Show SECRET SERVICE BAFFLED Silk Sik Samples That Cannot Canot Be Match Matched ed Bring Trouble to the Chief Chef of Staff Staf Washington D C July 8 If disaster overtakes Los Angeles Chief Wilkie of the secret service will wi feel that he hp is directly responsible The chief has just undergone an experience that has hasset hasset hasset set him thinking thin Were Tere he a super superstitious superstitious man or had the things about to be told happened in an earlier earler age than ours he would probably call cal in the aid of a fortune teller teler or a witch of re renown renown flown to exorcise the spell that seems to have been cast over oyer certain of his dealings in the dry goods line lineA lne lineA A few fes fe months ago Chief Wilkie made madea a trip to the Philippines and China While in the Flowery Kingdom he bought a couple of silk sik waist pat patterns pt patterns terns for Mrs Wilkie and brought them home with wih him him Mrs 18 Wilkie had the thc goods made up and admired the waists so much that she expressed a enough more of the same silk sik to com corn complete complete the dresses dr Mr Wilkie Wide said that it wold be an easy matter to get more of the silk sik in fact as much as Mrs Wilkie wanted for he had a good goodfriend gool goodfriend friend frend J A Thomas in Shanghai where the original waist patterns patens were and he would at once send him hint the t necessary ne eSSry cash carli ca h with samples of the the goods The money moncy mon the samples and t tl the e request were forwarded to Thomas Thoms Just bout about the time that Thomas Tomas got the letter leter from Wilkie Wite along came ame the disastrous flood food that put Tut half the mer merchants merchants merchants chants of Shanghai i out of business After fer waiting for some time lime for the silk sik merchants to resume business Thomas found that the stock of that particular silk sik had been either ruined or exhausted so he Je sent the money back to the chief of the secret service Not to be checkmated the chief at once wrote a letter leter to George Hazen the se secret secret Secret cret service superintendent at San Francisco told him the circumstances and the samples and necessary money for the silk sik Hazen got the let letter letter letter ter and at once wrote in th n reply that he would visit Chinatown on the shop shopping shopping shopping ping expedition exp dlton at the first opportunity That opportunity never came The earthquake and the fire fre wiped China Chinatown Chinatown town off the th map m p Now the chief has lias hassent sent money and samples to Los Ls Ange Angeles Angel les lr l and is waiting tremblingly for news of fresh trouble |