The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-10-09
Seruice---A Story

Please let me be the detective,
this time, Jimmie" begged his sis
ter Martha.
Who ever heard of a girl being
a detective?" scorned her brother.
That was the way it began.
James and Martha had the detect
i've craze. Children usually have
1t when they are about nine or ten
years old, and these particular
children had it badly.
They lived in small town,
which, during the war was very
active in war work. The children's
only brother had gone to fight for
his country. Nearly every one
was busy with some work that
would help the Allies beat Ger
many; but it seemed as if there
was nothing the children could do,
and so, being lonesome, their
hobby became playing detective.
Almost every day they ran thous-
ands of German spies to earth
in their imagination, of course.
One evening oward dusk, two
pleasant-looking men came to town
and soon after, set up a printing
shop. Now, somehow, the children
took a dislike to the two men, and
did not make friends with them, as
they usually did with strangers.
AS the children had the detective
craze, they naturally looked upon
the strangers, whom they did not
like, as enemies.
One day the children were prowl-
ing about the rear of the new
printing shop when Martha opened
one of the shutters. James peeped
in and saw small room in which
there was pile after pile of paper
that had the initials U. S. |. r. on
it. James told Martha what he had
seen, as she was too small to look
into the high window.
"The U. S. stands for United
States, but what is l. RI" They
puzzled over this quite awhile.
James felt a none too
gentle hand on his collar and he
was yanked out and deposited on
the street, while Martha was
picked up and placed beside him.
They were greatly outraged and
studied over this queer perform.
ance for some time, and all the
while kept a close watch on the
printing shop and observed that
most of the printers work was be-
ng done at night.
One day another stranger ar
lived in town. He was a kind
nan and made friends with the
brother and sister Immediately.
He told them he was detective,
md was looking for some counter
'eiters. The children told him of
What had happened to them and Of
he initials U. S. |. R.
Why" exclaimed the detective,
that's United States Internal Rev.
,nue. Those strangers must be
he counterfeiters, because they
Use that kind of paper for money,
md they must have gotten some of
t. You meet me tonight and we
will see what we can find in that
printing shop"
That evening James and Martha
net the detective at the corner.
they walked toward the printing
hop softly. When they got there
he detective whispered his direc.
ions.
"Ill put you kids through a little
window that l know is open, and
gu use these little flashlights I
i've you. You pick up any bills
gu see in there"
He lifted the children in, and
ames and Martha crept forward, =
Ihen, suddenly, there was crash.
Jimmie, where are you?" asked
fartha.
Here I am" replied a muffled
dice. Something fell on me-"
lartha went to him. Just then,
here was a noise in the little
DOM and someone came and
rabbed the children.
"Oh, get away" canned
lartha.
Just then, the detective came
through the window and saw that
he man was one of the counter.