River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-06-19

IA\lIL%1N the smooth Lake 0IOFe
Tx NV drive, and happiness al
most everywhere. And as
we strolled along we were watching
amusedly the ones who felt them
selves in a little world apart as they
talked foolishness into each others
ears. The fact that it was day did not
seem to make much difference. The
little woman detective who strolled be-
side me smiled at the couples about
us, then turned her gaze to the rolling
lake, where, in the distance, lumber
ing freighter was lazily dipping into
the horizon
When Love is young in spring
time" l quoted Alice Clement.
off for a half holiday from her work
as a catcher of criminals for the city
Of Chicago, laughed and then watched
FOR a moment my idle occupation OF
driving small pebbles along the path
way with my stick.
Love is young pretty much of the
time," she said at last. ''And the
younger it gets more fool things it
will make a person do. That's the
trouble with it, you never can count
On just what the outcome is going to
be. | don't look like a woman who
could cause murder, do II"
| stopped short at the remark, then
gazed at her Trinity dressed, her
young, almost girlish face looking up
with that happy smile on the full, red
lips, the deep brown eyes sparkling
well, it would have been hard to
married man like myself would do,
and l said so. She laughed softly
and was silent.
Soon the happy expression seemed
to leave her face, and bit of sadness
came in it's place. We had found a
bench in spot where the warm sun
was good, and near where an ener-
getic squirrel was practicing its calls
themes upon the trunk of budding
tree. / waited for her to speak, and,
waiting in vain, prompted her.
"a romance?"
''Just a detective assignment" she
answered. where love played the
wrong way a long time, and then
turned right just at tEs proper mo-
ment. Don't botasr to remember the
names; I'm going to change them.
'It was not so long after l had made
my entrance into the detective world
and was eager for every case am
still eager, for that matter, but you
know how it is, when one is young
in the business. One morning / re-
ceived a summons to detective head
quarters.
Alice" said the captain, we're go
ing to need you and your smile. Here's
picture of Clayton Rogers The
bureau wants him for a $4,000 en-
bezzlement. l think he's gone to ST.
Louis. but | can't be sure. You'd bet-
ter run down there and locate him.
But | did not take the next train
to ST. Louis and rely on my ingenuity
to find my man in a city of half
million people. A story-book detective
might have done that, but I'm only
an ordinary city sleuth, and so did
the logical thing. / went out and saw
Clayton's mother, told her | was an
Did sweetheart and that / was crying
my heart out for word from my own
dear boy. And quite naturally, |
learned that he really was in st.
Louis, working in a bindery plant
there-which one she did not know.
That, however, was a better lead han
nothing, and so the next morning
found me in the city on the MISSISSIPPI
pi
MY work was ahead of me. had
studied that picture until every line of
it was indelibly pressed into my brain.
And many a time while studying l had
said sharp little things about Mr. Clay
ton Rogers because he had not had his
photograph taken for twelve years
This proposition of trying to figure out
how a man will look after SO many
years is not an easy thing. But did
the best could.
'One by one | took the binderies,
four to a day. In the early morning
would watch the employees coming to
work. At noon l would watch others
going and coming At night l would
stand by some building to keep my
eyes on the outpouring string from
book and publishing houses And at
last there came a bit of hope into my
heart
"a man had passed within three feet
Of me, man with eyes of just the
sort l believed those of Rogers to be.
There was something about the ex-
preston of his face that was like that
Of Rogers, too. There was a chance
it was not he; there was just as great
a chance that l had found my man.
determined to find out.
The next morning there was a new
girl on one of the book binding ma
chimes in the great workroom where
the man | believed | wanted was sta
toned. Simply dressed, yet as pretti-
ly as possible in keeping with wage
Of eight dollars week. had set out
to play a game of hearts. Clayton
Rogers liked women. / had learned
that. And if this was the man
The old freighter was lowering it
self farther and farther into the hori-
zon now. The squirrel had approached
closely and was regarding us with
curious eyes. Alice Clement was
thoughtful
Perhaps you've never worked in a
book bindery," she said, land / don't
guess you have. And perhaps, too,
you've never been hoping and hoping
that your lead was right, only to be
assured day after day that you
were on the wrong trail That was