k coat and a silk
hat could be nothing but distressingly uncomfortable. Between his door
and the corner, eight various citizens spoke to Philo Gubb, calling
him by name. In fact, Riverbank was as accustomed to seeing P. Gubb in
disguise as out of disguise, and while a few children might be
interested by the sight of Detective Gubb in disguise, the older
citizens thought no more of it, as a rule, than of seeing Banker
Jennings appear in a pink shirt one day and a blue striped one the
next. No one ever accused Banker Jennings of trying to hide his
identity by a change of shirts, and no one imagined that P. Gubb was
trying to disguise himself when he put on a disguise. They considered
it a mere business custom, just as a butcher tied on a white apron
before he went behind his counter.

This was why, instead of wondering who the tall, dark-garbed stranger
might be, Banker Jennings greeted Philo Gubb cheerfully.

"Ah, Gubb!" he said. "So you are going to work on this Smitz case, are
you? Glad of it, and wish you luck. Hope you place the crime on the
right man and get him the full penalty. Let me tell you there's
nothing in this rumor of Smitz being short of money. We did lend him
money, but we never pressed him for it. We never even asked him for
interest. I told him a dozen times he could have as much more from us
as he wanted, within reason, whenever he wanted it, and that he could
pay me when his invention was on the market."

"No report of news of any such rumor has as yet come to my hearing,"
said P. Gubb, "but since you mention it, I'll take it for less than it
is worth."

"And that's less than nothing," said the banker. "Have you any clue?"

"I'm on my way to find one at the present moment of time," said Mr.
Gubb.

"Well, let me give you a pointer," said the banker. "Get a line on
Herman Wiggins or some of his crew, understand? Don't say I said a
word,--I don't want to be brought into this,--but Smitz was afraid of
Wiggins and his crew. He told me so. He said Wiggins had threatened to
murder him."

"Mr. Wiggins is at present in the custody of the county jail for
killing H. Smitz with intent to murder him," said Mr. Gubb.

"Oh, then--then it's all settled," said the banker. "They've proved it
on him. I thought they would. Well, I suppose you've got to do your
little bit of detecting just the same. Got to air the camphor out of
the false hair, eh?"

The banker waved a cheerful hand at P. Gubb and passed into