Mary Louise in the Country

by L. Frank Baum

  CHAPTER XIXGOOD MONEY FOR BAD

  At luncheon Josie appeared at the table, fresh as ever, and Mary Louisebegan to relate to her and to her grandfather the occurrences of themorning. When she came to tell how Sol Jerrems had declared the moneycounterfeit, Josie suddenly sprang up and swung her napkin around herhead, shouting gleefully:

  "Glory hallelujah! I've got him. I've trapped Old Swallowtail at last."

  They looked at her in amazement.

  "What do you mean?" asked Mary Louise.

  Josie sobered instantly.

  "Forgive me," she said; "I'm ashamed of myself. Go on with the story.What became of that counterfeit bill?"

  "Mr. Jerrems has it yet. He is keeping it to show to a commercialtraveler, who is to visit his store to-morrow. If the man declares themoney is good, then Ingua may buy her things."

  "We won't bother the commercial traveler," said Josie, in a tone ofrelief. "I'm going straight down to the store to redeem that bill. Iwant it in my possession."

  Colonel Hathaway regarded her gravely.

  "I think our female detective, having said so much and having exhibitedsuch remarkable elation, must now explain her discoveries to us morefully," said he.

  "I'd rather not, just yet," protested Josie. "But what have I said inmy madness, and what did my words imply?"

  "From the little I know of this case," replied the Colonel, "I mustjudge that you believe Mr. Cragg to be a counterfeiter, and that hismysterious business is--to counterfeit. In this out-of-the-way place,"he continued, thoughtfully, "such a venture might be carried on for along time without detection. Yet there is one thing that to me forbidsthis theory."

  "What is that, sir?"

  "A counterfeiter must of necessity have confederates, and Mr. Craggseems quite alone in the conduct of his mysterious business."

  Josie smiled quite contentedly. Confederates? Last night's discoverieshad proved that Old Swallowtail had two of these, at least.

  "Please don't lisp a word of this suspicion at present," she warned herfriends. "If I am right--and I have no doubt of that--we are about touncover a far-reaching conspiracy to defraud the Government. But theslightest hint of danger would enable them to escape and I want thecredit of putting this gang of desperadoes behind the bars. Really, I'dno idea, when I began the investigation, that it would lead to anythingso important. I thought, at first, it might be a simple murder case;simple, because the commonest people commit murder, and to thedetective the deed is more revolting than exciting. But we may dismissthe murder suspicion entirely."

  "Oh, indeed! What about Ned Joselyn's mysterious disappearance?" askedMary Louise.

  "Joselyn? He disappeared for a purpose," answered Josie. "I saw himlast night--monocle and all--acting as old Cragg's confederate. NedJoselyn is one of those I hope to land in prison."

  Her hearers seemed quite bewildered by this positive statement.

  "Where were you last night?" inquired Mary Louise.

  "At that five acres of stones we once visited, which is Mr. Cragg'sprivate property. Hidden somewhere in the hillside is a cavern, and inthat cavern the counterfeit money is made. I have heard theprinting-press turning it out in quantity; I saw Ned Joselyn come awaywith a package of the manufactured bills and heard Old Swallowtailimplore him to 'play square' with the proceeds. There was another ofthe gang present, also; a man whom I had considered quite an innocentcitizen of Cragg's Crossing until I discovered him with the others. Ithink it was he who operated the press. It has been a very pretty plot,a cleverly conducted plot; and it has been in successful operation foryears. But the gang is in the toils, just now, and little redheadedJosie O'Gorman is going to score a victory that will please herdetective daddy mightily." Josie was surely elated when she venturedto boast in this manner. The others were duly impressed.

  "You don't mean to arrest those men alone, do you, Josie?" asked theColonel somewhat anxiously.

  "No, indeed. I'm not yet quite ready to spring my trap," she replied."When the time comes, I must have assistance, but I want to get all myevidence shipshape before I call on the Secret Service to make thecapture. I can't afford to bungle so important a thing, you know, andthis ten dollar bill, so carelessly given the storekeeper, is going toput one powerful bit of evidence in my hands. That was a bad slip onold Cragg's part, for he has been very cautious in covering his tracks,until now. But I surmise that Mary Louise's pleading for Ingua, thismorning, touched his pride, and having no real money at hand heventured to give the storekeeper a counterfeit. And old Sol, havingbeen caught by a counterfeit once before--I wonder if Old Swallowtailgave him that one, too?--became suspicious of the newness of the billand so played directly into our hands. So now, if you'll excuse me,I'll run to town without further delay. I won't rest easy until thatbill is in my possession."

  "I'll go with you," said Mary Louise eagerly.

  Half an hour later the two girls entered the store and found theproprietor alone. Mary Louise made a slight purchase, as an excuse, andthen Josie laid ten silver dollars on the counter and said carelessly:

  "Will you give me a ten dollar bill for this silver, Mr. Jerrems? Iwant to send it away in a letter."

  "Sure; I'd ruther hev the change than the bill," he answered, takingout his wallet. "But I wouldn't send so much money in a letter, if Iwas you. Better buy a post-office order."

  "I know my business," she pertly replied, watching him unroll theleather wallet. "No; don't give me that old bill. I'd rather have thenew one on top."

  "That new one," said he, "I don't b'lieve is good. Looks like acounterfeit, to me."

  "Let's see it," proposed Josie, taking the bill in her hand andscrutinizing it. "I can tell a counterfeit a mile away. No; this is allright; I'll take it," she decided.

  "Yer like to git stung, if ye do," he warned her.

  "I'll take my chances," said Josie, folding the bill and putting it inher purse. "You've got good money for it, anyhow, so you've no kickcoming, that I can see."

  "Why, that must be the bill Mr. Cragg gave you," Mary Louise said tothe storekeeper, as if she had just recognized it.

  "It is," admitted Sol.

  "Then Ingua can now buy her outfit?"

  "Any time she likes," he said. "But I want it reg'lar understood thatthe sewin'-girl can't bring the money back to me, if she finds it bad.I ain't sure it's bad, ye know, but I've warned her, an' now it's herlook-out."

  "Of course it is," agreed Josie. "But don't worry. The bill is good asgold. I wish I had a hundred like it."

  On their way home Josie stopped to call on Ingua, while Mary Louise, ather friend's request, went on.

  "I've two important things to tell you," Josie announced to the child."One is that you needn't worry any more about Ned Joselyn's being dead.A girl whom I know well has lately seen him alive and in good health,so whatever your grandfather's crimes may have been he is not amurderer."

  Ingua was astounded. After a moment she gasped out:

  "How d'ye know? Who was the girl? Are ye sure it were Ned Joselyn?"

  "Quite sure. He has probably been in hiding, for some reason. But youmustn't tell a soul about this, Ingua; especially your grandfather. Itis part of the secret between us, and that's the reason I have toldyou."

  Ingua still stared as if bewildered.

  "Who was the girl?" she whispered.

  "I can't tell you her name, but you may depend upon the truth of herstatement, just the same."

  "And she's _sure_ it were Ned Joselyn she saw?"

  "Isn't he tall and thin, with a light moustache and curly hair, anddoesn't he wear a glass in one eye?"

  "With a string to it; yes! That's him, sure enough. Where'd she seehim?"

  "Don't ask me questions. It's a part of the girl's secret, you know.She let me tell you this much, so that you wouldn't worry any longerover the horror of that winter night when your grandfather went to theKenton house and Joselyn disappeared. I think, Ingua, that the man iscrooked, and mixed up with a lot of scoundrels who ought to be inja
il."

  Ingua nodded her head.

  "Gran'dad told him he was crooked," she affirmed. "I don't say asGran'dad is a saint, Josie, but he ain't crooked, like Ned--ye kin bankon that--'cause he's a Cragg, an' the Craggs is square-toes even whenthey're chill'ins."

  Josie smiled at this quaint speech. She was sorry for poor Ingua, whosestalwart belief in the Cragg honesty was doomed to utter annihilationwhen her grandsire was proved to have defrauded the Government bymaking counterfeit money. But this was no time to undeceive the child,so she said:

  "The other bit of news is that Sol Jerrems has traded the bill which hethought was bad for good money, so you can buy your things any time youplease."

  "Then it wasn't counterfeit?"

  "I saw it myself. I've lived in the city so long that no one can foolme with counterfeit money. I can tell it in two looks, Ingua. So I'drather have a nice new bill than ten clumsy silver dollars and I madethe trade myself."

  "Where'd ye get so much money, Josie?"

  "My wages. I don't do much work, but I get paid regularly once a week."

  She didn't explain that her father made her a weekly allowance, butIngua was satisfied.

  "What do you think I orter buy with that money, Josie? I need so manythings that it's hard to tell where to begin and where to leave off."

  "Let's make a list, then, and figure it out."

  This occupied them some time and proved a very fascinating occupationto the poor girl, who had never before had so much money to spend atone time.

  "I owe it all to Mary Louise," she said gratefully, as Josie rose todepart. "It seems like no one can refuse Mary Louise anything. When sheasked me to be more careful in my speech didn't I do better? I slips,now an' then, but I'ms always tryin'. And she tackled Gran'dad. If youor me--or I--had asked Gran'dad for that money, Josie, we'd never 'a'got it in a thousan' years. Why do you s'pose Mary Louise gits intopeople the way she does?"

  "It's personality, I suppose," answered Josie, thoughtfully. And then,realizing that Ingua might not understand that remark, she added:"There's no sham about Mary Louise; she's so simple and sweet that shewins hearts without any effort. You and I have natures so positive, onthe contrary, that we seem always on the aggressive, and that makesfolks hold aloof from us, or even oppose us."

  "I wish I was like Mary Louise," said Ingua with a sigh.

  "I don't," declared Josie. "We can't all be alike, you know, and I'drather push ahead, and get a few knocks on the way, then have a clearpath and no opposition."