"I wish," said Mr. Gubb wistfully, when he had read the message, "that
Miss Syrilla could be here present this week in Riverbank whilst the
Carnival is going on."

"She would draw a big crowd at twenty-five cents admission," said Mr.
Medderbrook.

"I was thinking how pleasantly nice it would be for her to enjoy the
festivities of the occasion," said Mr. Gubb, but this was not quite
true. What he wished was that she could be present to see him in the
handsome disguise he had obtained for his work as Official Detective
of the Carnival, and which he was now about to don.

This, the second day of the Third Riverbank Carnival, opened with a
sun hot enough to frizzle bacon, and the ladies in charge of the
lemonade, ice-cream and ice-cream cone booths were pleased, while the
committee from Riverbank Lodge P.& G. M., No. 788, selling broiled
frankfurters (known as "hot dogs"), groaned. It was no day for hot
food. But it was grand Carnival weather.

The grounds opened at one-thirty and the amateur circus began at
two-thirty, but Philo Gubb, the detective, was on the grounds in full
regalia by ten o'clock in the morning. Through some awful error on the
part of the Chicago costumer, Philo Gubb's regalia had not arrived in
time for the first day of the Carnival, so he had absented himself
rather than let the crooks and thieves who were supposed to swarm the
grounds have an opportunity to become acquainted with his appearance
and thus be put on their guard against the famous Correspondence
School detective.

When the Committee on Organization of the Third Carnival and Circus
for the benefit of the Riverbank Free Hospital held its first public
mass meeting in Willcox Hall, Philo Gubb had been there. Like all the
rest of Riverbank, he was willing to assist the good cause in any way
he could, and he had meant to donate his services as official
paper-hanger, but a grander opportunity offered. Mr. Beech, the
Chairman of the Committee on Peanuts and Police Protection, offered
Mr. Gubb the position of Official Detective. Mr. Gubb accepted
eagerly.

During the weeks of preparation for the Carnival, a thousand plans for
getting the better of pickpockets and other crooks passed through
Philo Gubb's mind. He finally decided to disguise himself as Ali Baba.
He had a slight recollection that Ali Baba had something to do with
forty thieves. It seemed an appropriate _alias_.

His disguise he ordered from the Supply Department of the Ris