d Impostor was sure Philo Gubb knew
he was the Bald Impostor. He was caught and he knew it. So he
surrendered.

"All right!" he said nervously. "You've got me. I won't give you any
trouble."

"It's me that's being a troubling nuisance to you, Mr. Burns," said
Philo Gubb.

The paper-hanger detective stopped short. A look of shame passed
across his face.

"I hope you will humbly pardon me, Mr. Burns," he said contritely. "I
am ashamed of myself. To think of me starting to get you to attend to
my business when prob'ly you have business much more important that
fetched you to Riverbank."

A sudden light seemed to break upon Philo Gubb.

"Of a certain course!" he exclaimed. "What you come about was
this--this"--he looked at the letter in his hand--"this Bald Impostor,
wasn't it?"

Philo Gubb's visitor, who had begun to breathe normally again, gasped
like a fish once more. He saw Philo Gubb finish reading the
description of the Bald Impostor, and then Philo Gubb looked up and
looked the Bald Impostor full in the face. He looked the Bald Impostor
over, from bald spot to shoes, and looked back again at the
description. Item by item he compared the description in the letter
with the appearance of the man before him, while the Impostor
continued to wipe the palms of his hands with the balled handkerchief.
At last Philo Gubb nodded his head.

"Exactly similar to the most nominal respects," he said. "Quite
identical in every shape and manner."

"Oh, I admit it! I admit it!" said the Bald Impostor hopelessly.

"Yes, sir!" said Philo Gubb. "And I admit it the whilst I admire it.
It is the most perfect disguise of an imitation I ever looked at."

"What?" asked the Bald Impostor.

"The disguise you've got onto yourself," said Philo Gubb. "It is most
marvelously similar in likeness to the description in the letter. If
you will take the complimentary flattery of a student, Mr. Burns, I
will say I never seen no better disguise got up in the world. You are
a real deteckative artist."

The Bald Impostor could not speak. He could only gasp.

"If I didn't know who you were of your own self," said Philo Gubb in
the most complimentary tones, "I'd have thought you were this here
descriptioned Bald Impostor himself."

His visitor moistened his lips to speak, but Mr. Gubb did not give him
an opportunity.

"I presume," said Mr. Gubb, "you have so done because you are working
upon this Bald Impostor yourself."

"Yes. Oh, yes