ou that, wouldn't it? But,
listen, Mr. Gubb: I'd let Wittaker catch his own burglars. The reason
I ask you to take this case is because I know you have a good heart."

"It's good, but it's hard," said Philo Gubb. "A deteckative has to
have a hard heart."

"All right! Here is this man, un-burgling houses. For all we know he
is honest and upright," said Billy Getz. "He continues un-burgling
houses. The habit grows. Each house he un-burgles tempts him to
un-burgle two. Each set of spoons he leaves in a house tempts him to
leave two sets in the next house, or four sets, or a solid silver
punch-bowl. In a short time he wipes out his little fortune. He
borrows. He begs. At last he steals! In order to un-burgle one house
he burgles another. He leads a dual life, a sort of Jekyll-Hyde
life--"

"But what if I caught him?" said Mr. Gubb.

"Oh, you won't catch--I mean, we will leave that to you. Frighten him
out of the un-burgling habit. I'll tell Marshal Wittaker you will get
on the trail?"

"Yes," said Philo Gubb. "I feel sorry for the feller. Maybe he's
lettin' his wife and children suffer for food whilst he un-burgles
away his substance."

"Then," said Billy Getz, taking up his lung-tester, "suppose you stop
in at the Marshal's office to-night at eight-thirty. Wittaker will
tell you all about it."

Philo Gubb waited until Billy was well out of the house, and then he
said: "He done it, and I know he done it, and he done it to make a
fool out of me, but I guess I owe Billy Getz a scare, and if I can
prove that un-burglary onto him, he'll get the scare all right!"

Detective Gubb, when it was time to go to the Marshal's office, pinned
his large nickel-plated star on his vest, put three false beards in
his pocket, and went.

The Marshal received him cordially. Billy Getz was there.

"You understand," said Wittaker, "I have nothing to do with putting
you on this case. But I want to ask you to report to me every
evening."

"I could write out a docket," said Philo Gubb. "That's what them
French deteckatives did always."

"Good idea!" said Wittaker. "Write out a docket, and bring it in every
night. Now, I'll go over this Griscom case, so you'll understand how
to go at it. Here, for instance, is the house--"

The clock on the Marshal's desk marked ten before they were aware.
Billy had arisen from his chair, for he had a poker game waiting for
him at the Kidders' Club, when the telephone bell rang. The Marshal
drew th