ONE GIRL'S WITS
As she entered the hotel Josie encountered Joe Langley, the one-armed
soldier back from the war. She had taken a great interest in this young
fellow and admired his simple, manly nature, having had several
interesting conversations with him at the Liberty Girls' Shop and at
the drills. Josie felt she needed an ally at this juncture, and here
was one who could be trusted.
"Joe," she said earnestly, drawing him aside, "are you going to be busy
this evening?"
"Yes, Miss O'Gorman, I'm busy every evening now," he replied. "I've
taken a job, you know, and my loafing days and social stunts are over.
There wasn't any bread-an'-butter in telling the society dames about my
war experiences, so I had to go to work. I'm night watchman at the
steel works, and go on duty at seven o'clock."
Josie was disappointed. Looking at him musingly, she asked:
"Are they making munitions now, at the steel works?"
"Of course; it's practically under government control, they say, but is
still operated by the old company. They make shells for the big guns,
you know, and they've ten car-loads on hand, just now, ready to be
shipped to-morrow."
Josie drew a long breath. This was real news and her active mind jumped
to a quick conclusion.
"Are the shells loaded, Joe?" she inquired.
"All ready for war," replied the soldier. "You see, a night watchman in
such a place has an important position. I guard those shells by night,
and another man does nothing but guard them by day."
"Where are they stored?" was Josie's next question.
"In the room just back of Mr. Colton's office--the big main building."
"So Mr. Colton is still the head of the company?"
"He's Vice-President and General Manager, and he knows the steel and
ammunition business from A to Z," asserted Joe Langley. "Mr. Colton
represents the government as well as the steel works. The President is
Mr. Jaswell, the banker, but he doesn't do anything but attend the
Board meetings."
"Joe," said Josie impressively, "you know who I am, don't you?"
"Why, you're one of the Liberty Girls, I guess."
"I'm from Washington," she said. "My father, John O'Gorman, is one of
the government's secret service officers; I'm working on a case here in
the interests of our government, and I may want you to help me foil a
German spy plot."
"Count on me!" said Sergeant Joe, emphatically. And then he added: "I'd
like to make sure, though, that you're really what you claim to be."
Josie opened her hand bag and from a side pocket drew a silver badge
engraved "U. S. Secret Service. No. L2O1." That was her father's number
and a complimentary badge, but Joe was satisfied. He had to glance
inside the handbag to see it, for the girl dared not exhibit it more
openly.
"If you want to know more about me, ask Colonel Hathaway," continued
Josie.
"No," said Joe; "I believe you're on the square. But I'd never have
suspected it of you. Tell me what I'm to do."
"Nothing, at present. But should a crisis arrive, stand by me and obey
my instructions."
"I'll do that," promised the man.
When the girl had regained her room in the hotel, she sat down with a
businesslike air and wrote upon a sheet of paper, in her peculiar
cypher, the story of her discoveries and the conclusions they justified
up to the present hour. This was to fix all facts firmly in her mind
and to enable her to judge their merits. The story was concise enough,
and perhaps Josie was quite unaware how much she had drawn upon her
imagination. It read this way:
"Disloyal circulars have been issued from time to time in Dorfield,
designed to interfere with sales' of Liberty Bonds, to cause resentment
at conscription and to arouse antipathy for our stalwart allies, the
English. These circulars were written by John Dyer, superintendent of
schools, who poses as a patriot. The circulars were printed in the
basement of the Mansion House by Tom Linnet, a night clerk, who was
well paid for his work. Papers found secreted in an old desk from the
attic of Dyer's house prove that Dyer is in the pay of German agents in
this country and has received fabulous sums for his 'services,' said
services not being specified in the documents. In addition to these
payments, there were found in the desk notes of the Imperial German
Government, for large amounts, such notes to be paid 'after the war.'
"Dyer is clearly the head of the German spy plot in Dorfield, but the
person who acts as medium between Dyer and the Master Spy is an alleged
suspender salesman calling himself Abe Kauffman. This Kauffman makes
frequent trips to Dorfield, giving orders to Dyer, and on one occasion
Kauffman, who stops at the Mansion House while in town, hired Tom
Linnet to place a bomb in the Airplane Factory, causing an explosion
which destroyed many government airplanes and killed several employees.
The sum paid Linnet for this dastardly act has made him rich and he has
bought or is about to buy a cigar store. Kauffman now has another bomb
in his possession, doubtless brought here to be placed, when
opportunity arrives, to do the most possible damage. Indications are
that he may attempt to blow up the steel works, where a large amount of
shells are now completed and ready for shipment to-morrow--meaning that
the job must be done to-night, if at all. Perhaps Linnet will place the
bomb; perhaps Kauffman will do it himself. Dyer has lost his
incriminating papers and notes and is on his way to Washington in an
endeavor to recover them.
"Associated with Dyer in his horrible activities is Mrs. Augusta
Charleworth, occupying a high social position, but of German birth and
therefore a German sympathizer. She is clever, and her brains
supplement those of Dyer, who seems more shrewd than initiative, being
content to execute the orders of others. Dyer was educated at
Heidelburg, in Germany, which accounts, perhaps, for his being
pro-German, although I suspect he is pro-anything that will pay him
money. Dyer and the Hon. Andrew Duncan, while political pals, are not
connected in this spy plot, but I suspect that Peter Boyle, the
proprietor of the Mansion House may be one of the gang. I've no
evidence yet that implicates Boyle, but he harbors Kauffman as a guest
and ought to know that his night clerk is printing traitorous
propaganda. So far, the evidence incriminates Kauffman, Mrs.
Charleworth, Dyer and Tom Linnet. I believe Mrs. Dyer to be innocent of
any knowledge of her husband's crimes; otherwise, she would never have
parted with that important desk--the desk that will prove his ruin and
ought to cost him his life.
"My plan is this," concluded the notation, "to catch Kauffman or Linnet
in the act of placing the bomb to-night, make the arrest, round up the
other guilty ones and jail them, and then turn the case over to the
federal officers for prosecution. A telegram to Washington will secure
Professor Dyer's arrest on his arrival there."
Josie read this through twice and nodded her red head with intense
satisfaction.
"All clear as crystal," she asserted gleefully. "I have proof of every
statement, and the finale can't go very wrong with such knowledge in my
possession. To-night, unless all signs fail, will prove a warm night--
warm enough to scorch these dreadful, murderous tools of the Kaiser!"
And now Josie skipped over to the police station and had a somewhat
lengthy conference with Chief Farnum, who knew her father and treated
the girl detective with professional consideration. After this she
hunted up the two government agents--old Jim Crissey and young Norman
Addison--who knew her well as "John O'Gorman's clever kid, the pride of
her doting Daddy." They listened to her with interest and genuine
respect for her talent and not only promised their assistance whenever
it might be needed but congratulated her warmly on her good work.
This concluded Josie's afternoon labors, and it was with a sense of
triumphant elation that she returned to her hotel to rest and prepare
for the expected crisis.