When the matter has no criminal side at all, the police cannot
be availed of, although we sometimes read that the officers of
the local precinct have spent many hours in trying to locate
Mrs. So-and-So's lost Pomeranian, or in performing other
functions of an essentially private nature--most generously.
But if, for example, your daughter is made the recipient,
almost daily, of anonymous gifts of jewelry which arrive by
mail, express, or messenger, and you are anxious to discover
the identity of her admirer and return them, you will probably
wish to engage outside assistance.

Where will you seek it? You can do one of two things: go to a
big agency and secure the services of the right man, or engage
such a man outside who may or may not be a professional
detective. I have frequently utilized with success in
peculiar and difficult cases the services of men whom I knew
to be common-sense persons, with a natural taste for ferreting
out mysteries, but who were not detectives at all. Your head
bookkeeper may have real talents in this direction--if he is
not above using them. Naturally, the first essential is
brains--and if you can give the time to the matter, your own
head will probably be the best one for your purposes. If,
then, you are willing to undertake the job yourself, all you
need is some person or persons to carry out your instructions,
and such are by no means difficult to find. I have had many a
case run down by my own office force--clerks, lawyers, and
stenographers, all taking a turn at it. Why not? Is the
professional sleuth working on a fixed salary for a regular
agency and doing a dozen different jobs each month as likely
to bring to bear upon your own private problem as much