“That’s all right,” said Mr. Hennessy; “but Dugan rayturned th’ dog las’ night.”

“Oh, thin,” said Mr. Dooley, calmly, “this is not a case f’r Sherlock Holmes but wan f’r th’ polis.  That’s th’ throuble, Hinnissy, with th’ detictive iv th’ story.  Nawthin’ happens in rale life that’s complicated enough f’r him.  If th’ Prisidint iv th’ Epworth League was a safe-blower be night th’ man that’d catch him’d be a la-ad with gr-reat powers iv observation an’ thrained habits iv raisonin’.  But crime, Hinnissy, is a pursoot iv th’ simple minded—­that is, catchable crime is a pursoot iv th’ simple-minded.  Th’ other kind, th’ uncatchable kind that is took up be men iv intellict is called high fi-nance.  I’ve known manny criminals in me time, an’ some iv thim was fine men an’ very happy in their home life, an’ a more simple, pasth’ral people ye niver knew.  Wan iv th’ ablest bank robbers in th’ counthry used to live near me—­he ownded a flat buildin’—­an’ befure he’d turn in to bed afther rayturnin’ fr’m his night’s wurruk, he’d go out in th’ shed an’ chop th’ wood.  He always wint into th’ house through a thransom f’r fear iv wakin’ his wife who was a delicate woman an’ a shop lifter.  As I tell ye he was a man without guile, an’ he wint about his jooties as modestly as ye go about ye’ers.  I don’t think in th’ long run he made much more thin ye do.  Wanst in a while, he’d get hold iv a good bunch iv money, but manny other times afther dhrillin’ all night through a steel dure, all he’d find ’d be a short crisp note fr’m th’ prisidint iv th’ bank.  He was often discouraged, an’ he tol’ me wanst if he had an income iv forty dollars th’ month, he’d retire fr’m business an’ settle down on a farm.

“No, sir, criminals is th’ simplest crathers in th’ wide wide wurruld—­innocent, sthraight-forward, dangerous people, that haven’t sinse enough to be honest or prosperous.  Th’ extint iv their schamin’ is to break a lock on a dure or sweep a handful iv change fr’m a counter or dhrill a hole in a safe or administher th’ strong short arm to a tired man takin’ home his load.  There are no mysteryous crimes excipt thim that happens to be.  Th’ ordh’nry crook, Hinnissy, goes around ringin’ a bell an’ disthributin’ hand-bills announcin’ his business.  He always breaks through a window instead iv goin’ through an open dure, an’ afther he’s done annything that he thinks is commindable, he goes to a neighborin’ liquor saloon, stands on th’ pool table an’ confides th’ secret to ivrybody within sound iv his voice.  That’s why Mulligan is a betther detictive thin Sherlock Holmes or me.  He can’t put two an’ two together an’ he has no powers iv deduction, but he’s a hard dhrinker an’ a fine sleuth.  Sherlock Holmes niver wud’ve caught that frind iv mine.  Whin th’ safe iv th’ Ninth Rational Bank was blowed, he wud’ve put two an’ two together an’ arristed me.  But me frind wint away lavin’ a hat an’ a pair iv cuffs marked with his name in