelf Forty-five? Well, Dick Walters, the man who landed von Ewald, wasn't the only government detective work

though. What you want

ecall that the German was the slipperiest of slippery customers. When Walters stumbled on his trail, through the quick wit of Mary McNilless

er of other cases developed. Some of these led to very interestin

rally unable to separate the wheat from the chaff in advance. Night after night they went out on wild-goose chases an

to the Postal Inspection Service at the time of those registered mail robberies in the Middle West-only to be detailed

g that some bonehead pulled the alarm for the sheer joy of seeing the engines come down the street. There ought to be a law against irrespons

est and energy as the rest of the boys-for there's always the thrill of

e morning when the phone ran

mation is really important I would suggest that you come down and give it

d and the chief

sounds a little vague and far-fetched. Maybe the people in the taxi merely wanted to find a quiet place to talk.... They got out and were aw

m to catch the next train to Trenton, where, at a certain address, he would find a Miss Vera Norton, who possessed-or thought she possessed-info

idea, Chief?

her window, which looks out upon a vacant lot on the corner. Along about two o'clock a taxicab came putt-putting up the street, stopped at the corner, and two men carrying black bags hopped out. The taxicab r

of the story stated that fragments of a black bag had been picked up near the scene of the explosion, which only wrecked one of the outhouses, and the young lady leaped to the conclusion that he

rple tie on, when some one thinks you ought to be wearing a green one, they want you arrested as a spy. Confou

blond from the way she talked-and spend entirely too much time running the whole thing to earth. Go on over and get back as soon as you can.

the tube and was lucky enough to catch a Tren

After Whitney had talked to her for a few minutes he admitted to himself that it was just as well that Giles hadn't tackled the case-he might never have come bac

rced to the conclusion that what she had seen was too s

The arc light on the corner, however, gave me the impression that they were of medium height and rather thick set. Both of them were dressed in d

of bags w

ose bags that are flat on the bottom and

was the ta

minutes to four. I was getting mighty sleepy, but I determined to see how long it would stay in

a Green-an

embered that my opera glasses were on the bureau and I used them to get a look at the machine. I couldn't see anything of the chauffeur beyond the fact that he wa

er," Whitney

e, three, five, six, eight," she read. "I got that when the taxi turned around and headed back-to New York, I suppose. But

hen the chief told me what you had said over the phone I didn't place much faith in it. There might have been a thousand good reasons for me

that it may be a

r some kind of celebration, missed the train in New York, and took a taxi over rather than be left out of the party. But at the same time it's distinctly within the realms of possibility t

the reply. "I won't

he sky. Row after row of flimsy buildings, roofed with tar paper and giving no outward evidence of their sinister mission in life-save for the high ba

s by the events of the preceding night, the guard refused to admit anyone, and even hesitated about taking Al's card

harge of explosive close to one of the large buildings. The one selected was used principally as a storehouse. Otherwise

sions from the shells inside to do the damage. If they'd hit upon any other building there'd be n

icked some fragments of a black bag not far fr

ee pieces of leather from a drawer in his desk. "Two piec

sk and examined them carefu

funny about the

t's the

except that the bag must ha

t's

pieces of metal which formed the lock together. But, in

the superintendent. "Wh

little information which I ran into before I came over here, it begins to look as

report at headquarters, but to conduct a few investigations

ge, "just where your taxi bearing the license number

ut we'll get the chauffeur up h

cab bearing license number four, three, three, five, six, eigh

y specimen of the genus taxi driver swaggered in and d

and-White manager, "where

ked up a fare on Broadway an' took him in the Hunnerd-an'-forties some place. Then I cruised around till the after-theate

"where and at just what hour of the night did those two Germans

ur, "they gave me...." Then he checked himself suddenly and ad

he door. "Back up against that desk and keep your hand

y palpably the butt of an automatic. Murphy could see the outline of the weap

want it quick! Also, it's none of your business why I want it! But you better come clean if

hly cowed by the display of force, Murphy tol

o'clock," he confessed. "I'd taken that couple to the the-ayter, just as I to

interrupt

at th' same corner at six o'clock sharp. Two hunnerd an' fifty bones being a whole lot more than I could make in a night, I gambled with 'em an' let 'em have th' machine, makin' sure that I got the coin foist. They drove off, two of 'em inside, an

have any ba

No, n

d they l

sed in a dark suit. He an' th' others had their hats pull

k with a Ge

make out what he was sayin'. But

pen if you're not careful!" was Whitney's reply. "If you don't w

boss,

me all the truth-

littl

ght. Cl

smile, remarked: "Well, we've discovered where the car came from and how

car that leaves this garage to take care of just such cases as this-to prevent drivers from running their machines

tape of Murphy's machine for last night

inked needle marks these straight lines and curves all the time the machine is moving, and when it is standing still it oscillates slightly. By glancing at these ta

ter give you the dist

eter, while this record is kept in a locked box and not one driver in ten

omentary stop in front of the Amsterdam, and the complete sweep as he turned around to get back to Broadway. Then there's the

ep the excitement out of his voice, "is w

ently longer than either of the other two. They paid their fares, while

terested in," announced Whitn

it blazes a blood-red trail that you ought to be able to follow with very little difficulty. See, whe

w m

elay to get on board, here's a wavy line evidently made by the motion of the boat when the hand ought to have been practically at rest, and here's where they picked up the trip to Trenton. Evidently they didn't have to stop until they

nton. Murphy said they didn't have any bags, so they must have gone home or to some ren

cisely the distance marked on this one-the place where the turn was made. Then, driving down that st

t's applying science to it! Sherlock

t, but shortly after midnight, belated pedestrians might have wondered why a Green-and-White taxicab containing two men procee

ched Eighth Street, "but to be sure, we'll go back and try it over again, driving at

t as the first-the place they sought lay

house, Whitney phoned to headquarters and requested loan

e ordered, "because we may have to sur

e north side of the street, because, as the manager pointed out, the machine had not turned round

ed formation, completely surrounding the houses, front and rear. At a blast from a police whistle th

in the search of the center house, who c

ence. It didn't take long to find it, either. In one corner, only partly concealed by a newspaper whose flaring headlines referred to the explosion of

isoners to loosen up the next day and he told the whole story-precisely as the taxi tape and Vera Norton had told it. The only missing in

Providence that watches over children, imbeciles, and the United States.' In this case the principal clues were a book from th

time that German agents have gotten

to Vera Norto

're always looking for romance, even in everyday life. Besides, if he had been a bachelor, Whitney was too busy trying

lead to big things, some day soon I'll tell you the story of how a match-one just like this, for all I know-le