They're used to
dealing with criminals; but these Reds, you see, are cranks.
Criminals ain't organized, at least they don't stand together; but
these Reds do, and if you fight 'em, they fight back, and they make
what they call `propaganda.' And that propaganda is dangerous--if
you make a wrong move, you may find you've made 'em stronger than
they were before."
"Yes, I see that," said the old man. "Well?"
"Then again, the police dunno how dangerous they are. You try to
tell them things, they won't really believe you. I've known for a
long time there was a group of these people getting together to kill
off all the rich men, the big men all over the country. They've been
spying on these rich men, getting ready to kill them. They know a
lot about them that you can't explain their knowing. That's how I
got the idea they had somebody in your house, Mr. Ackerman."
"Tell me what you mean. Tell me at once."
"Well, sir, every once in a while I pick up scraps of conversation.
One day I heard Mac--"
"Mac?"
"That's McCormick, the one who's in jail. He's an I. W. W. leader,
and I think the most dangerous of all. I heard him whispering to
another fellow, and it scared me, because it had to do with killing
a rich man.
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