he would say to the boys gathered at noon in the mill
yard. "He's kinda short-tempered sometimes, but me, I understand him.
And there ain't many of these here money kings that would sit up in a
hospital the way he did with me."

The mill yard had had quite enough of that night in the hospital. It
would fall on him in one of those half-playful, half-vicious attacks
that are the humor of the street, and sometimes it was rather a battered
Joey who returned to Clayton's handsome office, to assist him in running
the mill.

But it was a very cool and slightly scornful Joey who confronted Anna
that noon hour. He lost no time in preliminaries.

"What do you think you're doing, anyhow?" he demanded.

"Powdering my nose, if you insist on knowing."

They spoke the same language. Anna knew what was coming, and was on
guard instantly.

"You cut it out, that's all."

"You cut out of this office. And that's all."

Joey sat down on Graham's desk and folded his arms.

"What are you going to get out of it, anyhow?" he said with a shift from
bullying to argument.

"Out of what?"

"You know, all right."

She whirled on him.

"Now see here, Joey," she said. "You run out and play. I'll not have any
little boys meddling in my affairs."

Joey slid off the desk and surveyed her with an impish smile. "Your
affairs!" he repeated. "What the hell do I care about your affairs? I'm
thinking of the boss. It's up to him if he wants to keep German spies on
the place. But it's up to some of us here to keep our eyes open, so that
they don't do any harm."

Sheer outrage made Anna's face pale. She had known for some time that
the other girls kept away from her, and she had accepted it with the
stolidity of her blood. She had no German sympathies; her sympathies in
the war lay nowhere.

But--she a spy!

"You get out of here," she said furiously, "or I'll go to Mr. Spencer
and complain about you. I'm no more a spy than you are. Not as
much!--the way you come sneaking around listening and watching! Now you
get out."

And Joey had gone, slowly to show that the going was of his own free
will, and whistling. He went out and closed the door. Then he opened it
and stuck his head in.

"You be good," he volunteered, "and when the little old U.S. gets to
mixing up with the swine over there, I'll bring you a nice fat Hun as a
present."

CHAPTER XII

Two days before Christmas Delight came out. There was an afternoon
reception at the