Produced by David Edwards, JoAnn Greenwood, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) [Transcriber's Note: These stories have introductions which end with thought breaks, sometimes with a closing quotation mark from the storyteller. When the storyteller continues the story after the thought break, opening quotation marks are consistently omitted. Remaining transcriber's notes are located at the end of the text.] [Cover Illustration: On Secret Service, William Nelson Taft] ON SECRET SERVICE [Decoration] ON SECRET SERVICE _Detective-Mystery Stories Based on Real Cases Solved By Government Agents_ BY WILLIAM NELSON TAFT [Illustration] HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS NEW YORK AND LONDON * * * * * ON SECRET SERVICE Copyright, 1921, by Harper & Brothers Printed in the United States of America * * * * * CONTENTS PAGE I. A FLASH IN THE NIGHT 1 II. THE MINT MYSTERY 15 III. THE YPIRANGA CASE 28 IV. THE CLUE ON SHELF 45 42 V. PHYLLIS DODGE, SMUGGLER EXTRAORDINARY 57 VI. A MATTER OF RECORD 73 VII. THE SECRET STILL 88 VIII. THE TAXICAB TANGLE 103 IX. A MATCH FOR THE GOVERNMENT 118 X. THE GIRL AT THE SWITCHBOARD 133 XI. "LOST--$100,000!" 149 XII. "THE DOUBLE CODE" 164 XIII. THE TRAIL OF THE WHITE MICE 180 XIV. WAH LEE AND THE FLOWER OF HEAVEN 195 XV. THE MAN WITH THREE WIVES 210 XVI. AFTER SEVEN YEARS 225 XVII. THE POISON-PEN PUZZLE 239 XVIII. THIRTY THOUSAND YARDS OF SILK 254 XIX. THE CLUE IN THE CLASSIFIED COLUMN 268 XX. IN THE SHADOW OF THE CAPITOL 283 XXI. A MILLION-DOLLAR QUARTER 298 XXII. "THE LOOTING OF THE C. T. C." 313 XXIII. THE CASE OF MRS. ARMITAGE 328 XXIV. FIVE INCHES OF DEATH 343 ON SECRET SERVICE I A FLASH IN THE NIGHT We were sitting in the lobby of the Willard, Bill Quinn and I, watching the constant stream of politicians, pretty women, and petty office seekers who drift constantly through the heart of Washington. Suddenly, under his breath, I heard Quinn mutter, "Hello!" and, following his eyes, I saw a trim, dapper, almost effeminate-looking chap of about twenty-five strolling through Peacock Alley as if he didn't have a care in the world.