Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-10-20

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HS A DETECTIVE g
.ES 4. WHO 4. *,
ga DETECTED 81
"a. BY Philip 6. Hubert, Jr. 81 81
R@sR9R ( s !; ,ss;, 1899 !, 2S2sNA
SYNOPSIS.
Chapter I.-Seymour is a reporter on the
New York Gazette and Is given the task
Of finding q man named Danders. who
had sold to the Gazette story stolen from
the Londoner of ls4S. The only copy of
far as Seymour could find out. for Dan
ders to get was at the Metropolitan library,
and he started to search for the evidence
Ing was known of ouch man except that
he he, occasionally came there to get HIS mail.
agreed to give the bartender five dollars
II he should inform him when Danders
turned up again. At the library Seymour
terested. lie wished to know her ma name,
and to ascertain it asked what particu-
lar subject she was seeking information
b up m wa o the
that subject. He found one, and upon it
was not only books upon the Spanish In
a aahis,'i saa, but the h1ondoner Of ls4s and
Chapter lI.-He accompanies the girl to
her home after. a time on the pretext OF
peinH interested IN patent umbrella
which her father has been working upon
and which he is to take. to a friend who
Is a manufacturer of umbrellas. After an
evening IN their home he is asked his oc-
cupation by the girls father and, thinking
to ,startle them into some show Of their
guilt. announces that he is reporter for
the New York Gazette. but without effect.
III,
had not told an unblushing false
hood when / had said that I knew a
man who made umbrellas. To be pre-
else, knew man who sold umbrellas,
for I had bought umbrellas from him,
and for aught 1 knew he might make
them himself or at least have them
made for him. But it was too late to
hunt him up that night. went home
hugging that precious umbrella, her
umbrellaandh her work, and laidit on the
table in my little room while l thought
over the situation. Within the last six
hours the situation had altered with a
vengeance. Six hours before that l
had been intent upon running down
the person who had yictimized the Ga
zette to the extent of $500. And now I
was intent upon shielding that person,
or some one whom supposed to be
that person, from the results of her
misdemeanor.
AT times I could not bring myself
to the belief that she could be the guilty
one. Looking at that umbrella, her
umbrella, her school umbrella, I cudg-
eled my brains for explanations and ex-
cuses. They were rather unsophisti-
Gated people, this father and daughter,
and perhaps they had done this
wretched thing when hard pushed for
money, and without realization Of it's
Nervousness. Some excellent people,
women especially, saw nothing wrong
in cheating the government by snug
Cling in laces and gloves-rather the
contrary; they boosted to their friends
of their success. Perhaps Miss Rob-
ertson saw nothing worse in getting
the best Of newspaper. Such an
achievement gave evidence Of moral
bluntness which could not associate
with her; and yet-and yet-the evil
dence was certainly against her. But
was 1t? After all, what did my precious
evidence amount to? It was not
enough to convict professional thief,
to say nothing of this young girl. With
this comforting reflection I went to
bed, to dream that the heavens rained
fire and birthstone and that my only
defense against the downpour was that
umbrella-her umbrella.
AS it would be necessary to have some
sort Of story ready for Miss Robert
son when I met her at the library the
next morning, I left my boarding house
early and stopped at the shop of my
umbrella dealer. In a dozen words
told him the story and showed him the
umbrella. He smiled good naturally.
ut doesn't seem bad idea to you.
Mr.. Seymour" said he, "but to anyone
in the trade It's absurd, for number
of reasons. In the first place, you
never could make water-tight joint
where that glass is fitted in; there
would always be leak there. If that
was not enough to damn it, people
would not carry such an umbrella, be-
cause other people would look after
them and perhaps laugh; then the
glass would prevent the umbrella being
furled up into the tight thin roll that
fashion demands; finally, no one would
pay penny more for an umbrella with
an eye-glass in it than for one without.
If anyone wants to sell you the patent,
avoid it as you would the plague. It's
capital idea-to let alone"
There was nothing more to be said,
and walked on to the library hugging
that umbrella. With all it's faults, it
was still precious. AT the doors met
Miss Robertson, who had evidently
been on the watch for me.
"Weil," she said, her eyes dancing
with eagerness, twas your friend en-
thusiastic?" How could I dash her
hopes?
"He said it was capital idea," re-
piled. She saw that I was not full of
hope. But he suggested weak points, y
I went on. And gradually told her
the whole story. She made brave
show about it, but her eyes were dim
with suspicion of tears.
"What does one mans verdict amount
TOT" I said, as cheerfully as could.
Probably this particular manufac-
turer is an IDIOT"
"You said that he Is an intimate
friend of yours, didn't you?" and there
was a ghost Of q smile.
"Of course" said, only too happy to