Ted listened. Nothing that the Major 18 said escaped him. He realized the weight of the speaker’s words.
“I understand that you have lived in Chicago. That is correct, is it not?”
“Yes sir,” Ted replied.
“Well, it will help in case the point to cover is Chicago. With your knowledge of Chicago very little time would be lost.”
“In the main,” the Major continued, “it is mostly a question of being alert—eyes, ears and mind.”
“Captain Wilson,” the Major turned. “Is Mr. Smythe obtaining the necessary information, do you know?”
“Yes, we will soon know,” was the reply, “who is the operative in that district and whether Chicago or Milwaukee is the point to cover. Mr. Smythe is waiting for the answer.”
Major Church gave Ted an account of how their secret service men worked and how information was obtained.
“Despite the fact that we have all these men, I feel sure that you will be able to get the information we desire more readily than any of our men. In a way, you will be a temporary secret service man.”
He carefully outlined his reasons for believing 19 that Ted might be successful in getting information.