New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-07-18
~%HE want ad-after the man
ner of want ads---had read

n simply: boy, over four
teen, intelligent, trust
worthy. for confidential office work,
rsferences. Address B-67 Evening
Express
Several scores of boys, who were
neither very intelligent nor peculiar
" trustworthy, exposed their dis
malifcations-after the manner of
boys-in the written applications
that they made. Of these scores a
\ dozen boys received typewriter re-
quests to call next morning at Room
1856 in the Cranmer Building on
Broadway for personal interview
with III. NJ. Archibald" But of the
dozen only one knew what sort of
confidential Office work might be
waiting for him in Room 1856.
He was little Barney Cook. And
he kept his information to himself.
The directory on the wall of the
buildings entrance did not assign
1866 to any of the names on it's
list. The elevator boys did not
know who occupied 1856. The door
of 1866 had nothing on it's glass
! panel but the painted number; and
the neighboring doors were equally
discreet. The "Babbing Bureau"
was the nearest name in the CORR
dor, but its doors were marked
Private Entrance at 1870"
Nor was there anything in the
. interior aspect of 1856 to enlighten
any of Barney Cooks competitors
when they came there to be inter
viewed. 1t was an ordinary outer
office of the golden-oak variety,
with railing Of spindles separating
a telephone switchboard and two
typewriter desks from two public
settles and brass cuspidor. There
we're girls at the desk and the
switchboard. The boys were on the
settles or at the railing. They
;. might have been suspected Of having
assumed common expression of
inert and anxious stupidity in order
that each might conceal from all the
others the required intelligence with
which he hoped to win the dob"
Barney Cook. alone betrayed the
workings of a mind. He sat Greet
stretching his neck-at the end of
settle nearest the gate of the railing,
watching the door of an inner room
and scrutinizing every one who came
out OF it. He paid no heed to the
girls; he knew that they were merely
clerks. But when he saw d rough
looking man appear, with red
handkerchief around his neck, he
stared excitedly. Surely the ban
danna was a disguise. Perhaps the
black mustache was false!
Forty-eight hours earlier, in the
uniform Of telegraph boy, Barney
had been in the public Office of the
Babbng Detective Bureau; and he
had been askeG % deliver an enve-
lope to the advertising department
of the Evening Express as he went
back. The envelope was not sealed.
And it contained the want ad {:
Confidential office work" For the
famous Walter Babbing,
Young Barney had been deliver
ing kilograms to the Babbing Bureau
Tor months without ever getting
past the outer office at 1870, and
without so much as suspecting the
existence of these operatives rooms
and inner chambers down the hall.
tie had seen Babbing only once,
when the great detective" came out
With one of his men while Barney
was getting his book signed. Bah
oing stood in the doorway long
enough to say: I'll meet you at the
station. Get the tickets. I'll send
Jim down with my suit case" The
operative replied: "All right, Chief. "
ana Barney knew that this was
Waiter Babbing.
he was a brisk-looking, clean
shaVen, little fat man-rather ga
Jude to Barney-with a quietly
Aild expression and vague eyes.
Barney knew nothing of the sci
. en'lhc theory of protective color
ing IN detectives; he did not know
'na' the most successful among them
naturally look least like anything
mat might be expected of their
Nind. He went out, with his book
open IN his hand, absorbed in study
u the picture of Babbing that had
zee" photographed on his instan-
'aneous young mind.
subsequently, he decided that he
Had seen Walter Babbing without
any makeup, in the private appear
@"ce that he reserved for office use
'hiohg his men. And he was as
S's'ed to this conclusion by his