Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-02-12
The Daily
Short Story
A CLEVER ROSE.
BY Worthingion Lee

wv" mall, opohe M y.
perior, and he showed me 1 phtsn
graph. and ! studied it closely.
Il have memorfzed the face ,.m
GENTLY to identify him when | eom.
across him." ! said confidently.
I've want this man, Leon "a.
merit continued the detective ca,ee
because all his antecedents and ~
present associations and methods Mao
cate that he is foreign SOY. r.
up our files on this man and frv ~ ~.
the good on him. 1t would conaidss'
ably improve your status here g n,
this man down"
bowed, and started for the sarr~
service file room. On my way I g..
slowed my usual admiring glance M.
the stenographer, Miss Ada RyaII ~.
return smile. friendly and encorrss.
ing, nerved me to hope that / misS,
score real brillian stroke OF -.
detective genius.
was a novice in the line, but tha
pay was good and my special vnrt
that Of running down aliens and slaet,
ers, In q measure patriotic tai
This was my frs really Important
commission.
For two months Leon Gammert h.a
evaded every trap set for him Or.
atives who had been on his trail =.
ported that he led a quiet life. prac4ie.-
ally devoid of companionship. n
roomed at a respectable boerdins
boarding house, the only remsrknhls
feature as to such occupancy bsins
that he had the one room it containei
in the attic. went at the task ca.
tiously, intelligently and with hon,
My man came and went. He was Rivm
out as an agent for an industrial n.
!'surance company, and l learned thaf
het was in that employ on . comma.
sion basis. l ascertained, however
that he did not bring in much busI.
ness. IN
Swallowed Gammert one whole DIV
All Of its working hours were deyutsd
to visiting factories where they m
plOyed large number Of foreign work.
men. A good many of them belonged
to obscure secret societies. watched
Gammert approach and converse with
a number 0 fthese. This procedure
seemed rationale in concurrence with
his business. He would address man.
take out a folder describing the insur.
ance company he represented, 20 over
it wi hthtema 3n9339393939 2 % . 80
card, to all intents and purposes filling
the natural duties of an insurance ~
licitor.
At the end of a week I had not
scored one discovery that 0ammert
was otherwise than what he repre-
sented himself to be. The first Satuf.
day night, however, there arose Z cir
cumstance that later led to q distinct
clue. l followed Gammert to IN Oh
scure little shop occupied by . coA.
bier where Gammert placed . pair d
shoes on the counter Looking through
the windows, as the cobbler undid the
package / observed that the shoes
were hearty. new, yet Gammert left
them to be repaired. Monday night
he went after them. l thought little
Of the occurrence until the following
Saturday night, when Gammert again
repaired to the same shop and went
through the same performance.
noted where the cobbler placed the
shoes, did not follow Gammert, bit
waited until the cobbler went away.
Then with the aid of a picklock |
forced the door and made an examine
ton of those shoes.
II have him at last!" was my iubi-
liant commentary.
The heels of the shoes unscrewsd.
They were hollow. In each found
a closely folded paper. 1t held q
many as two hundred names and ID
dresses. The names were those Of the
Men Gammert had visited. Under the
insurance solicitor camoufage he had
been securing willing agents for the
foreign government for whom hs vas
hired spy.
! hurried to headquarters with ny
prize. The chief was not there. Then
I did rash thing. l placed the ISIS
in safe and went alone to arrest
Gammert. The door of the attic room
was unlocked. I entered and faeed
my man.
Il am from the secret service !
said, and you are my prisoner.
Quick as flash Gammert sprang q
me. whirled me about and struck ~
with some heavy missile. When !
came back to consciousness founo
myself tied securely to a chair. Az
table a dense vaper was arising nun
vessel placed over a lamp. My MAJ
was gone In one corner Of the roo.
was cage. All this ! noted as reei'
lied that in few moments the fume
of the vaper would overcome me.
do not know if it was the tntea-
ton of Gammert to kill me, or onV 70
place me in a stupor until he got ~
and fast beyond the city. 1t was ~.
as nearly strangled. blinded -
helpless that there was crash. Uns
OF the windowpanes was broken u ~
a carrier pigeon fluttered into ws
room. doubtless the usual inmate 2. u
the cage, and one Of Gammerts esua
messengers, as was the cobbler,
his lists to higher-up M
bers OF some powerful enemy soc1eg.
The dense vapor dissipated, - ~
let furnished, and | was soon aDie y
relieve myself OF my bonds.
We never found Gammert. nut
had the lists which led TO the deDan
ment breaking up one OF the -
formidable association Of spies ID -
country.
I was promoted in the service e
next week. and the following one -
consented to become my bride.
RuneA'a Sons r1rusral uarlOfo ~