Baum's publisher, Reilly & Britton, rejected that manuscript, as they felt the heroine was too independent for a female.
The novel features federal agent John O'Gorman with assistance from his daughter Josie, whom he trained to be an investigator.
The second book, Mary Louise in the Country, involves the then-contemporary struggle for Irish independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Josie O'Gorman, tougher and less ladylike than Mary Louise, has a more prominent role, and eventually takes over the series.
[5] Mary Louise and the Liberty Girls is concerned with the strong anti-German sentiments in the United States during World War I.