letting you off easy. Why, I got Mary's father--Mr. Nestor--for
twice what he took last time, and Mary herself--hard as she's
working for the Red Cross--gave me a nice application. So it's up
to you to--"

"Nuff said!" exclaimed Tom, sententiously, as he signed his
name. "I may have to reconsider my recent refusal of the offer of
the Universal Flying Machine Company, though, if I haven't money
enough to meet this subscription, Ned."

"Oh, you'll meet it all right! Much obliged," and Ned folded
the Liberty Bond subscription paper and put it in his pocket.
"But did you turn down the offer from those people?"

"I did," answered Tom. "But how did you know about it, Ned?"

"First let me say that I'm glad you decided to have nothing to
do with them. They're a rich firm, and have lots of money, but I
wouldn't trust 'em, even if they have some government contracts.
The way I happened to know they were likely to make you an offer
is this," continued Ned Newton.

"They do business with one of the New York banks with which my
bank--notice the accent on the my, Tom--is connected. The other
day I happened to see some correspondence about you. These flying
machine people asked our bank to find out certain things about
you, and, as a matter of business, we had to give the
information. Sort of a commercial agency report, you know,
nothing unusual, and it isn't the first time it's been done since
your business got so large. But that's how I happened to know