f a greeting.

"I came up to say that Mr. Werner will be here to-morrow and it will be
necessary for you to see both him and me, Roger, and settle this
miserable affair. We'll come up as soon as Werner arrives, probably late
in the afternoon."

Ernest turned abruptly on his heel. Roger sprang to his feet. Charley
laid a quick hand on his arm. Roger gave her a glance. "It's all right,
Charley. Don't worry! Hold on, Ernest. We'll have this thing out right
now."

Ernest turned back slowly. "There's nothing to have out. A man has a
right to his own political opinion. And as for the Werner matter, you
insulted me for doing you a favor and I'm through with you."

"Favor!" gasped Roger. "Why Ernest, you're crazy! You lied to me and
sneaked on me and it wasn't to do me a favor, at all. It was for
Germany. That's what gets all our goats. For _Germany_!"

"Well, what's the matter with Germany? You've worshiped at her shrine
all these years, haven't you? And now in her hour of need, you turn
against her," sneered Ernest.

Roger looked from Charley to Dick in utter bewilderment. "Germany's hour
of need! The hour of need of a horde of vandals.--Where's your common
sense, Ern?"

"It's a Dutchman's logic, Roger, that's all!" cried Elsa. "You're just
beginning to recognize it! Lord, I was brought up on it!"

"Oh, dry up, Elsa! You were always a disloyal minx," growled Ernest.
"Now, you folks are welcome to think what you please. I'm not like
Roger, ready to murder a man who has a different political opinion from
me. I'm going to see that Werner's given a square deal, then I'm going
to quit the whole bunch of you."

"Look here, Ern, you've got to straighten this business out," insisted
Roger. "Crazy Dutch and Werner and Gustav and you! It's a dirty deal,
somehow. Just why did you turn on your best friend, Ernest?"

"Turn on my best friend! I like that from you, with your devil's
temper. And you've turned nasty nice all of a sudden, about where you
get your money, after robbing all the mines around here."

"You know I've sent a list of everything I've taken from each mine to
each mine owner and asked him to send a bill!" shouted Roger.

"Huh! That may be, but when it comes to giving Mr. Werner a chance at
the Solar Plant, I recalled all that and didn't suppose you'd be
finicky."

Roger's drawn face burned. Felicia's clock on the mantel ticked and
Charley's deep eyes did not leave Roger's clenched fists. He ground his
tee