Elmer Sherwood

“ Strong answered.
“That is the trouble with all adventure, these days,” Walker complained. “It’s always so very simple.”
“I consider this extremely interesting and exciting,” replied Strong. “It is like a tremendous game of chess with enough 58 elements of danger added to suit the most exacting. Don’t imagine that we shall not be in danger every second tonight. These Germans are cold-blooded. If we should happen to be in their way, should they find out how much we actually know, we can say good-bye; the sun would rise tomorrow, but we might not.”
He turned to Ted. ”

“ Strong looked back. An auto passed north on Michigan avenue.
“That’s Winckel’s car,” he said. “We weren’t any too soon.”
Ted told the two men of the night’s adventures and they both listened eagerly. Strong was laboring under great excitement as the boy went on with his story. When Ted was through he placed his hand on Ted’s shoulder and said, quietly and very impressively, to him:
“I simply can’t tell you the things I long to say. You’re going to be a man, my boy! This is a day’s work of which you will always be proud. ”

“ The train was slowing up for Racine. His telegram was all ready except for the address. He rushed into the ticket office, added the address and had it sent collect, and had plenty of time to board the train.
“I wonder why,” thought Ted, “he should have to run into that station.” Ted’s suspicions were somewhat aroused. He decided to appear as if he had not taken note of the actions of his acquaintance.
Schmidt had underestimated the ability of the boy. He was so young, he thought, there was no necessity for special care. ”

“ His eyes flashed. “Many people call me a traitor, but Ireland, not England, is my country, and all Irishmen should be against the country that holds it slave.
“But to business, gentlemen. Will you, Mr. Schmidt, explain the call for this meeting?”
“That I will,” answered he who had been addressed. “There are two things for us to take up—the less important first. I have a telegram from our good friend Pfeffer up in Wayland, in Alberta, Canada, where he is doing our work, but is presumably a German instructor. ”

“ O’Reilly spoke up. “For myself, and I think I speak for the other Irishmen here present and also for the forty thousand against England, but against the United States—never. Not one Irishman can be counted on if it comes to a showdown against the U. S. A.”
“Nor very many Germans,” added Winckel.
“So be it,” said Captain Knabe. “Shall we go over the ammunition storehouses, those that are in Canada and those that are in this country?”
Many of the places Ted could not make out, others he did. He realized that this was valuable information. ”

“ And now let us go to meet Major Church. While we are on our way, bear with me for a few minutes while I go into all this for you.
“Germany, we all feel, is getting ready to make war. Most people cannot realize it, but we have fairly good proof gathered both in London and in Ottawa that it is so. We also know that over in the States a big army of so-called German Americans but who are Germans in reality, men who have never severed their allegiance to the Fatherland, are getting ready, preparing to invade Canada. They are also to have the help of many Irishmen who hate England. ”

“ Major Church gave Ted an account of how their secret service men worked and how information was obtained.
“Despite the fact that we have all these men, I feel sure that you will be able to get the information we desire more readily than any of our men. In a way, you will be a temporary secret service man.”
He carefully outlined his reasons for believing 19 that Ted might be successful in getting information.
“My boy, Canada is not your country. There is no call for you to do it. You may wish to remain neutral and we do not want you to go unless you wish to, heart and soul. ”

“ No. 2 is Chicago. Strong is our chief operative there. Ted will have to see him to get his information and also such help as he may need. But one thing we know—their headquarters just now are at Chicago.”
“I am glad of it,” said Ted. “Since Chicago is my home town, I can do things there and may be successful.”
“Suppose,” said John Dean, “you start tomorrow, Ted. You see, speed is the thing. That will give you a chance to see your mother and sister, too.” ”

“ John Dean was to leave for the front in two weeks.
Our story is almost complete. Ted received a great welcome at the Academy. The boys had heard of what he had done, of his reward and the letter he had received from Sir Robert Wingate. For one whole day his coming made the Great War an even smaller event. Captain Wilson had gone to Ottawa, he had been promoted to be a major. Some of the instructors were gone and even one or two of the older students. Those who were left spoke only of the time when they, too, could go and they were bemoaning their misfortune in being young. ”

“ There can be nothing but thorough admiration for the effective, capable way these men went about calling a halt to all activities. Like a perfect, well oiled machine which slows down and then ceases its movements, until there is something tremendously impressive in its inaction and silence ”

“ Strong turned to Ted.
“Dear lad,” he said, “what you did isn’t the kind of thing that can appear in the newspapers, but it is the kind about which history is made. It is a big job you have accomplished. The men who sent you down to us made no mistake in their judgment as to what you could do. Sir Robert Wingate wanted to know all about you, I must have talked to him for more than twenty minutes on the telephone.
“Walker and I go to Ottawa on a late train today. ”

“ Dean, while John Dean looked tenderly at her.
“I’m proud of you, Ted. I counted on you, but you did much more. I heard from Strong, but I did not know what had been accomplished. As to your mother and sister—they must come out here—the wonderful thing is that Mrs. Dean will need your mother’s help very soon and it all seems to fit one thing into another. Helen will get a rest here; she need not worry as to finding the right kind of opportunity. When do you expect to write home?” ”

“ Probably all this time had been wasted, but Schmidt had no regrets. After all, eternal vigilance was the watchword.
An hour later the train came into the station.
Ted, who had been quite tired, no longer felt any weariness. Here was Chicago, here was home.
As he stepped away from the train, his mother and sister ran forward. Two men 37 watched him from close by—one motioned to the other. O’Reilly went forward.
“My boy, are you looking for Mr. Strong?”
Helen interrupted: “Looking for Mr. Who? Why, of course he’s not—he’s my brother—I guess you are mistaken. Come, Ted, we are going home first.” ”

“ Ted Marsh, a likeable newsboy, living in 12 Chicago, makes the acquaintance of John Dean, a Canadian rancher. Ted takes him to the Settlement to which he belongs. Dean’s interest in the boy grows. Then as the boy begins to show the man the Chicago that he knows, there is the startling clamor of fire engines and all the evidence of a nearby fire. It is in the tenement in which Ted lives. The boy cannot be held back. ”

“ This news 79 you bring is what we have long striven to learn, and along comes Ted Marsh—Lucky, the Boy Scout—and makes Canada and England his very grateful and humble servants.
“There are several things we know we can do now,” he added. “We had best take a night to sleep it over.”
“You are a wonder, Ted, my friend,” added Walker.
“Come, let us go,” said Strong.
“We are all weary. I hate to leave you. I’d like to celebrate, but I guess we had better postpone it until tomorrow. See you at eight.” ”

“ When Captain Knabe comes, he will tell us just when the day will be. It is very soon, very soon; the long wait is over. Then, too, he will tell us what we shall do. You will all be here? Now we shall go to our work.”
They broke up. They were very thorough, each man had his work assigned and would see it carried through.
We shall turn to John Strong, who early that morning had been slipped a memorandum in code by the waitress serving breakfast to him, announcing that Ted was to come and to meet him. Also, Ted’s home address.
John Strong was a clean-cut Canadian, hair graying at the temples. ”

“ The man’s manner changed on the instant. Ted liked him then. “Come in, Ted. Mr. Strong is expected any minute, but of course he may not come for a while. We have just moved in here. We have to move 43 quite often, for those Germans certainly are shrewd. Quick, too, and they keep us on the jump.”
He turned to work on an intricate little machine which had a long coil of wire, very thin, much thinner than a telephone wire.
“Do you know what this is?” Ted did not know.
“A dictaphone. We will have use for it. I am getting it ready for tonight.” ”

“ At the corner store Ted found his 50 two friends; the automobile had long since left.
“Good work,” Strong commented, after hearing Ted. “Now, how can we get that fellow out of the building for half an hour?”
“When I suggested going out for the change,” volunteered Ted, “he didn’t want to trust me and said: ‘I’ll wait until later.’ Perhaps he intends going out.”
“Well, here is one way to coax him to go a little sooner. A German wants what he wants when he wants it, and he never stops wanting it until he gets it. When you go back, Ted, insist on being paid twice as much as the paper sells for. ”

“ If we can furnish such proof the Government at Washington will find good reason for watching these German-Americans.
“It is for us to get the proof. Once we get that we will not have to worry as to trouble from the other side of the border.
“I suppose,” the captain concluded as they entered the building and made their way to the room in which Major Church was waiting, “you know who some of the men at this conference are. Besides Mr. Dean and myself, Major Smith, our chief, is an ex-army officer. Colonel Graham is Syd Graham’s father. Mr. Smythe comes from Toronto ”

“ He would mention the word Dean and Helen for identification, should it be necessary.
Ted went to bed and slept the sleep of the just and the weary.
That next morning the newspapers printed in large headlines the ultimatum that Austria had put up to Servia. They speculated on the possibilities of war. To Ted—refreshed and no longer weary, reading the newspaper as he made his way downtown—it brought a feeling that he was in some way 41 involved. It made him feel quite important; it increased his respect for the men who had sent him to Chicago. It was big work these men were doing ”

“ I’ll steal up while you two are wrangling over your high-handed 51 outrage, Ted. Walker can come any time. There is small chance that he will be recognized. You see,” Strong added, his eyes smiling, “that’s the value of having the ordinary face Walker has. He looks like seventy-five million other folks, so no one would notice him.”
Ted rushed back to the office. “Everybody is poor around here or else they don’t want to make change. My, what trouble.” He was counting out the change and he now placed but forty cents on the man’s desk. ”

“ A long wire, also in code, went forward from Mr. Pfeffer to Chicago. Then that worthy strolled back to the Academy.
24 CHAPTER II PLANS ARE MADE TO MEET TED
In a room in one of the West Side streets of Chicago, in an old-fashioned office building, which also rented rooms to lodges and societies, eight men were engaged in earnest conversation.
“You are wrong, O’Reilly,” said one of them. “England will not dare come into it. There are men in England who would want the country to war against my land. But the powers that be, and the people, too, will be against it.” ”

“ She is the bravest, best woman in the world.” He stopped for a minute. “I shall see you later, as soon as Mrs. Dean takes her rest. I want to know all about Chicago and what happened.”
He returned to the house while Ted joined the men.
They were in the midst of a discussion of the war. Ted listened. Smiles and several of the other men were leaving in three days—off for the war. Red was not going—he was American. “I may go later, if they need me,” he said. There was to be a great shortage of men at the ranch.
Dean had made Pop the new foreman to take Smiles’ place. ”

“ You just can’t go wrong. On top of the cabinet see that the mouthpiece or, rather, the listener, is propped up so that it faces the table. If you have any doubts call out—we will be here. You will also find that it will not be seen, for the cabinet is high.” 55
“Be careful, Ted, about leaving things just as they were. It all will fit back snugly. Be twice as careful as you are quick,” Strong warned him.
“I shall be up here, Bronson will be one flight below, and the beggar is watching in the street. Walker will be up above passing the wires down to you.” ”

“ Helen had gone down to see Strong. A man, who may have been a Dane or a German, boarded Ted’s train at Milwaukee, and O’Reilly was preparing to meet that same train, as was John Strong. At home Mrs. Marsh was leaving to meet the train. We shall follow the man who boarded the train. ”

“ Even more important is the need for immediate action. Captain Knabe, gentlemen.”
68 CHAPTER VII THE DICTAPHONE AT WORK
“I understand,” said Captain Knabe, “that some of the Irish gentlemen present do not understand German, and so, while I can do so much better in my native tongue, I shall talk in English.”
“How lucky,” thought Ted.
“Well, gentlemen, I have good news for you—war is to be declared the day after tomorrow.”
There was the sound of moving, falling chairs, of men getting to their feet. Then a whispered toast—a whisper that was almost loud because of the number of voices—“Der Tag.” ”