Show TRUE DETECTIVE STORIES I V V V VV V V MARKED U S. S MAIL IdAIL I I Copyright 1921 by the Wheeler Newspaper Newspaper News News- paper lif V Frank Trank there is something phoney going on In San Francisco Somehow or other the Chinks are managing to torun torun torun run through lage quantities of opium and all aU the efforts of oJ our men out there have not not bothered them In the slightest The stuff continues to come comeIn In apparently on every boat Get out there thero as fast as you can Work in plain clothes and see what you youcan can discover But be careful The opium ring Is a powerful organization So it might be well to Keep leep your hand handon on your automatic while you are Wandering Wan van dering around Chinatown James II It H Brooks chief of the United States secret service paused for a moment mo mo- meat ment and then looked eci expectantly ly atthe at atthe atthe the young man who faced him across the big desk lesk in the tl treasury depart depart- ment In Washington He lIe had not the slightest idea that his operative would Tae be frightened but he ho was interested in jn his reaction To be shipped acrOss the the- continent on a job that spells deadly peril is iol leot a daily dally occurrence even oven ir in IIi inthe the life of or a secret service agent AllY Aly i idea ea of oJ the way they are getting getting getting get get- ting the stuff sturt past the the men or the dock asked Francis J J. J Kelly the manto man mait manto to whom Chief Brooks had been speaking speak speak- lag ing i I T Not the least In the world More than U a dozen men have been working V on Von the case for several months But the dope continues to come in just jost as freely as if it it were not contraband I The only hint I can give you is to keep your eyes open and your gun handy I 1 IGo Go to it it V About a week later one might have noticed an at entirely inconspicuous young joung man loitering ab abut about ut the docks in San Francisco Apparently he was nothing more than a sightseer for foi he paid no attention whatever to eo the customs customs customs cus cus- toms officials who were swarming around on the lookout for tor or smuggled I 1 opium nor did he seem to be Interested i 1 in anything beyond the constantly shifting colors in Viii the commercial panorama pano- pano 1 I rama a. a l oi several er days this young man ViS visited the docks C hl but the lack lacU ff 1 of distinction about his attire and the fact that he wandered about as If he V were a novelist looking for local color I was sufficient to disarm auy aly possible suspicion As events proved however I the opium ring was so thoroughly convinced of ot the safety of its methods i that it had grown callous to any casual casual casual cas cas- ual investigation Try as he lie might Kelly could find i ig i ionly g only be lit at one all all' g out occurrence of the Cee ordinary which ry seemed C and this to tobe I Ibe I was the fact that this took place upon I Ithe the arrival of each large steamer the orient that impressed this upon his I mind V As soon as the ship would start to unload a large and very portly Chinaman Chinaman Chinaman China China- man would come down to the dock converse a few moments with one of the men In charge of the removal of the cargo and then waddle off gif his errand completed But as one of tl the customs reds officials l informed I Kelly there was nothing about this The oriental in question was Wan Wah Sing Lee head of a large importing firm which received frequent shipments from abr abroad shipments ad-shipments shipments which had always passed through the customs house be beLore before be- be tore Lore being delivered I Ever discover anything Irregular about his consignments consignments- asked Kelly though he knew Jn In n advance what the answer would beThey beThey be They are all alias allas as straight as a string was the reply Declarations made out In perfect order ordel and not a sign of f anything anything anything any any- thing crooked No Lee comes down clown here heTe to make certain that his stuff arrives arrives arrives ar ar- ar- ar rives safely and that is all No use suspecting him But nut principally lly because he had no other line to follow Kelly determined to look Into Lees Lee's business fr from m the outside be before fora he went V any further The headquarters of the Importing firm he found were located in the center of the city only half a block from the postoffice and when he made the rounds of the streets In that neighborhood neighborhood neigh neigh- Kellys Kelly's lips tightened ominously ominously omi omi- and his hand strayed towards the blue st steel el automatic which rested in a convenient pocket I I I wonder ho lie muttered It seems Impossible but the very obviousness of the scheme would Insure its success success I Ithe The following day Wah Sing bing again visited the docks and Kelly paid particular particular particular par par- attention to what went on Im Immediately Immediately Immediately Im- Im mediately after hi his departure That night the man in Vin charge of the San Francisco bureau of the secret service received word to have a dozen of his best operatives posted near the docks ne next t morning th them V Ill l point added do out Kelly efly a certain and they vehicle i are afe e to to g follow It It no matter where It Jt goes When It unloads they are to surround the house and await a signal fromm fromme from fromme m me I But when Kelly indicated the wagon V which the secret service men were to trail their faces reflected blank I ment He had pointed to a truck which bore the words U U S. S Mail Mall In large letters letters let let- tel's and which was piled plied high with I nothing but V j Back Into the alley behind the post- post I drove the wagon Kelly and theother the other operatives behind It The he I sacks were dumped off oft in a dark pasSageway passageway passageway pas pas- and then then then-a a heavy teakwood door on oo the ether side of the alley opened I and the two sacks nearest ne-arest at hand were wera silently inside I But before the door could be closed Kelly threw himself against It his gun ready for instant action Theres There s no sense in putting up a alight fight light Wab Sing he warned the proPrietor pro- pro proprietor pi of the Importing establishment as the later later's s hand slipped toward o r one F de deo r f Y of t the o openings In ip his voluminous i cloth cloth- o Ing There are a dozen men outside ready and waiting for tor the word to break in The place is guarded front and back Up with your hands hands- quick Ill I'll admit that it was 53 a clever trick continued the operative as the Chinaman ChInaman Chinaman China ChIna- i man obeyed orders But nut you tried It once too often Even a mail truck be becomes becomes becomes be- be comes a matter of ot suspicion when a Chinese importing house has a rear entrance entrance entrance en en- trance opening on the alley where the are delivered |