under a light.

"All in one place. At Ali's."

"Who and what is Ali?"

"Pimp--crimp--procurer--Prussian spy and any other evil thing that
takes his fancy! Runs a combination gambling hell and boarding house.
Lets 'em run into debt and blackmails 'em. Ali's in the kaiser's
pay--that's known! 'Musing thing about it is he keeps a photo of
Wilhelm in his pocket and tries to make himself believe the kaiser
knows him by name. Suffers from swelled head, which is part of
their plan, of course. We'll get him when we want him, but at
present he's useful 'as is' for a decoy. Ali was very much upset
at the arrest--asked in the name of Heaven--seems to be familiar
with God, too, and all the angels! -how he shall collect all the
money these men owe him!"

"You wouldn't call these men prosperous, then?"

"Not exactly! Ali is the only spy out of the North who prospers
much at present, and even he gets most of his money out of his
private business. Why, man, the real Germans we have pounced on
are all as poor as church mice. That's another part of the plan,
of course, which is sweet in all its workings. They're paid less
than driven by threats of exposure to us--comes cheaper, and serves
to ginger up the spies! The Germans pay Ali a little, and he traps
the Hillmen when they come South--lets 'em gamble--gets 'em into
debt--plays on their fear of jail and their ignorance of the Indian
Penal Code, which altereth every afternoon--and spends a lot of