find out who is annoying me in this rascally manner, and for this
service I'll pay you five times the agency price. How does that
proposition strike you, Mr.--"

"Riordan. Me name's Riordan," said Fogerty, with a smile. "No, Mr.
Mershone," shaking his head gravely, "I can't see my way to favor you.
It's an easy job now, and I'm afraid to take chances with a harder one."

Something in the tone nettled Mershone.

"But the pay," he suggested.

"Oh, the pay. If I'm a detective fifty years, I'll make an easy two
thousand a year. That's a round hundred thousand. Can you pay me that
much to risk my future career as a detective?"

Mershone bit his lip. This fellow was not so simple, after all, boyish
as he seemed. And, worse than all, he had a suspicion the youngster was
baiting him, and secretly laughing at his offers of bribery.

"They will take you off the job, now that I have discovered your
identity," he asserted, with malicious satisfaction.

"Oh, no," answered Fogerty; "they won't do that. This little interview
merely simplifies matters. You see, sir, I'm an expert at disguises.
That's my one great talent, as many will testify. But you will notice
that in undertaking this job I resorted to no disguise at all. You see
me as nature made me--and 't was a poor job, I'm thinking."

"Why were you so careless?"