tive, as yet; she is only training to be
one, because her father has won fame in that profession."

"Josie O'Gorman," said the Colonel, meditatively, "is a wonderfully
clever girl. I believe she is better, even now, than a score of average
male sleuths. Perhaps it will be a desirable thing for her to come
here, for she will be shrewd enough to decide, in a short time, whether
or not your suspicions are justified. In the latter case, you will be
relieved of your worries. Will you abide by Josie's decision?"

"Will you, Gran'pa Jim?"

"I have considerable confidence in the girl's judgment."

"Then I will write to her at once."

She went to her desk and wrote the following note:

Dear Josie:
We are at the dropping-off-place of the world, a stagnant little
village of a dozen houses set in an oasis that is surrounded by the
desert of civilization. And here, where life scarcely throbs, I've
scented a mystery that has powerfully impressed me and surely needs
untangling. It will be good practice for you, Josie, and so I want you
to pack up at once and come to us on a good long visit. We're
delightfully situated and, even if the mystery dissolves into thin air
under the sunshine of your eyes, I know you will enjoy the change and
our dreamy, happy existence in the wilds of nowhere. Gran'pa Jim wants
you, too, as he thinks your coming will do me good, and his judgment is
never at fault. So drop me a postal to say when you will arrive and I
will meet you at Chargrove Station with our car.
Affectionately your friend,
Mary Louise Burrows.

Gran'pa Jim read this note and approved it, so next morning Mary Louise
walked to the village and deposited it in the postoffice, which located
in the front room of Jim Bennett's little residence and was
delightfully primitive. Jim was "jus' makin' up the mail bag," he said,
so her letter was in time to catch the daily train and would be in
Washington, where Josie lived, in the quickest possible time.

Josie O'Gorman was about the same age as Mary Louise and she was the
only child of John O'Gorman, famed as one of the cleverest detectives
in the Secret Service. Josie was supposed to have inherited some of her
father's talent; at least her fond parent imagined so. After carefully
training the child almost from babyhood, O'Gorman had tested Josie's
ability on just one occasion, when she had amply justified her father's
faith in her. This test had thrown the girl into association with Mary