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Show LITTLE TOT IS ABETECTIVE Salt Lake, Dec. 26. This gladsome Yuletide has been fraught with events of momentous Importance for Willie Brown, who lives with his parents near the Warm Springs. On Monday two things happened in the life of Willie Brown that do not ordinarily happen to ono boy In one day. On that day Willie Brown attained the age of 5 years and he lost his kitten. kit-ten. Either one of these occurrences would have sufficed to chain the Interest In-terest of any boy The events of Monday were dwarfed dwarf-ed into mere passing events by the; things that came to pass Tuesday,1 for on that day Willie Brown found his kitten, and he found it by lnde-fatigably lnde-fatigably pursuing a clew conceived I in his own mind and followed with ai skill and daring worthy of Old Sleuth himself. I When Willie Brown awoke Monday' morning the first thought that en-i ' tered his mind was that he was o I years old and consequently almost a j I man Ills second thought was fori i his kitten. He put aside tho first thought for the time being and gave chase to the second. Willie searched j every nook and cosy corner of the i house, but no kitten gave answer-1 ing mew to his pleading calls. When the house yielded no kitten, Willie became greatly alarmed for the safety of his pet. He appealed to his mother. "The last time I saw that cat." said Mrs Brown, "was when it was lying in the laundry basket." The suggestion gave Willie his clew He pondered the question all of Monday Mon-day and all of Monday night The kitten had been wrapped up in the laundry bundle and carried off Tlu-family Tlu-family washing was done by the Troy laundry. Yesterday morning WilUo asked a neighbor boy where the Troy laundry was. It was at Sixth East and Fourth South streets, tho neighbor neigh-bor boy said That was miles and miles from Willie Brown's home, but distance had no terrors for the grief stricken boy. They might at that very instant be running his kitten through a dreadful dread-ful mangle, thought Willie in an agony ag-ony of fear. Therefore he hesitate! no longer, but at once laid plans to reach "the Troy laundry before an untimely fate overtook his cherished pet. The story of how Willie Brown got from the Warm Springs to the Troy laundry is Willie's own secret. He admits that he does not rightly know how he did it. but nevertheless he did iL Moreover, he admits that he walked and walked and walked and once rode on a street car. How far he walked and hdw far he rode he confessed his inability to relate. Anyway, Any-way, it was a marvelous achievement, as all must concede. A. J. Gorham, an official of the Trov laundry, was busily engaged in writing at a desk with a very high roll tdp. Mr. Gorham heard a sob and then ho heard another. Ho arose from his chair and peeped over the high top of his desk. A little blonde head came within the range of his vision, followed soon afterwards by a very small boy. who owned the blonde head. "Please, Mister, have you got my kitty?" asked the boy In tearful tones. "Got your what?" ashed Mr. Gorham. Gor-ham. "My kitty: she got took away by the laundry man, and I want her; she's the only kitty I got, and I'm 5 years old." Mr. Gorham sensed tho Importance of tho occasion, Kindly and patiently patient-ly he talked with Willie Brown until he was In possession of oil the known facts concerning the disappearance of Willie Brown's kitten, and he gave due consideration to Willie's theories. "We'll make a search," said Mr, Gorham, and thereupon Mr. Gorham and Willie Brown took up Willie's clew. The most amazing thing about It all was that Willie's keen detective faculties proved unerring, for the kitten kit-ten was duly found and restored to its master. The man who untied the bundle said he had been atartled out of his shoes the preceding day when a cute' little kitten ieaped out of the Brown family wash. The kitten did not appear ap-pear to be at all sorry for its experiences, experi-ences, for it purred contentedly and snuggled close to Willie's breast. Mr. Gorham put the boy and his recovered prjze aboard a street car, with full directions to the conductor, and 'n due time Willie and the kit-ton kit-ton arrived, at home. Willie was very tired, and so was the ktten, so Mrs. Brown put them both to bed, where they remained In blessed peace until they heard Santa Claus stealing down the chimney yesterday morning. |