The Young Wireless Operator—With the U. S. Secret Service: Winning his way in the Secret Service — John Shaqi
The Young Wireless Operator—With the U. S. Secret Service: Winning his way in the Secret ServiceTheiss, Lewis E. (Lewis Edwin)
General
The Young Wireless Operator—With the U. S. Secret Service: Winning his way in the Secret Service
Theiss, Lewis E. (Lewis Edwin)
Radio -- Juvenile fiction; Secret service -- United States -- Juvenile fiction
Once outside, Willie breathed freely again. Though nothing alarming
had happened to him in the restaurant, he had been in a state of
suppressed excitement all the time he was inside the place. Now he
felt as though he could not keep quiet another instant. He wanted to
run or shout or do something violent to give vent to his feelings.
Yet he didn’t want to do anything that would draw undesirable
attention to himself. Just then he thought of his papers.
_“Sun! Woild! Joinal!”_ he cried, imitating as nearly as he could
the gutter English of the newsies. He ran about among the crowd, now
here, now there, crying his papers, but making few sales.
Presently he worked off his excitement and suddenly he thought of
Roy. “Gee whiz!” he muttered to himself. “I forgot all about Roy.
He’ll be bothered to death about me. He probably will think I’ve
gotten into trouble. I must telephone him at once.”
He looked closely up and down the street, to see if any one in sight
looked like a Secret Service man, then scurried along the street,
looking for a telephone-booth. Soon he saw one in a shop, and in
another moment he was speaking to the watchman at the _Lycoming’s_
pier. The watchman said he would tell Mr. Mercer that his friend was
unavoidably delayed, but was all right, and would be home during the
evening, and that Mr. Mercer should eat his supper without his
friend.
With his mind relieved about Roy, Willie returned to his vigil
outside the evil-looking coffee-house. The street became deserted.
Darkness had long since come and the street lamps had been lighted.
It made Willie’s job both harder and easier. The deep shadows
rendered concealment easy. On the other hand, the stirring life of
the city had disappeared. There was little of interest to arrest the
attention, and Willie’s vigil grew tiresome enough. He kept his eyes
open for passers-by who might prove to be possible helpers for
Sheridan, but every one went briskly past, as though he had a
definite destination and was in a hurry to reach it.
To Willie it seemed as though it must be nearly midnight, though it
was really scarcely eight o’clock, when a group of men came noisily
out of the coffee-house and headed down South Street. Willie knew
them instantly, though in the dim light he could not distinguish
faces. They were the bargemen. He was almost minded to follow them.
Then he thought better of it. Sheridan would trail them, if it were
necessary. So Willie stood still in the shadowy hallway where he was
watching, and waited. In a few moments the tramp came out, and
Willie was afraid the man really was intoxicated, so uncertainly did
he start out. But when Willie ran up to him, crying, “Paper! _Sun!
Woild! Joinal!_” the Secret Service man got control of his faculties
quickly enough.
“Go round the corner,” he muttered, “and meet me under the
elevated.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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