Mary Louise and the Liberty Girls | Page 9

her first calf was to be at McGill's drug store. She found Mr.
McGill looking over his morning's mail, but moments were precious, so
she at once stated her errand.
The old druggist glanced up at the girl under his spectacles, noted her
patriotic attire and the eager look on her pretty face, and slowly shook
his head.
"I'm sorry, Miss Burrows, but I can't afford it," he said evasively.
"Oh, Mr. McGill! I'm sure you are mistaken," she replied. "You can
afford insurance, you know, to protect your stock, and this money for
Uncle Sam is an insurance that your home and business will be
protected from the ravages of a ruthless foe."
He stared at her thoughtfully a moment. Then he selected a paper from
his mail and handed it to her.
"Read that," he said briefly.
Mary Louise read it. It was a circular, printed in small, open-faced,
capital type on plain white paper, and unsigned. It said:
"The Treasury Department is asking us to invest billions in what are
termed Liberty Bonds. It has the 'liberty' to lend these billions to
irresponsible or bankrupt nations of Europe, who are fighting an
unprofitable war. Some of our dollars will equip an army of Amer- ican
boys to fight on Europe's battle- fields. This may be good business. Our
excited politicians down at Washington may think they are acting for
our best good. But what becomes of the money, finally? Will our
millionaire government contractors become billionaires when the
money--our money--is spent? Do you think the days of graft are past
and gone? Have politicians become honest now that they are handling
untold sums? Let us consider these questions when we are asked to
subscribe for Liberty Bonds."

"Why, this is treason!" cried Mary Louise, gasping from sheer
amazement and indignation. "It's a--a--treacherous, vile, disloyal
insinuation. Some German spy wrote that, and he ought to be hanged
for it!"
The druggist nodded. He picked up the envelope that had contained the
circular and scrutinized it closely.
"Really, it looks like foreign handwriting; doesn't it?" he agreed,
handing her the envelope. "It is postmarked 'Dorfield' and was posted
last evening. The whole town is buzzing about the wonderful work of
the Liberty Girls yesterday. Perhaps your success is responsible for
this-- this--opposition."
Mary Louise's cheeks were burning. Her eyes flashed.
"May I keep this--thing?" she asked, with a shudder of disgust as she
thrust the circular into its envelope.
"Certainly, if you wish."
"And will you let an enemy attack like that influence you, Mr.
McGill?"
He smiled, rather grimly.
"Yes. I'll invest five hundred in the bonds. I had already decided to put
in a hundred dollars, but for a moment this veiled accusation
bewildered me. You're right; it's treasonable. It will be hard for me to
raise five hundred, just now, but I'll do it. I want that to be my answer
to the German."
Mary Louise thanked him and hurried away. Next door was Lacey's
Shoe Store, and Mr. Lacey was reading a duplicate of that identical
circular when the Liberty Girl approached him.
The man bowed low to Mary Louise, a deference she felt rendered to
her red-white-and-blue uniform.

"Good morning!" he said pleasantly, recognizing the girl as one of his
good customers. "Glad to see you, Mary Louise, for if I give you a
good fat check it may take a nasty taste out of my mouth, acquired by
reading a bit of German propaganda."
"I know, Mr. Lacey," she replied earnestly. "I've seen that circular
before. Do you mind my having it--and the envelope?"
"I wouldn't touch the filth, if I were you," he protested.
"I'm going to run the traitor down," she said. "No man has the right to
live in Dorfield--or in America--who could be guilty of such
disloyalty."
He gave her the circular and his check for Liberty Bonds, and she
passed on to the next store. During the morning Mary Louise
discovered several more of the traitorous circulars. Some merchants
would not admit having received the warning; others, through their
arguments, convinced the girl they had not only read the screed but had
been influenced by it. Perhaps it did not seriously affect her sales of
bonds, but she felt that it did and her indignation grew steadily. By
noon she was tingling with resentment and when she joined the other
Liberty Girls at luncheon, she found them all excited over the circular
and demanding vengeance on the offender--whoever he might happen
to be.
"Isn't it dreadful!" exclaimed Lucile Neal, "and what could the person
hope to gain by it?"
"Why, he wanted to kill the Liberty Bond sale," explained Alora Jones.
"A suspicion that this money is to be misapplied, or that officials will
steal part of it, is likely