he victim had the Blue
Disease. The end must have been ghastly, as it states here that the
expression on the old man's face was terrible."

He sat beside the table, drumming his fingers on it and staring at the
wall before him. I was not particularly interested in the news, but I
was interested in Jason. Character had formerly appealed little to me,
but now I found an absorbing problem in it.

"Harden, do you think that son killed his father _because_ he had the
Blue Disease?"

I was struck by the remark. For some reason the picture of Alice's
father came into my mind. Jason sprang to his feet.

"Yes, that's it," he exclaimed. "That's what lay behind those restless
crowds. I knew there was something--a riddle to read, and now I've got
the answer. The crowd doesn't know what's rousing them. But I do. It's
fear and resentment, Harden. It's fear and resentment against the old."
He brought his fist down on the table. "The germ's going to lead to war!
It's going to lead to the worst war humanity has ever experienced--the
war of the young against the old. Not the ancient strife or struggle
between young and old, but open bloodshed, my friends. That's what your
germ is going to do."

I smiled and shook my head.

"Wait," said Sarakoff from the sofa; "wait a little. Why are you in such
a hurry to jump to conclusions?"

"Because it's my business to jump to conclusions just six hours before
anyone else does," said Jason. "I calculate that my mind, for the last
twenty years, has been six hours ahead of time. I live in a state of
chronic anticipation, Dr. Sarakoff. Just let me use your telephone for a
moment."

He returned a quarter of an hour later. His expression was calm, but his
eyes were hard. "I was right," he said. "Those two old women had the
Blue Disease, and a girl, a daughter, is suspect in one case. Can't you
imagine the situation? Girl lives with her aged mother--can't get
free--mother has what money there is--not allowed to marry--girl
unconsciously counts on mother's death--probably got a secret
love-affair--is expecting the moment of release--and then, along comes
the Blue Disease and one of my newspapers telling her what it means. The
old lady recovers her health--the future shuts down like a rat trap and
what does the poor girl do? Kills her mother--and probably goes mad.
That, gentlemen, is my theory of the case."

He strode up and down the room.

"You may think I'm taking a low view," he cried. "But