Evening star., 1917-12-23

Lets start at the beginning" says /.
WHY did YOU do it at ail?"
because the committee was so ready
to belive the whoppers he told" says
Wee. And they wanted to disoand the
league, especially that Mrs. Norton
Plummer, whose husband is lawyer.
She was almost dfsagreeable about II.
Truly. But, my dear. she said to me.
one can't act merely on runor and
prejudice. If we had a few facts or
figures it might be different And you
know that sour smile of hers Well
That's why l did it. asked them TO
give me ten days. And now
Wee finished by squeezin' my arm
"But how'd you come to break in so
prompt | asks. Did you mesmerize
Belcher*"
"I bought up his cashier-paid her to
report that she was i'll says Wee.
Then / smoothed back my hair, put on
this old black dress and went begging
for the job. That's when I began to
know Mr.. Belcher He's quite diff
efrent person when he is hiring a cash
Ter from the one you see talking to Gus
toners. Really. I've never been looked
sort of insect. But when he found
would work cheap, and could get Mrs.
Robert Eilins to go on my bond If
should turn out a thief, he took ME on.
Getting up so early was bit hard
and eating cold luncheon harder still;
but worst of all was having to hear him
growl and snap at the clerks. Oh, he's
perfectly horrid. L don't see how they
stand it. Of course, | had my share.
Miss Blockhead was his pet name for
me"
Huh" says l, griffin my teeth.
Meaning that you'd like to tell Bel
cher a few things yoursclf?" asks Wee.
We'll. you needn't I'd no right TO be
this is my own particular affair. | know
what | am going to do to Mr.. Belcher:
at least. what I'm going to try to do.
Anyway. / shall have some figures to
put before our committee Monday.
Then we shall see"
Yep. She had the goods ON him /
helped her straighten out the evidence
copies of commission house bills show
in what he paid for stuff and dupli-
Gates of sales slips givin' the retail
prices he got. And say, all he was
stickin' on was from 80 to 60 per cent
profit
He didn't always wait for the whole
saler to start the boostin', either. Wee
points cut where he has lacked up the
price three times on the same shipment
just as the spell took him. He'd be
readin' away in his Morgen B1ather-
skite, and all of a sudden he'd jump out
of his chair. I'm no expert on provision
prices. but some of them items had me
bug-eyed.
Why" says I. at looks like this Bel
cher party meant to discourage eatin'
altogether Couldn't do better if he
was runnip' a dinin' ear
ITS robbery. that's what it is says
Wee "And when you think that his
chief victims are such helpless people
as the Rurkes and the Walters-well.
its little less than criminal
IT'S rough deal,"sf admits. but one
that's bein' pulled in the best circles.
War profits are what everybody seems
To be ont after these days, and | don I
see how you're goin' to stop it
II mean TO try to stop Belcher. any
way," says Wee, tossiu' her chin up.
You amt got much show" says /;
hut go to it,"
Just how much fight there was in
Wee though, | didn't have any idea of
until Hw her Monday cveniu' after an
other meetin' of the league IT seems
she'd met this Mrs. Norton Plummer on
her own ground and had smeared her
all over the map.
what do you suppose she wanted to
do?' demands Fec. Pass more resolu-
tions We'll. 7 told her lust what
thought of that, AS well pin a Please
keep-out' notice on your door to scare
away burglars as to send resolutions To
Belcher. And when | showed her what
profits he was making. item by item.
proposed my plan"
'.Eh?" says /. What's it ike"
I'VE are going to start a store of our
own says Fee-just like that. offhand
You are?" says /. "But-but who's
goin' 10 run it?"
They made me chairman of the sub
committee" says Nec And then
made them subscribe to campaign
fund. Five thousand We raised it in
many minutes. And now--wcll
suppose I'm in for it."
Listens that way to me-" says J.
Then | may as we'll begin" says
she.
And say, there's nothiu' draggy about
Wee when she really goes over the top.
While I'm dressin' for dinner she calls
up a real estate dealer and leases Il
vacant store in the other end of the
block from Belcher's. Between the
roast and salad she uses the phone
some more and drafts half Il dozen
young ladies from the Country Club
set to act as relay clerks Later on in
the evenin she rounds up Mai Percy
Thomson, who's been inraIidad home
from the quartcrmaster's department
on account of game knee, and gets
him to serve as buyin' agent for n
week or so. Her next move is to char
ter couple of three-ton motor trucks
to haul supplies out from town: and
when ] went to sleep she was still
jottin' things down on pad to- be at
tended to in the mornn'
For two or three DAYS nothin' much
seemed to happen. The windows az
that vacant store was whitened mys-
tcrious. carpenters were hammerin.
away inside. and now 81.