to
Washington. Her enthusiasm was boundless; her energy exhaustless; her
industry ceaseless; and her persistency doggedly unshakable. In
Washington she made her way unhindered among those whom she deemed
essential to the work which she was doing. Doubtless her ability to do
this and to gain an audience with whomsoever she might choose was in
great part due to her beauty and charming simplicity, her grace of
manner, and her wonderful and fearless innocence, combined with a
mentality remarkable for its matured powers. Hitt and Haynerd groaned
over her expenses, but promptly met them.

"She's worth it," growled the latter one day. "She's had four
different talks with the President! How on earth do you suppose she
does it? And how did she get Mall and Logue to take her to dinner and
to the theater again and again? And what did she do to induce that
doddering old blunderbuss, Gossitch, to tell her what Ames was up to?
I'll bet he made love to her! How do you suppose she found out that
Ames was hand in glove with the medical profession, and working tooth
and nail to help them secure a National Bureau of Health? Say, do you
know what that would do? It would foist allopathy upon every chick and
child of us! Make medication, drugging, compulsory! Good heavens! Have
we come to that in this supposedly free country? By the way, Hitt,
Doctor Morton has been let out of the University. Fired! He says Ames
did it because of his association with us. What do you think of
that?"

"I think, my friend," replied Hitt, "that it is a very serious matter,
and one that impinges heavily upon the rights of every one of us, when
a roaring lion like Ames is permitted to run loose through our
streets. Can nothing stop him!"

"I've centered my hopes in Carmen," sighed Haynerd. "She's my one last
bet. If she can't stop him, then God himself can't!"

Hitt turned and went into his office. A few moments later he came out
again and handed an opened letter to Haynerd. "Some notes she's sent
from Washington. Mentions the National Bureau of Health project. It
hasn't escaped her, you see. Say, will you tell me where she picks up
her information?"

"The Lord gives it to her, I guess," said Haynerd, glancing over the
letter. "What's this?"

"'Reverend Borwell and Doctor Siler are down here lobbying for the
National Bureau of Health bill. Also, Senator Gossitch dropped a
remark to me yesterday which makes me believe that he and other
Senators ha