Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-29

BE very careful about that. 1t seems there's
a fine line of distinction there.
And although her job is of the guaranteed
mot risk in a dozen cases variety, MRS.
Turner manages to get quite thrill out OF her
work.
. It was sometime before the war that she
found herself stranded in a big city, widow
without a great deal of money and with
small boy who was delicate She spoke to her
physician about work. and he asked the most
logical question in the world.
What can you do?"
sense of utter tragedy swept over Mrs.
Turner.
why nothing" she responded helplessly.
The doctor studied her carefully. Character,
intelligence, charm Surely there must be
something she could do. Quiet. too Most
women talked too much And then he remem-
bered.
without a word to Mrs Turner, he went to
the telephone and called the claim attorney for
one of the largest railroad companies in the CITY,
Think 1 have just the woman you were
wishing for this morning Bert" he said
shall send her over?"
The man called Bert sent Mrs. Turner upon
her first job And he didn't tell her she was
about to become lady detective. either. If he
had she would have calmly replied that she
couldn't do it.
What he told her was that woman had
been injured while alighting from passenger
train and her attorneys, who were handling the
case on a contingency basis, had ordered her
to give no information concerning her condi-
ton to any one. AS result, several repre-
sentatives of the railroad company had been
unable to learn definitely just to what extent
the woman had been injured.
shes running boarding house, we think"
the man told Mrs. Turner. I'VE want to be
certain about it. We also want to know just
how much Of the actual housework she does
herself"
He suggested that Mrs. Turner take her
child and spend q week at Mrs. Platt's board
ing hOuse-"Mrs. Plat" by the way is not the
womans real Misunderstanding him daily reports
of conditions there as she observed them. Her
expenses were paid IN advance, and she was
assured that she would be amply paid for her
services upon her return TO the city.
The country! Pure air and sunshine for
Sonny!
Mrs. Turner'S heart was very light as she
walked down the station platform Of the little
country town and inquired about Mrs Platt's
boarding house
Even If she had been trained for her work it
is doubtful whether she could have sent more
complete reports She seemed to have a natural
talent for picking out just the bit of informa-
ton which would be most valuable to the COM
pany. and then leaving out everything else
a FTER three-day friendship. Mrs Turner
was able to report that Mrs Plat had
COnfided that the operation she had undergone.
and for which the railroad company was paying,
was one she "shoulda had for years and years
but which she just kept putting off,"
On another day, when Mrs. Turner was help
ing the woman with her homework, Mrs Plat
remarked that when she got that money out
of the railroad company, she was going to have
some nice silk pillows for her davenport"
In her bill of complaint against the company,
Mrs. Plat claimed that since her accident she
had been unable to perform her household
duties, but the Investigators report stated that
in one day she had washed IL sheets, five table
cloths and "a napkins. cooked three meals,
washed all the dishes, besides putting the house
in order and carrying home heavy sack Of
groceries from the market
Several months later, Mrs. Platts case came
up in court. She had been carefully drilled in
the answers she should make to the questions
asked her. but when counsel for the railroad
company, early in the case, shot this question
at her:
isn't it true that the operation which YOU
underwent shortly after the accident and for
which the company paid was one you should
have had years before?"
Mrs. Plat looked fused remembered that
she had sworn to tell the truth, so admitted
that 1t was.
For the life of me-" she confided to her
attorneys when they advised her to settle with
the company at a much lower figure than that
named in her suit, Il can't imagine how they
found that out. unless I talked when I was
coming out of the ether"
And so Mrs Turner had made a success Of
her frst job. After that. the company sent her
regularly upon other assignments Some of
them were very small, requiring only a few
hours. but each of them made her more shrewd.
more quick to detect important details
AS she added other firms to her clientele she
was buster and happier and when her son was