Silas Herring's wholesale grocery establishment and told Mr.Herring she wanted to sell him bonds.
"This is outrageous!" cried Herring indignantly. "When the men can'trob us, or force us to back England in her selfish schemes, they setgirls on us to wheedle us out of money we have honestly earned. Thishold-up game won't work, I assure you, and I advise you to get intomore respectable business. My money is mine; it doesn't belong to theAllies, and they won't get a cent of it." He was getting more angry ashe proceeded in his harangue. "Moreover," he continued, "our weakadministration can't use me to help it out of the hole it has foolishlystumbled into, or make America the cat's-paw to pull British chestnutsout of the fire. You ought to be ashamed, Miss Burrows, to lendyourself to such unpatriotic methods of bulldozing honest citizens!"
Mary Louise was distressed, but undaunted. The man was monstrouslywrong, and she knew it. Sitting in Mr. Herring's private office at thetime were Professor John Dyer, the superintendent of Dorfield'sschools, and the Hon. Andrew Duncan, a leading politician, a formerrepresentative and now one of the county supervisors. The girl lookedat Professor Dyer, whom she knew slightly, and said pleadingly:
"Won't you defend our administration and our country, Mr. Dyer?"
He smiled deprecatingly but did not speak. He was a tall, lean man,quite round-shouldered and of studious appearance. He wore doubleeyeglasses, underneath which his eyes were somewhat watery. The smileupon his thin features was a stationary one, not as if assumed, butmolded with the features and lacking geniality.
It was the Hon. Andrew Duncan who answered the Liberty Girl.
"The difference between Mr. Herring and eighty percent of the Americanpeople," said he in stilted, pompous tones, "is that our friend Herringunwisely voices his protest, while the others merely think--andconsider it the part of wisdom to say nothing."
"I don't believe that!" cried Mary Louise indignantly. "The Americanpeople are loyal to their President. There may be a few traitors; we'regradually discovering them; but--"
"I am busy," Herring interrupted her, scowling, and he swung his chairso that his back was toward her.
"You won't be busy long, if you keep talking that way," predicted thegirl.
"Tut-tut!" said the Hon. Andrew, warningly. "Your threats, young lady,are as unwise as Mr. Herring's speech."
"But they carry more weight," she asserted stoutly. "Do you think anygrocery man in Dorfield would buy goods of Mr. Herring if he knew himto be disloyal in this, our country's greatest crisis? And they'regoing to know it, if I have to visit each one and tell him myself whatMr. Herring has said."
A tense, if momentary silence, followed, broken by the Professor, whonow said in his smooth, unctuous way:
"Mr. Herring's blunt expression of his sentiments was not intended forother ears than ours, I am sure. In confidence, one may say many thingsto friends which he would prefer to withhold from an indiscriminatingpublic. We are well assured, indeed, that Mr. Herring is a loyalAmerican, with America's best interests at heart, but he does notregard our present national activities as leniently as we do. I havebeen endeavoring, in my humble way, to change his attitude of mind,"here Herring swung around and looked at the speaker stolidly, "andthough I admit he is a bit obstinate, I venture to assure you, MissBurrows, that Silas Herring will stand by the Stars and Stripes as longas there is a shred of our banner to wave in the breeze of freedom,justice and democracy."
A cynical smile gradually settled on the grocer's stern face. The Hon.Andrew was smiling with undisguised cheerfulness.
"We are all loyal--thoroughly loyal," said the latter. "I've boughtsome Liberty Bonds already, my girl, but you can put me down for ahundred dollars more. We must support our country in every possibleway, with effort, with money, with our flesh and blood. I have nochildren, but my two nephews and a second cousin are now in France!"
"For my part," added Professor Dyer, "I have hesitated as to how muchof my meagre salary I can afford to spend. But I think I can handlefive hundred dollars' worth."
"Thank you," said Mary Louise, somewhat puzzled by these offers. "Itisn't like risking the money; it's a solid investment in the bestsecurities in the world."
"I know," returned the Professor, nodding gravely, "But I'm notthinking of that. I'm a poor man, as you probably know, but what I haveis at my country's disposal, since it is evident that my country needsit."
"Doesn't that shame you, sir?" asked Mary Louise brightly, as sheturned to Silas Herring. "You're a business man, and they say--althoughI confess I doubt it--that you're a loyal American. You can convince meof the fact by purchasing a liberal share of bonds. Then I can forgetyour dreadful words. Then I can carry to everyone the news that you'vemade a splendid investment in Liberty Bonds. Even if you honestly thinkthe administration has been at fault, it won't do any good to grumble.We are in this war, sir, and we've got to win it, that you and everyother American may enjoy prosperity and freedom. How much shall I saythat you have subscribed, Mr. Herring?"
He studied her face, his expression never changing. Mary Louisewondered if he could read her suspicion and dislike of him, despite herefforts to smother those feelings in the cause of Liberty. Then Herringlooked at Professor Dyer, who stood meekly, with downcast eyes. Nextthe grocer gazed at the supervisor, who smiled in a shrewd way and gavea brief nod.
Mr. Herring frowned. He drummed nervously with his fingers on hismahogany desk. Then he reached for his check-book and with grimdeliberation wrote a check and handed it to Mary Louise.
"You've won, young lady," he admitted. "I'm too good an American toapprove what has been done down at Washington, but I'll help keep ourflag waving, as the Professor suggests. When we've won our war--and ofcourse we shall win--there will be a day of reckoning for everyofficial who is judged by our citizens to have been disloyal, howeverhigh his station. Good afternoon!"
The first impulse of Mary Louise was to crumple up the check and throwit in the man's face, to show her resentment of his base insinuations.But as she glanced at the check she saw it was for ten thousanddollars, and that meant sinews of war--help for our soldiers and ourallies. She couldn't thank the man, but she bowed coldly and left theprivate office. Professor Dyer accompanied her and at the outer door hesaid to the girl:
"Silas Herring's heart is in the right place, as you see by hisgenerous check. Of course, he might have bought more bonds than that,as he is very wealthy, but he is an obstinate man and it is a triumphfor our sacred cause that he was induced to buy at all. You are doing anoble work, my child, and I admire you for having undertaken the task.If I can be of service to you, pray command me."
"Urge everyone you meet to buy bonds," suggested Mary Louise. She didnot care to discuss Silas Herring.
"I'll do that, indeed," promised the school superintendent. But as hewatched her depart, there was a queer expression on his lean face thatit was well Mary Louise did not see.
CHAPTER IVTHE TRAITOR
When the Liberty Girls met that evening at the home of Alora Jones, itwas found that Mary Louise had sold more bonds than any of the others,although Laura Hilton had secured one subscription of fifty thousanddollars from the Dorfield National Steel Works, the manager of whichindustry, Mr. Colton, was a relative of the girl. Altogether, the day'swork had netted them two hundred and fourteen thousand dollars, and assoon as she could escape Mary Louise rushed home to report theirsuccess to her grandfather.
"In one day, Gran'pa Jim!" she cried exultantly, and the old colonel'seyes sparkled as he replied:
"That makes our great mass-meeting look pretty small; doesn't it, mydear? I consider it wonderful! With four more such days our quota wouldbe over-subscribed."
"That's what we shall try for," she declared, and then told him who thebiggest bond buyers had been--mostly those who had refused to listen tothe regular Committee or had not been influenced by their carefullyprepared arguments.
"It's just because we are girls, and they are ashamed to refuse us,"she acknowledged. "It seems like taking an unfair advantage of
them, Iknow, but those who need urging and shaming, to induce them to respondloyally to the nation's needs, deserve no consideration. We're notrobbing them, either," she added, "but just inducing them to make asafe investment. Isn't that true, Gran'pa Jim?"
"What surprises me most," he responded, "is how you ever managed toload your little head with so much mature wisdom. I'd no idea, MaryLouise, you were so interested in the war and our national propagandafor waging it successfully."
"Why, I read the