Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-11-16
An Amateur
Detective j
He Found No Clew, but
Had Good Luck.
By AMBROSE HALL


Being directed by the chief of the de-
teetive bureau with which l was con-
nected to report to Oliver Ainsworth to
investigate a case for him, | did so,
and this was Mr.. Ainsworth's state
ment:
81 live in a suburban town. My fam
lily consists of my wife, my son, Albert.
twenty-five years old, and my daugh-
ter, Edith, aged twenty. Other persons
come in from time to time, remaining
temporarily. There are also the serv-
ants, consisting of a cook, housemaid
and butler.
For some time past we have been
missing small articles, principally jew
els. Only yesterday a brooch set with
diamonds and worth 500 disappeared.
I suppose in all $500 worth of proper
ty has been taken. / wish you to conn
into my house for a long enough stay
to discover the thief. Your chief has
recommended you as a person who
would not be likely to De taken for a
hCiCNiihOs SOd la hi6 OSOh bAOd6hA
up He has told me also that you are
very musical and play on several in
struments. My daughter wishes to learn
to play on the mandolin, and you can
give'her lessons. I shall introduce you
as the son of an old and very dear
friend of mine, giving out that you
have met with bad luck and that ]
have taken you in for awhile until you
can get on your feet again."
There was truth In the latter part OF
tltis statement. 1 had recently come
from England to seek my fortune in
America like others of my countrymen
who are ready to do abroad what they
would be too proud to do at home. ]
tried music, for which l have a consid-
cradle taste, but after starving awhile
in that field fell in with a detective,
who secured me a position in the bu-
reau with which he was connected. i
think my chief recommendation was
that, being a gentleman, l could play
parts that would be impossible for al
unpublished man.
This assignment with Mr.. Ainsworth
was my first in my new business, and
1 knew nothing about how to trap a
thief. Persons who are ignorant of
an important work they are expected
to do are prone to look very wise and
appear to be thinking very hard. l put
on the semblance of the wisdom OF
Solomon, and when Mr.. Ainsworth was
about to tell me Of any suspicious that
were entertained I stopped him, say
ing that / always worked by method,
pursuing my Investigations step by
step, and wished to avoid any precon-
ceived notions that might lead me
astray. This inspired the gentleman
with great faith i'll me. l must trust
\ to luck or my wits to bear out his con.
fidence.
The story of my supposed impoyer-
ishment, which, as l have said, was III
the main true, brought a very sympa-
thetic reception from Miss Edith Aims
worth, and the fact that I was to teach
her music foreshadowed that I would
pass a season in clover. Under the in
lnence of her beautiful eyes I felt that
I could be a thief hunter for the rest
of my days. 1 commenced the music
lessons at once and was supposed to
enter upon my Investigations at the
same time. Alas, l knew not where to
begin! That part of my work which
consisted in leading the family to think
that 1 was the unfortunate son of a
dear friend of it's head l performed
with great ease since it was natural
to me. l was first cousin to an earl,
and my father, having been born to
the courtesy title of honorable, had
never lone a stroke Of work In his life
except garrison work, for he had been
colonel Of a regiment in the British
army.
1 spent a fortnight as a member of
Mr.. Ainsworth's family, and since l
had not secured the slightest clew to
the thief | felt it necessary to put on
all the appearance of pursuing, y deep
laid plan of which I was capable. Mr..
Ainsworth refrained from questioning
me. which was lucky. Indeed, so en-
crossed was l with my lovely pupil
that had a dozen clews been under my
nose l would not have detected one of
them. l wondered that he did not
notice how matters were going be-
tween me and Edith, but if there is
one thing I observed in my career of
detective 1t is the stupidity of parents
in failing to notice the incipient love
affairs of their children.
After spending nearly three weeks
pretending to be following a deep laid
plan of investigation began to be not
only conscience stricken, but fearful
that the humbug l was practicing
would be discovered. To add to my
worry I began TO realize hat the farce
could not last forever and 1 must soon
be separated from Edith. My cup of
misery was filling up rapidly when luck
came to me. l hit upon a clew.
Lying awake at night when all was
still [ heard the distant sound of n