, 1918-01-31


Copyright. 1917. Western Newspaper Union.l
Group 81 was apportioned to me
as my special charge, and 1 saw the
other nan in the office regard me as If
1 possessed a new sense of importance,
Interest, PITY knew not which-as
1 was handed an envelope containing
detailed instructions.
You must know that the juncture
had arrived in the affairs of the gov
eminent when excise, smuggling, coun-
terfeiting eve were relegated to the
rear for the time being. Treason
seemed to snap in the air at every
turn; the public never knew of the
tons of sedltious literature suppressed
and destroyed, of the marked men
warned to get out, who got out, of the
hidden ornaments and explosives
traced down, and of what secret work
was really doing to undermine the
home integrity Of the loyal ones.
I had Joined the secret service be-
cause abruptly the within, prejudice Or
perversity of Arson McLeigh had
thrown me %squarely upon my W re-
sources. Briefly, I had fallen in love
with Edna Warren, "only a stenogra-
pher." Uncle Arson referred to the
fact just once. Drop the girl, or me-"
81 shall marry Miss Warren some
day." I told him firmly. AS firmly he
ordered me never to darken his door
way again.
1 fancy Uncle Arson did not miss
me much. The great foundry plant he
owned had been turned to an immense
profit in making munitions, and he
was a hfde-bound money-grabber. 1t
was new business to me, and at the
start the pay was that of a novice.
AS, however, I was graduated into
more important work than running
down mail complaints, I became inter-
ested In my task. For owe a month
I had been attending secret meetings
Of certain clubs where it was suspect
ed the sympathies of the crowd were
with enemies to the country.
Two shops had m~ysteriously gone up
In flames, some barges blown up and
three large steel plants. There seemed
to be some system to these doings of
the vandals. 1t was decided that some
twenty different groups" in as many
locations should be placed under strict
surveillance. I knew something about
Group 81. Their leader was a man
named Brosul: He had been an ex-
pert blast furnace worker and was not
q citizen, and for ove a year had
spent most Of his time in saloons fire.
quented by a low-down foreign ele-
ment. Opening my instructions, L
found a number and knew that there
was some record of him I was to con-
suit at the Identification bureau.
An odd character had charge of that
department, an old man named Dur
kea. He was absorbed in his work
from morning until night, and was
famed as one of the best-posted men
in his line. AS I gave him my instruc-
ton number, his hand moved as If me
chanically in the direction of one box
among the thousands in a cabinet COW
ering one whole side of the room. he
drew out a picture and handed 1t to
me. On its back was written In Ink
the criminal record of the man-bur-
glary, arson, manslaughter.
"When you nail Brosul," observed
old Durkea, "if you nail him, see to 1t
that I have a chance to interview him."
'They say redhot pincers cannot In
fluence hin to speak one rimin
ing word" I said.
"Tll make him speak. Once" and
a retrospective look came into Dur
kea's eyes. ~ was a travelling mount
bank, you wise fellows would call 1t.
Not so. I made a specially of hypno-
tism when public exhibitions of such
were new. Very well, then. OF all sub
tects l hired, the n most impressible
was this Brosul. If 1t m to what
he might tell, land him here, will
you?"
Eyes, If 1 can ever find enough
against him to warrant an arrest" L
agreed. $50 far he has been the
slickest of the crowd"
I made up for a typical representa-
ton of the down-and-out n and ate
free lunch In the saloons which Brosul
| and his cohorts favored as meeting
places. Trailing him to his possible
den of refuge, I was completely bar
fled. Brosul made turns and windings
and false leads that threw me COM
pletely off the trail; but the fourth
night I landed him. and the next af-
| ternoon I prepared to find out why ne
had chosen a top in an old, half
occupied factory building as his place
of shelter.
had managed to find a hiding place
under a dark stairway covert n
planted myself there. At one end OF
a side corridor was a sink. Brosui
came out to get some water In a tin
pail. As he was out Of view for the
space of half a minute I glided to the
half-onen door of his room. The one