ne, and I can't do it myself."

Josie slipped the tablets into her pocket.

"Mary Louise, the United States is honeycombed with German spies," she
gravely announced. "They're keeping Daddy and all the Department of
Justice pretty busy, so I've an inkling as to their activities. German
spies are encouraged by German propagandists, who are not always German
but may be Americans, or even British by birth, but are none the less
deadly on that account. The paid spy has no nationality; he is true to
no one but the devil, and he and his abettors fatten on treachery. His
abettors are those who repeat sneering and slurring remarks about our
conduct of the war. You may set it down that whoever is not
pro-American is pro-German; whoever does not favor the Allies--all of
them, mind you--favors the Kaiser; whoever is not loyal in this hour
of our country's greatest need is a traitor."

"You're right, Josie!"

"Now," continued Josie, reflectively, "you and I must both understand
that we're undertaking a case that is none of our business. It's the
business of Mr. Bielaski, of the department of justice, first of all;
then it's the business of Mr. Flynn, of the secret service; then it's
the business of the local police. Together, they have a thousand eyes,
but enemy propagandists are more numerous and scattered throughout the
nation. Your chief of police doesn't want to interfere with the federal
agents here, and the federal agents are instructed not to pay attention
to what is called 'spy hysteria,' and so they're letting things slide.
But you believe, and I believe, that there's more treachery underlying
these circulars than appears on the surface, and if we can secure
evidence that is important, and present it to the proper officials, we
shall be doing our country a service. So I'll start out on my own
responsibility."

"Doesn't your secret service badge give you authority?" asked Mary
Louise.

"No," replied Josie; "that badge is merely honorary. Daddy got it for
me so that if ever I got into trouble it would help me out, but it
doesn't make me a member of the secret service or give me a bit of
authority. But that doesn't matter; when I get evidence, I know what
authority to give it to, and that's all that is necessary."

"Anyhow," said Mary Louise, with a relieved sigh, "I'm glad you are
going to investigate the author of those awful circulars. It has
worried me a good deal to think that Dorfield is harboring a German
spy,