New-York tribune., 1920-08-29

~~~s~S
as he had expected. Babbing v.s
walking up and down his privats
Office, thoughtfully, when Barney
entered to see him. He asked a.
once, where have you been?" buf
without looking at Barney and with.
out stopping in his walk.
Barney closed the door. "I've beer
searchin' for this Elizabeth Baxter
an / found her."
Babbing continued with H..
thoughts. 1t was some time befora
he asked, almost absent-mindedly
"Wherew
"Out near place called Findellen
livin' with some folks she knows
What took you out there?"
Barney described his expedition
Babbing had seated himself at his
desk, in his swivel chair, but he had
turned aside from Barney with his
eyes on the window, non-committallv.
Barney, standing before the desk
with hand on chair back, like q
boy before his teacher, went from
assured eagerness to uneasy appre-
hension as he talked. He looked
anxiously at Babbing's plump, in
scrutable profile when he had fin
ished. There seemed to be something
wrong.
Babbing asked: what do Won
mean by a hunch'?"
"Well, gee," Barney said, "ths
minute / saw that guy readin' the
paper, I knew he was wise to some.
thin -
"You knew it? How"
"I-don't know. l guessed he
was"
What were you doing when he
came up to you?"
"Watchin' fer the BROOKLYN fell
lah"
What were you thinking about.
Il dunno"
"As matter of fact, you weren't
thinking of anything. were you?
Mind perfectly blank"
Barney did not answer, and Bah
bing wheeled around in the chair o
face him. AS their eyes met Bar
ney turned pale.
"Got another hunch, have your"
Babbing said fercely.
Barney stiffened to meet the shock.
you're fred" Babbing said. "sit
down.
Barney stumbled and sat down
weakly in the chair.
You're fired for leaving your post
without permission"
Barney pleaded chokingly: "Well,
gee, Chief
Babbing stopped him with ges-
ture.
Pm going to see this man Baxter,
privately. He has concluded a con-
solidation of water power companies
out West and Huntley is president
of the new concern. It's in the morn
ing papers. Now, if what you over
heard is true, he'll pay the $4,000
reward as soon as he understands
that we claim the money without
making public anything about the
case-even to Huntley. Under
stand?"
Barney had heard, confusedly, but
he had not understood. He had been
trying to gulp down a construction in
his throat.
Babbing nodded at him grimly.
Pm willing that half of this
money should go to you. You're
wasting your time here. What you
need more than anything else, just
now, is an education. twenty-five
hundred dollars will pay your way
for year or two"-
'I-I don't want it, Chief. | want
to-
sit doesn't matter what you want.
You're discharged from this Office
and you can't come back until you've
learned to read and write and speak
English
Barney's heart began to beat
again. "Will you take me back"
IF you want to come-then-yes
Glad to have you"
well, gee, Chief Barney
was smiling, almost in tears.
Babbing continued quizzically, set
tling back in his chair. "You have
the making of detective in you,
I'm sorry to say. There's no doubt
of it. And if you want to make
living out of it, I can't Stop you.
It's as good way as another, | sup
pose. You either have the aptitude
for it or you haven't 1t isn't
science. It's an art You can't re-
duce it to rules. It's intuitive. All
the science in the business can't take
the place of the 'hunch.' That's why
I'm discharging you. If you can get
| the right hunch. all Won need is an