think Mr. Duncan may--might be--is--"

"No," said Josie, "I don't. The man might instigate a crime and
encourage it, in a subtle and elusive way, but he's too shrewd to
perpetrate a crime himself. I wouldn't be surprised if Duncan could
name the man--or the band of traitors--we're looking for, if he chose
to, but you may rest assured he has not involved his own personality in
any scheme to balk the government."

"I can't understand that sort of person," said Mary. Louise,
plaintively.

"It's because you haven't studied the professional politician. He has
been given too much leeway heretofore, but his days, I firmly believe,
are now numbered," Josie answered. "Now, here's my excuse for
investigating Silas Herring and his two cronies, Dyer and Duncan. All
three of them happen to be political bosses in this section. It is
pretty generally known that they are not in sympathy with President
Wilson and the administration. They are shrewd enough to know that the
popularity of the war and the President's eloquent messages have
carried the country by storm. So they cannot come right out into the
open with their feelings. At the same time, they can feel themselves
losing control of the situation. In fact, the Herring gang is fearful
that at the coming elections they will be swept aside and replaced with
out-and-out loyal supporters of the President. So they're going to try
to arouse sentiment against the administration and against the war, in
order to head off the threatened landslide. Dyer hoped to block the
sale of Liberty Bonds, blinding folks to his intent by subscribing for
them himself; but you girls foiled that scheme by your enthusiastic
'drive.' What the other conspirators have done, I don't know, but I
imagine their energies will not be squelched by one small defeat. I
don't expect to land any of the three in jail, but I think they all
ought to be behind the bars, and if I shadow them successfully, one or
the other may lead me to their tools or confederates--the ones directly
guilty of issuing the disloyal circulars and perhaps of placing the
bomb that damaged the airplane works and murdered some of its
employes."

Mary Louise was pale with horror when Josie finished her earnest and
convincing statement. She regarded her friend's talent with profound
admiration. Nevertheless, the whole matter was becoming so deep, so
involved that she could only think of it with a shudder.

"I'm almost sorry," said the girl, regre