onal adornment? So that evening, while
her mother was talking with the judge, she beckoned Stott over to
the corner where she was sitting:

"Judge Stott," she began, "I have a plan."

He smiled indulgently at her.

"Another friend like that of yesterday?" he asked.

"No," replied the girl, "listen. I am in earnest now and I want
you to help me. You said that no one on earth could resist John
Burkett Ryder, that no one could fight against the Money Power.
Well, do you know what I am going to do?"

There was a quiver in her voice and her nostrils were dilated like
those of a thoroughbred eager to run the race. She had risen from
her seat and stood facing him, her fists clenched, her face set
and determined. Stott had never seen her in this mood and he gazed
at her half admiringly, half curiously.

"What will you do?" he asked with a slightly ironical inflection
in his voice.

"I am going to fight John Burkett Ryder!" she cried.

Stott looked at her open-mouthed.

"You?" he said.

"Yes, I," said Shirley. "I'm going to him and I intend to get
those letters if he has them."

Stott shook his head.

[Photo, from the play, of Shirley discussing her book
with Mr. Ryder]

"How do you classify him?"
"As the greatest criminal the world has ever produced."--Act III.

"My dear child," he said, "what are you talking about? How can you
expect to reach Ryder? We couldn't."

"I don't know just how yet," replied Shirley, "but I'm going to
try. I love my father and I'm going to leave nothing untried to
save him."

"But what can you do?" persisted Stott. "The matter has been
sifted over and over by some of the greatest minds in the
country."

"Has any woman sifted it over?" demanded Shirley.

"No, but--" stammered Stott.

"Then it's about time one did," said the girl decisively. "Those
letters my father speaks of--they would be useful, would they
not?"

"They would be invaluable."

"Then I'll get them. If not--"

"But I don't understand how you're going to get at Ryder,"
interrupted Stott.

"This is how," replied Shirley, passing over to him the letter she
had received that afternoon.

As Stott recognized the well-known signature and read the contents
the expression of his face changed. He gasped for breath and sank
into a chair from sheer astonishment.

"Ah, that's different!" he cried, "that's different!"

Briefly Shirley outlined her plan, explaining that she would go to
live in th