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where there was a perfect swirl of omnibuses and vehicles of all sorts. Mr. Martinson quietly
closed the door.
"Now then, if there's anything I can do for you," Mr. Martinson paused. He thought by this little
trick to elicit Buder's real name--it often "worked"-- but in this instance the name was not
forthcoming. Butler was too shrewd.
"I'm not so sure that I want to go into this," said the old man solemnly. "Certainly not if there's
any risk of the thing not being handled in the right way. There's somethin' I want to find out
about--somethin' that I ought to know; but it's a very private matter with me, and--" He paused to
think and conjecture, looking at Mr. Martinson the while. The latter understood his peculiar state
of mind. He had seen many such cases.
"Let me say right here, to begin with, Mr.--"
"Scanlon," interpolated Butler, easily; "that's as good a name as any if you want to use one. I'm
keepin' me own to meself for the present."
"Scanlon," continued Martinson, easily. "I really don't care whether it's your right name or not. I
was just going to say that it might not be necessary to have your right name under any
circumstances-- it all depends upon what you want to know. But, so far as your private affairs
are concerned, they are as safe with us, as if you had never told them to any one. Our business
is built upon confidence, and we never betray it. We wouldn't dare. We have men and women
who have been in our employ for over thirty years, and we never retire any one except for
cause, and we don't pick people who are likely to need to be retired for cause. Mr. Pinkerton is a
good judge of men. There are others here who consider that they are. We handle over ten
thousand separate cases in all parts of the United States every year. We work on a case only
so long as we are wanted. We try to find out only such things as our customers want. We do not
pry unnecessarily into anybody's affairs. If we decide that we cannot find out what you want to
know, we are the first to say so. Many cases are rejected right here in this office before we ever
begin. Yours might be such a one. We don't want cases merely for the sake of having them, and
we are frank to say so. Some matters that involve public policy, or some form of small
persecution, we don't touch at all--we won't be a party to them. You can see how that is. You
look to me to be a man of the world. I hope I am one. Does it strike you that an organization like
ours would be likely to betray any one's confidence?" He paused and looked at Butler for
confirmation of what he had just said.
"It wouldn't seem likely," said the latter; "that's the truth. It's not aisy to bring your private affairs
into the light of day, though," added the old man, sadly.
They both rested.
"Well," said Butler, finally, "you look to me to be all right, and I'd like some advice. Mind ye, I'm
willing to pay for it well enough; and it isn't anything that'll be very hard to find out. I want to
know whether a certain man where I live is goin' with a certain woman, and where. You could
find that out aisy enough, I belave--couldn't you?"
"Nothing easier," replied Martinson. "We are doing it all the time. Let me see if I can help you
just a moment, Mr. Scanlon, in order to make it easier for you. It is very plain to me that you
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