he long, low, black pirate
craft--Billy Getz's motor-boat.

When the Sheriff had torn down the canvas and his men had hoisted and
heaved the pirate craft to the broad deck of the ferry, Billy Getz was
gone. Riverbank never saw him again, and a half-dozen of his
roistering companions also disappeared completely.

"Sometimes occasionally," said Philo Gubb, as the ferry turned toward
town, "the combination of paper-hanging and deteckative work is
detrimental to one or both, as the case may be, but at other
occasional times they are worth one hundred dollars."

"That's right!" said the Sheriff suddenly. "You get that reward, don't
you?"

"Most certainly sure," said Philo Gubb.

HENRY

Philo Gubb entered his office and placed on his cutting-table the
express package he had found leaning against his door. With his
trimming-knife he cut the cord that bound the package. It contained,
he knew, the new disguise for which he had sent twenty-five dollars to
the Rising Sun Detective Agency's Supply Bureau, and he was eager to
examine his purchase, which, in the catalogue, was known as "No. 34.
French Count, with beard and wig complete. List, $40.00. Special price
to our graduates, $25.00, express paid."

Mr. Gubb wore a face more solemn than usual, for he had just had bad
news. He had hidden his distrust of Mr. Medderbrook, the father of his
beloved Syrilla, and had carried that gentleman the one hundred
dollars he had earned by aiding in the capture of the river pirates,
but he had found Mr. Medderbrook close to tears.

"Read this, Gubb," Mr. Medderbrook said; and that he was deeply
affected was shown by the fact that he did not ask Mr. Gubb to pay any
part of the cost of the telegram from Syrilla which had, this time,
come "Collect." The telegram read:--

Scared crazy. Resumed vegetables and all kinds of food,
eating steadily all day and night, but have lost twenty-five
pounds more. Now weigh only one hundred and twenty-five and
going down rapidly. If worse goes to worst, love to Gubby.

It is not surprising that Mr. Gubb sighed as he lifted the
exaggeratedly thin-waisted frock coat from the package, but there came
a tap on the door and he hastily covered the coat with the wrapping
paper and turned to the door.

"Enter in," he said. And the door opened cautiously and a short,
ruddy-faced man entered, peering into the room first and then closing
the door behind him as cautiously as he had