depended upon wheat.

The government expected a nation-wide propaganda by the German interests
which would be carried on secretly and boldly, in every conceivable way,
to alienate the labor organizations, to bribe or menace the harvesters,
to despoil crops, and particularly to put obstacles in the way of the
raising and harvesting, the transporting and storing of wheat. It would
take an army to protect the nation's grain.

Dorn was earnestly besought by this official to compass his district, to
find out who could be depended upon by the United States and who was
antagonistic, to impress upon the minds of all his neighbors the
exceeding need of greater and more persistent cultivation of wheat.

"I accept. I'll do my best," replied Kurt, grimly. "I'll be going some
the next two weeks."

"It's deplorable that most of the wheat in this section is a failure,"
said the official. "But we must make up for that next year. I see you
have one magnificent wheat-field. But, fact is, I heard of that long
before I got here."

"Yes? Where?" ejaculated Kurt, quick to catch a significance in the
other's words.

"I've motored direct from Wheatly. And I'm sorry to say that what I have
now to tell you is not pleasant.... Your father sold this wheat for
eighty thousand dollars in cash. The money was seen to be paid over by a
mill-operator of Spokane.... And your father is reported to be
suspiciously interested in the I.W.W. men now at Wheatly."

"Oh, that's awful!" exclaimed Kurt, with a groan. "How did you learn
that?"

"From American farmers--men that I had been instructed to approach, the
same as in your case. The information came quite by accident, however,
and through my inquiring about the I.W.W."

"Father has not been rational since the President declared war. He's
very old. I've had trouble with him. He might do anything."

"My boy, there are multitudes of irrational men nowadays and the number
is growing.... I advise you to go at once to Wheatly and bring your
father home. It was openly said that he was taking risks with that large
sum of money."

"Risks! Why, I can't understand that. The wheat's not harvested yet, let
alone hauled to town. And to-day I learned the I.W.W. are working a
trick with cakes of phosphorus, to burn the wheat."

Kurt produced the cake of phosphorus and explained its significance to
the curious official.

"Cunning devils! Who but a German would ever have thought of that?" he
exclaimed. "Ger