sense. Uncle Jerry signaled full speed ahead and kept to the
channel, where his boat belonged. Presently Mrs. Brooks, panting,
climbed to the pilot-house.

"Well, Pa," she said, "pirates has been and robbed us."

"Don't I know it?" said Uncle Jerry testily. "No need of comin' to
tell me."

"They got all the ice-cream money," said Mrs. Brooks.

"Well, 'twa'n't ourn, was it?" snapped Uncle Jerry.

"Why, Pa, what a way to talk!" exclaimed Mrs. Brooks. "It's like you
thought it wa'n't nothin', to be pirated right here in the forepart of
the twentieth century in the middle of the Mississippi River in broad
daylight--"

"'Tain't daylight," said Uncle Jerry shortly. "It's midnight, and
it's goin' to be long past midnight before we git ashore. A man can't
get even part of a night's rest no more. Everybody pirootin' round,
stoppin' boats an' stealin' ice-cream money! Makes me 'tarnel mad, it
do."

"Pa," said Mrs. Brooks.

"Well, what is it now?" asked Uncle Jerry testily.

"Philo Gubb, the detective-man, is on board," said his wife. "I come
up because I thought maybe you'd want to hire him right off to find
out who was them pirates, and if--"

"Me? Hire a fool detective?" snapped Mr. Brooks. "Why'n't you come up
and ask me to throw my money into the river?"

Philo Gubb, although not a dancer, had been on the barge when it was
attacked, because he was a lover of ice-cream. He too had been lined
up and robbed. He had been robbed not only of forty perfectly good
cents, but his pirate had seen his opal scarf-pin and had rudely taken
it from Mr. Gubb's tie. The pirate was, Mr. Gubb noticed, a short,
heavy man with greasy hands. As the motor-boat dashed away, Mr. Gubb
pressed to the rear of the barge and looked after it.

As the boat regained her speed, Philomela Brooks approached him.

"Oh, Mr. Gubb!" she exclaimed, "I'm so tremulous."

"If you will kindly not interrupt me at the present moment of time,"
said Mr. Gubb, "I will be much obliged. I am making an endeavor to try
to do some deteckative work onto this case."

"Oh, Mr. Gubb!" Miss Philomela cried. "And _do_ you think you'll do
any good?"

"In the deteckative business," said Mr. Gubb sternly, "we try to do
all the good we can do, whether we can do it or not." And he turned
away and sought a more secluded spot.

The affair of the pirate craft caused a tremendous sensation in
Riverbank. Before eight o'clock the next morning every one in
Riverbank seemed t