Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-20

he liked it. lie next found a moth
srly looking janitress.
Something / have not touched upon
was the youngsters literary talent.
He could lie like an artist. He lied
amply. colorfully, with a fine sense
OF realism; and with, ii went an
actors talent for looking whatever
part he was playing. Some of it he
got from his circus training; much
was natural endowment.
He brought all of it to bear on the
story he told that janitress. He was
the son Of nobleman whose name
he did not want to mention, lest he
be forced to go back to his fathers
castle. But his father was a terrible
drinker and beat the little golden
haired son Of his until life at home
became unbearable. So ne had run
away.
But faithful servant was sending
him money secretly and would con-
tinue to do SO until the terrible father
died-which would happen soon. as
the old man was stricken with
rapid and fatal disease. On his death
Tete dor would inherit the big estate
and would return as master of it. In
the meanwhile. could the kind JAM.
tress give him a corner to sleep in?
He would pay for it.
x i. x
THE kind hearted and at the same
time shrewdly calculating janitress
believed the story and gave him a
little room off her own cubbyhole of
home. Here she made him at ease
and tended him as mother. He told
her he wanted to go to school and
was duly enrolled. But he spent his
School hours exploring infinitely
the shopping quarter around the
Samaritaine. a big department store
near the Seine. This he chose as his
hunting ground for some time.
Next he bought coat of a second
hand clothing dealer. deliberately
chosen because it was too big for
him. 1t covered him almost from
head to heels and hung in wide, ample
folds about his person. He then bor
rowed sewing material from his land
lady-for another tenant he told
her. But in secret he went to work
on that large overcoat converting it
to his purposes.
He cut Sits in the side pockets
through which his hands could glide
outside the garment. when he looked
as though they were buried deep in
his own pockets. He also made many
and ample-sized inside pockets.
Then he went to school," In and
out of the shopping crowd around
the Samaritaine he jostled and pushed
to the indignant protests of women
and men, whose pockets he explored
when he seemed to be merely hudded
in his great coat.
But when they saw his angelic
face and apparently poverty stricken
garb, they forgave him. But later
they cursed whatever thief it was
that picked their pockets as they
soon found them to be. Complaints
began to pour into police ears. Finally
a detective was assigned to look out
for the pickpocket.
He was a typical detective from
the big headquarters on Quai des
Orfevres overlooking the beautiful
Seine-dark with small mustache
and black curly hair, a vivacious
sparkle in his brown eyes, gestures
in his talk and plenty Of both
Temperamental compared with the
equable-tempered men of Scotland
Yard, he worked more easily on his
own hook than as part of a team.
Therein he was truly Latin and diff
ferent from the Scotland Yard man,
whose instinct and talent are for
teamwork.
The French f1ic, as the ParisianS
rather disrespectfully nickname him,
is more a creature OF imagination
than the detective of any other coun-
try He dramatizes his problems in
his mind, looks for some equally dra-
matte way Of solving them and does
everything but patiently plod I'm his
work.
Instead of putting in much time
trying to get a description of the pick
pocket he was sent out to find, M.
Dubois, as we shall call him, dressed
himself up as prosperous provincial
in Paris out for good time. Then
visiting the cafes in the neighborhood
of the Samaritaine, he spent good
deal of time at the little tables out
side, where all the world in Paris sips
It's coffee and other liquid refreshment
when the weather is fair.
He paid the walters often, showing
as he did SO a wallet well stuffed with
bills. Then he sauntered through the
shopping crowds and found many an
occasion to take out his wallet, as
though in search Of addresses written
down. Carelessly he would replace
the wallet in an outside pocket. But
each time he did SO he secretly at
tached the wallet to a bit of string
fastened to the inside of his pocket.
Suddenly in the midst of dense
crowd he felt Il tug at his pocket. He
glanced down and saw a fish had
bolted the bait. Swiftly he reached
for the collar of an overcoat much
too big for the youngster whose face
he could not see because of a screen
of golden hair, which completely hid
the features.
But the string attached to the de-
tective's wallet led straight into the
inside of the little boys coat. Not
for long, for suddenly the link
snapped, the little boy became a with
ing fury and broke from the detec
tive's grasp. In and out Of the crowd
the youngster burrowed like rabbit.
the detective close at his heels.
Dubois hand was only a few
inches from the youngsters loose
oYercoat when the latter deliberately