Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1900-01-13
\ DETECTIVE
r. WHO 4.
DETECTED
III.
! Philip O. Hubert. Jr.
Copyright. 1898 :
by J. p. hppiDcott Co.

hood when 1 had said that i knew q
man who made umbrellas. To be pre-
else, knew man who sold umbrellas,
for had bought umbrellas from him,
3 and for aught i knew he might make
them himself or at least have them
made for him. But it was too late to
aunt him up that night. l went home
hugging that precious umbrella, her
umbrella and her work, and laidit on the
table IN my little room while thought
over the situation. Within the last six
hours the situation had altered with a
vengeance. Six hours before that i
had been intent upon running down
she person who had victimized the Ga
Uette to the extent of 500. And now
was intent upon shielding that person,
or some one whom 1 supposed to be
that person, from the results of her
misdemeanor.
At times i could not bring myself
te the belief that she could be the guilty
one Looking at that umbrella, her
Hmbrclls, her school umbrella, j cudg-
eled my brains for explanations and ex-
GBuses- They were rather unsophisti-
a.ated people, this father and daughter,
and perhaps they had done this
wretched thing when hard pushed for
money, and without realization of its
Nervousness. Some excellent people,
women especially, saw nothing wrong
In cheating the government by SNUG
CLING In laces and gloves-rather the
zsontrary; they boasted to their friends
1of their success. Perhaps Miss Rob
Scrtson saw nothing worse in getting
the best of a newspaper. Such an
achievement gave evidence of moral
loiuntness which could not associate
with her; and yet-and yet-the evil
0dence was certainly against her. But
was it? After all, what did my precious
evidence amount to? 1t was not
enough to convict professional thief.
ITO say nothing Of this young girl. With
this comforting reflection 1 went to
bed, TO dream that the heavens rained
Tz7re and birthstone and that my only
= defense against the downpour was that
: =lmbrella-her umbrella.
AS it would be necessary to have some
sort Of story ready for Miss Robert
=son when met her at the library the
next morning, left my boarding house
eSearly and stopped at the shop of my
umbrella dealer. In a dozen words ]
sold him the story and showed him the
umbrella BE smiled good naturedly.
1T doesn't seem a bad idea to you,
E1r. Seymour" said he, "but to anyone
I'm the trade its absurd, for a number
ssf reasons. In the first place, you
never could make q water-tight Joint
S~here 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
5furled up into the tight thin roll that
fashion demands; finally, no one would
pay penny more for an umbrella with
an eye-grass in it than for one without.
If anyone wants TO sell you the patent,
avoid it az you would the plague. It's
n capital idea-to let alone"
There was nothing more to be said,
and walked on to the library hugging
that umbrella. With all its faults, il
was still precious. At the doors / met
Miss Robertson, who had evidently
been on the watch for me.
WELL" she said, her eyes dancing
~vith eagerness, was your friend en-
~Ihusiastic?" How could i dash her
hopes?
He said il was a capital idea" re-
Tphed. She saw that was not full of
hope. "But he suggested weak points,"
II went on. And gradually / told her
sShe whole story. She made a brave
cShow about it, but her eyes were dim
with suspicion of tears.
what does oae mans verdict amount
So2" / said, as cheerfully as / could.
Probably this particular manufac-
E.urer is an idiot"
You said that he is an intimate
tsriend of yours, didn't your" and there
SvEas a ghost of smile.
"Of course" said, only too happy TO
@See the mist of tears disappear; "but
Eae may be an idiot all the same"
''Oh, I'm afraid not. You see, two
umbrella dealers to whom papa spoke
said about the same thing, and declined
20 go into the matter even to the ex-
Z1ent of making few such umbrellas.
40 tell the truth, had no very great
hopes, and it is better to know the facts
Poor papa! / must do a good days
copying to console him; he was more
sanguine than /. Thank you all the
same, Mr.. seymour. I'm sure you have
done your best
With her sunniest smile she tripped
into the library, and was soon en-
CROSSED in her work. There was a boy
from the Gazette Office waiting for me
with note from my chief. Another
Bother was in store for me- / was
needed for hurried expedition to POI
Uitical convention in Boston, and Bur
non, the managing editor, wrote that
me had decided to put professional
detective on the matter of ''Daisy's
Quest" and release me from the job.
Would be so good as to write out what
had accomplished in running down
the thief, if anything, and turn it into
the office before l left town? 1t might
be useful to the detective in question.
Here was a pretty pickle! Unfor-
-ENrn Fnlx Z Al 4