def _get_type(s):
    """Reads a string to see if it can be converted into int or float.

    Parameters
    ----------
    s : str
        A string to be parsed.

    Returns
    -------
    str, int or float
        The parsed value.
    """
    try:
        float(s)
        if '.' not in s:
            return 'i'
        else:
            return 'f'
    except ValueError:
        return 's'
