A DETECTIVE'S MISTAKE.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXI, Issue 145, 18 December 1908, Page 6

A DETECTIVE'S MISTAKE.

A LADY JOURNALIST'S ADVENTURE. I had a busy day before me, and a smart dinner to attend at its close. Doing a methodical business person, I always arrange my plans, each morning with a view to the utmost economy of time. In consequence I found myself in a comfortable chair <at_my hairdresser's shortly after the place •opened. . 1 instructed my favourite attendant to give me a short scalp massage, and to dress my hair -in 'a fashion to make me most beautiful, .and then closed my eyes to enjoy the luxurious treatment to the utmost. Presently there was a sudden bustle in the establishment, and madame commenced adjusting the chair behind my own, and assiiring someone, volubly, that she could be waited upon at once. I opened my eyes in astonishment. It was a most unusual iiotir for customers to visit this aristocrat \o place, and tho girls had not completed the work of cleaning up their toilet implements and polishing the mirrors. As the newcomer sank into the chair I could see her face reflected from lier mirror into the one before me. ,Shje-\w^,' siartlirigly lovely, but looked perturbed and upset. She had splendid large, eyes like violets dripping with dew, a skin wonderful and white, and hair which framed her face in a glory of bronze-coloured mist./ "I want my hair bleached," said this beautiful maiden. I gasped and stared -in my chair, while the proprietress of the establishment lifted her' hands in horror. Bleach that wavy web of silk!—^ what a desecration! The young woman, however, paid no heed to protestations. "I can go somewhere else if you are not prepared to attend to me at once," she said coldly, interrupting madame-'s volubility. . Of course, that ended the discussion, and the attendant went about her work. • Tho customer leaned ; back in her chair, with closed eyes, after selecting tho particular shade she desired for a head-covering. I watched her furtively in my mirror, and allowed my fancy to run riot regarding her. Sho was. most interesting, and looked as though she might he the centre of an adventure. Fascinating as sho was, I felt indignant at her, .. . "I would go to tho stake rather than ruin such hair," I thought. "She is lacking in 'feminine vanity, that most alluring of all our virtues !" I was all the more disgusted, because she had chosen a shade ofblonde almost identical with' my- own' t-ow-calouix'd liair. That Imir liael boon tho despair of my life, especially since yellow tresses have become fashionable. As my chum once told me, when in a very complimentary- mood : "You look almost distinguished, Greta — that- is, as much so as a w«nvait with golden hair can look." And here was a heautiful girl deliberately disfiguring herself. My coiffure completed, I admired the glossy waves and stylish knot, to the. satisfaction of the girl who had iraitet} upon me, and hurried out, with a last scornful glance- at the interesting lady whose hair was .just then in a stage of dingy' fairness horrible to behold. As I issued from the doorway into the brisk, sunlit life of street, and started walking off, a man stepped to my side. * I gave him a quick glance of scorn, for I Knew a certain

class of males who frequent the shopping district and attempt to attract the attention of the unwary women. This one was more persistent than usual, however, for lie addressed me in a low tone. ■ [ "You will have to come with me,'' he said, and a note of authority in his suppressed voice made me look at Jiim again. v "What do you mean?'' I. demanded, fairly trembling 1 with rage. "I mean that I watched you go into that place, and I am not such a fool as to be- thrown off -.the scent by a mass of bleached hair. You must come L Avith me; if not quietly, then I shall have to make* a fuss. I ,have a warrant for your- arrest." "Do you know who I am?" , "I know who you are, fast enough. I don't know who you pretend to be," . • I thought of my engagements, of the rushing day before, me, and remembered with a swift pang of sym2>atliy, that girl in, the^ chair behind me who had sacrificed^her hair. . : "Do not be rude," X told the man. "I am perfectly willing to .go, but pray do not blame me when you discover your mistake." ;■'"-. ', "There is no mistake-," said- my captor, with a satisfied wag of his head. And so I entered into a hansom with him, and meditated on the keen 1 perceptions of mankind. I was prepared for anything; but we drew up at the door of an .exclusive hotel. . I scented a romance, and was glad I had come. 'Meanwhile I wondered' what had. become of the other girl. Undoubtedly I was assisting her to escape. My companion escorted me to a very handsome private room; A French maid tfas the "only occupant, and she stared at me 'with affrighted 'eyes.. .'.-■, „ .-';'. ■ [ ■ "Tell -Mr Lonsbury," kaid the man i with me. Tho maid hurried into an inner room, and at that moment there appeared in the doorway one of the finest-looking.' young men It have ever seen. ...•' , 1 "You are late/ 5 said? my companion, with a grin, f "We have caught your bird." ..... .f - The young* aiian smiled at me, and so s'ynvpathetic was that smile that I ! , could not resist returning""' it; k Then he turned swiftly and went .down the hall. -', V •"..' • "You see how much he's cares; he has left you to face the music alone." I sat down by the window and waited. The view was entrancing, and my experience most; amusing.

After a few minutes a white-hah-ed , elderly man appeared in the doorway of tho inner apartment, the French maid peeping over his shoulder. He gave, me a quick, comprehensive* . glance, and then drew his bushy- j white eyebrows together in a froAvii. I "This is not my granddaughter," j lie said, and his voice was trc.r.endous. "I am sory/' I murmured, politely, "but, believe me, I had no intention of forcing myself in. here under false pretences ; this gentleman rather insisted." . My captor looked bewildered. "Ain't this the young lady?" he said, losing the air of javmtiness which had distinguished him up to this time. "You fool!" ejaculated the old gentleman, and lie really looked too benevolent to fly into such a.pasj sion. "Where is- my. granddaughter? While you have been unlawfully detaining this stranger, I suppose she is getting married to that jackanapes. I .will never engage a professional detective again. Never, sir!' I The man dashed off, calling back : "I think I can catch them yet." Tho old gentleman turned to me. "I regret, madanie, that you should have been subjected to such an annoyance." , "He said I had bleached my- hair,' 7 I returned, with my most- fetching smile. "That wasrthe linkinaest/cut of all." ■ ' ' ' 'He is . a natural idiot, or he could have told better at a glance," said the old gentleman, gallantly. "In most respects,, though, you do bear a. remarkable resemblance- to my granddaughter—height, style, black frock, and all, only Jier hair is not golden, it is deep copper colour. I explained that fully in my description. How could the man have made such a mistaker"' ' y - I kept my own counsel, This nice old, gentleman did not know Low far the detective, liad tracked his granddaughter. "I am very sorry for you," I said, and wish I could be of some) assist-, aneo in you find the young girl." - "I. wish you could. I have, threatened! to have her arrested and imprisoned, if necessary to prevent her marrying that young numbskull."' "Did, she run away with him?" I asked, breathlessly. "Yes, in the middle of tho night; and they came up 'from Lakewood by train, this morning. I telegraphed for detectives to meet them at the* •station, but not to make a scone until it became absolutely necessary io prevent a marriage; then to arrest her if other means failed, for, tl sh^ stole five hundred 'pounds of „my: money, and took it away with her. I told her I should shoot him if she persisted in marrying him ; but when I found; the money gone I decided that an arrest would he just as effectual and create no more of a scandal. . : I suppose she felt entitled to take Lt, for I have always given her all the money she wanted ; hut IJ make the claim that she stole it." My fingers fairly itched to get at ■ a pen. What a story for my newspaper, and the fates had tossed it right at me. "To whom am I indebted for this brief detention?" I said, rising and assaiming my best company manners. "I am General Carleton, and am so sorry for the inconvenience you I have been subjected to. I make you y every apology." I started at the name, b\yt instantly hid my emotion, as I bowed my way oiit of t|ie room. I could have '■■ danced a jig. on the way to the office. ■ What a story it would make, the i groat General Carleton's beautiful granddaughter the belle of the smart set, running away with a penniless young man, having her hair dyed to escape detection, and arrested for"' stealing money from her grandfather, and another woman arrested "in her stead. I telephoned for somebody to come up and watch the^ hotel to discover whether or not sho was captured, while I rushed down to the office, and set to work. .It made no difference now that I had missed those two appointments; the editor would not say a word when he saw my story. The article was the sensation of tlio day, and the editor gave it a number of head lines. "We decided that it would he even more effective to tell the whole truth ; just how a newspaper correspondent was arrested by mistake for the General's granddaughter, and thus stumbled upon the romance. The next day in my morning's post , at the office was a dainty note addressed to the "Author of article about Florian Carleton's elopement," which read as follows : "Written, on S.S. 'Columbia,' just before sailing at midnight. "Dear lady, — I can guess that you are the fair-haired woman who sat behind me at the hairdresser's yesterday morning, and I want to thank yoii for unconsciously, perhaps,' assisting us. We are married and ! happy, and all because you detained that awful detective person until Geoffrey could get a carriage, meet me, and whisk me off to a clergyman. He, my husband, saw you leave the ~ hairdresser's, and also mistook you '

for me. Ho saw tho detect ivo accost you, and followed you to the hotel, where ho discovered' you were you and not me. Grandfather will get over his fury when ho finds lie can do nothing, so I am not worrying about that. I am very happy, and feel that we owe our success to yon. "Gratefully, ' 'Florian Carleton 1 Manning. ' '