The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-05-23
Recalling Boyhood Days.

NSCdllnS DOyllOON lays.
Puppy Love and an Amateur Detective.
kids are the funny proposition though.
Aren't they now!' A serious-looking
attorney sat in the club lounging room
talking with long distance, back-to-the-
old-home look in his eyes as he pulled on
little stub of lean smoke made in
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Sometimes, said the lawyer between
puffs, 81 just sit around and sort of
ponder over the things l used to do when
was youngster. It's hard to appre-
ciate the point of view of kid unless
you let yourself drift back once in a
while and conjure up a parade of the
things you did in your kid days and have
a sort of reminiscential review of 'em as
they march by memory's reviewing
stand.
"Say, how do you like that figurative
stuff of mine, anyway? Not so bad,
Ell?
''But what Twas getting at was this:
was just thinking of a story of adven-
ture-detective story, if you please
that l was mixed up in when l was a
little tyke of about IL. l was taken
down with a severe case of puppy love
just about then. Had it bad. Just SEEM
ed as if I'd run out of measles. humps,
and all other things that youngsters have
and this puppy love affair was the only
thing there was kicking around for me to
catch.
HATED TO MAKE TRIP.
'It happened that some little time be-
fore the trouble had run its course nv
dad offered to take me on a trip with him
to visit my grandmother over in Iowa
for couple of weeks. l hated to leave.
Funny how satisfied a boy is to stick
right at home when he gets down with
one of those cases in the drop the hand
kerchief stage of his career Yes,
wanted to go with my dad, and yet |
hated to leave. But il was too good a
chance to pass up. You see, l figured it
out that by going away could work some
scheme to make myself out something of
hero. A day or so before l was to start
| broke the news to her that | was going
far away. Oh, it was regular Alone in
Great City theatre hyah forevah, you
know, and all that stuff that l handed
| her-'goin' away from hyah forevah,
you know, and all that. Where was
going? Why, was going away to join
the army and be a soldier, that's where
l was going!
''Well, she-Madge, her name was as l
rememberit-sh thought that was pref
ty tough, me going into the army to be
shot and killed. She put her little ging-
ham apron to her face and just cried and
and cried. looked off into the distance
sternly, as if l didn't notice her tears
told her l didn't mind it, that felt it
was my duty to go into the army and for
her not to fear. Perhaps | wouldn't get
killed at all, but would come back some
day. | might have cheered her up by
pointing out that maybe l wouldn't get
into the army, being only II years old.
CoNF1DEs IN FRIEND.
GAS the time approached for my start
on that two weeks visit an awful
thought began to prey on my mind.
Suppose another Should come to take nv
place in Madge's affections! Just sup
pose another should! Oh, it was too
horrible to think about. One day | con-
tided my fears to my friend, Chuck
Hurley. l couldn't have told anybody
who was more in a position to be of as
sistance to me. Chuck, VINO was a
redheaded chap about my own age, had
been delving deep into the literature that
one could buy for such trifing sum as
dime. He had decided to take up the
detective business as calling in life. In
fact, he WAS detective Another
friend of his, whose father ran tinshop,
had made him tin badge that ne wore
on his coat sometimes. What more did
he need?
"Tell you what I'll do, Jimmy he
whispered to me-he had read so many
detective stories that he always wills
pered whether there was anybody around
to hear or not-T'I Just shadow 'er
while you re away. I've had my 'spicions
of 'er myself. III keep a close shadow
on the gal all the time you're gone and
make report to you every day.
GU see I'm detective he ex-
planned. 1 won't charge you much,
cause we're such good friends, but III
watch every move she makes and let you
know if she's in love with any other
fellow.
WAS GRATEFUL TO CHUCK.
81 was exceedingly grateful to
Chuck We made a deal that | should
pay him one cent day for his detective
SERVICES. TOT tUlS SUN ue Was 10 devote
his entire time to my case and not allow
Madge to leave home minute without
keeping vigilant shadow on her.
81 went away and his daily reports
came. I've got them at home yet, and
| wouldn't take a lot of money for them
They aren't so much photography, but
mighty businesslike at that. He would
tell me, for instance, about how he took
up his watch from behind some trees in
her back yard at $50 in the morning and
kept close tab on her movements until
her mother called her in at $50 in the
evening to 90 to bed. Amt seen her
meet ennybody yet, but still spishus, he
wrote on one occasion. don't know
how he managed to get anything to eat
while sticking so closely to his task.
''When l got back to town, though,
Chuck confessed to me that for the last
two days he had been unable to keep up
his close shadow. Little by little heard,
from him that he had lost interest in his
task because Madge's older brother had
come along and caught him hiding be-