VICTORY
Taken completely by surprise, the rum runners dared offer no
resistance. They were marched off to jail and their smuggled whiskey
carted away and put under lock and key. Alarmed by such vigorous
action, and by the watchfulness of the sub chasers, other rum
runners remained safe on land. The whiskey fleet, discouraged at its
lack of success, drew farther offshore and was scattered by the
storm.
“They’ll try to get their stuff ashore somewhere,” said the Special
Agent to Willie, as they were discussing the situation next morning,
“and probably they’ll succeed. But at any rate, they have had a
lesson. They will think twice before they try to bring any more
booze into New York direct. It sure was a good night’s work.”
“It sure was,” echoed Willie, who could still feel the thrill of the
chase.
Suddenly the Special Agent swung square around in his chair.
“Willie,” he said, “tell me how you knew that was Red Anderson.
You’ve been in this service only a few months, but you seem to know
more that’s useful than half the old hands in it.”
Willie laughed to conceal his pleasure. “That was easy. I saw him
once in a sailors’ hangout on South Street,” said Willie. “I was
with Sheridan. He told me to take a good look at the fellow and
never forget him, for he had a hand in half the crimes along the
water-front.”
“You can say it was easy,” replied the Chief, “but that doesn’t make
it so. Lots of us could see a face a dozen times and still not
recognize it, especially on a stormy night.”
“Oh! It was the necktie,” laughed Willie. “You’d never forget a
sailor with a red necktie.”
“Whether I would or not, makes no difference. The point is that we
got those smugglers. We made a good showing instead of appearing
ridiculous. We owe it to you. I shall not forget it.”
Willie was too much embarrassed to make any reply. He turned to his
work, determined to do even more to merit his Chief’s good-will. He
had been lucky, mighty lucky. He realized that very well. It was a
sobering thought. But another thought gave him more satisfaction. He
couldn’t have had his luck if he had not put his pride in his pocket
and started at the bottom. He could at least take credit for having
sense enough to do that. He knew well enough now that he wouldn’t
stay at the bottom. Indeed, he had already climbed up one rung of
the ladder.
He was to step up another much sooner than he dreamed possible. For
a few days later his big friend Sheridan came swinging into the
office, this time dressed in his best, and looking very handsome.
He smiled at Willie, but said nothing until he reached the inner
office. Then he said, “I’ve come to borrow an office boy.”
Willie pricked up his ears.
“I’m sorry,” said the Special Agent, “but I have only one, and he’s
too valuable to lend. Can I help you in any other way?”
“If I can’t borrow him,” said Sheridan, “I’ll have to buy him. We’ve
simply got to have him. There’s a counterfeiting case afoot and we
are in great need of an intelligent boy to help trail some men we’re
watching. We can’t use a man for this particular job. We must have a
boy. There’s nobody else we know that will answer so well as your
office boy for the job.”
The big detective turned to Willie. “The Chief of the Secret
Service,” he said, “has a job for you that you’ll like.”
Willie’s eyes glistened. “What is it?” he asked.
“You’ll be rated as a clerk,” said Sheridan, “but you’ll really be
doing Secret Service. The position will lead, when you are a little
older and more experienced, to a full appointment as a Secret
Service agent.”
“Then I’ll take it,” said Willie, without a moment’s hesitation.
“But, by George! I hate to leave Mr. King.”
“And Mr. King hates to have you go,” said the Special Agent. “But I
won’t try to prevent it. I know your ambition. I know you’ll
succeed. But I do wish you would stay in this department. It would
lead to all the secret service you could want as a special treasury
agent.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. King,” said Willie. “I hate to leave you. I like my
work here immensely. But I started out to get into the Secret
Service proper and this is my chance. I’ll have to take it.”
“And I,” groaned Mr. King, “will have to start in with a new office
boy. Oh! Lord!”
When Willie was free that evening, he raced over to the Confederated
Steamship piers and rushed aboard the _Lycoming_. He found Roy and
Mr. Robbins chatting in the purser’s office.
“I came to get you both to go to dinner with me,” he said. “It’s my
treat. I’m celebrating. I’ve got a new job. And it isn’t as an
office boy.”
THE END