Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-22
Dixie Mason, a Girl Employed by the United States
Secret Service, Works Her Way Into the Confidence
q of German Leaders and Tips Off Government
Agents to What Is GOing On
Noveized by COURTNEY from facts, furnished
By WILLIAM J. FLYNN

you? Hurry" Mamette appeared in
the doorway wiping her hands on her
apron in her sudden haste.
'ies'm. Miss Dixie"
81 have Just about half an hour. 7
want you to go down the street in that
old secondhand store and buy me the
articles on this list of clothing"
She handed Mamette the list and some
money. Mamette seized them and hur-
ried out Dixie turned again to her
desk and scrawled a letter which, two
hours later. was delivered to Harrison
Grant at the Criminology Club by special
delivery. It added another jot TO the
mys"hcation which had been lending
Zest TO his life the last few days. The
letter read:
Have notified the chief of German
concentration camps along the border
preparatory to invasion of Canada
Hold yourself in readiness for big
raid on German headquarters at
Exeter Will keep you informed under
name of Randolph Bruce.
Operative S24."
Grant turned to his card index of
secret Service operatives and hurriedly
skimmed through the, file.
Operative 324." He slipped out the
card and stared at it in irritation. The
card bore no name. no address. no photo
graph no thumbprints, no Identification,
simply the legend:
Operative 324-Namc and identifica-
ton withheld for good of service"
Grant frowned. and then .philosophi-
calIy slipped the card back into its place
and stepped toward the pushbutton to
summon his operatives.
III a moment Stewart, Cavanaugh and
Sisson Joined him.
Boys, there is chance of heavy
work for the Criminology Club very
soon. We will have to summon every
member possible who can leave his other
duties. They must eat here, sleep here,
wait here, until certain word comes to
us Grant glanced down at the mes
sage which he still held. Stewart"
Yes, sir
viii you see what arrangements can
be made for special train to take a
hundred men to Exeter, VT IL neces-
sary? Keep it quiet. of course. Sis
SON. Grant looked at the two other
men, and you. Cavanaugh. round up
the other members. And II any tele-
grams come TO the club signed Randolph
Bruce, find me at once :"
After Grant had issued his orders the
CriminologX club became the scene of
for the service they held themselves in
readiness at all times to tender.
Hours afuer
Grant had received
the message from
The Arrival Operative 324 a
at Exeter train which had
left New York
promptly at 1920
that morning thundered into the station
at Exeter. a dirty-faced boy I'm rough
clothes jumped from the steps of the
day coach and stood at a respectful dis
tance watching those more Fortunate
ones being assisted with servile obse-
quiousness from the parlor car. When
Heinrich Won Lertz alighted, followed
closely by Madame Stephan. an express
sion of relief fitted across the face Of
the boy. He watched them curiously
as tall, cadaverous individual stepped
n
Across The dusty road from the sta
ton an undertaking shop held sway.
That its proprietor was j. b. Dollings
was signified by the ornate gold lettering
across the window, and that the cadav-
erous individual who greeted Won Lertz
and Madame Stephan was none other
than j. B. Dollings was a conclusion not
hard to arrive a, as the boy watched
and into the shop. From his vantage
point on the platform the boy awaited
developments. In short while Won
Lertz and Madame Stephan and their
tall host emerged from the shop and
entered the car that stood at the curb.
The boy watched the car whirl away
amid clouds of midsummer dust down
the long road that seemed to lead out of
the city to the mountains that lowered
in the distance.
The dirty-faced boy slipped down from
the truck on which he had been sitting
and gazed after them runtnatively.
so they are undertakers now. Queer
business to be in" He stepped into the
station and peered through the bare Of the
ticket window at the station agent who
sat In the inner office, chair tilted back
against the wall. an odoriferous corn
cob pipe clutched between toothless
gums.
The station agent brought his chair
to a level and slowly rose and slouched
to the window. Following which effort
was a long argument during which the
dirty-faced boy finally convinced the sta
ton agent that he needed an assistant,
had always needed one. and that he was
the assistant needed. After due atten-
tion had been called to the ancient dirt
covered floor, the dust of station benches
and the litter of bygone lunches. the job
was landed, and an hour later found tho
station undergoing a long-needed clean
ing at the hands of the new assistant
The dirty-faced boy had found etploy-
ment food. shelter-and the opportunity
of acquiring the contents of every tele-
gram entering or leaving the station !.
And as the dirty-faced boy was Dixie
Mason, the information was priceless to
her-and the interests she served.