Richland beacon., 1877-04-28
n SNAKE STORT.

al plaCdru pOSteU III the car III WulCIl
he was riding. "Dear me, how sad that
such warning should be necessary in a
| christian land!"
eyes, sir" said the young man next
to him, "but it's best to be careful, for
there may be pickpockets in this very
car. 1 know all about that, sir. I've
been rescued from the lowest depths. l
was pickpecket once, sir"
dear me :" said the old gentleman
starting.
"Pm respectable person now. Yes,
sir, I'm very respectable; ask anybody
about Jim Tilks and they'll tell you
that; but l was brought up thief. l
was born among thieves, and TOOK to the
trade naturally, and used to pick
pockets when 1 was ten years old. You
needn't look at yours, if you please, sir
I've been converted since, and 60 to
meeting regular. You could trust me
with untold gold now.
'But as | said, was thief, and I
might have been one yet if it hadn't
been ier what happened at Rickady
station, where was sitting waiting for
any old ladys reticule, or any forgetful
persons parcel, or even an umbrella, or
a pocket handkerchief, as might be
dropped by chance. For folks that's
anxious about gettin' ON the right train
at the right time, and nobody to do any
thing but snub 'em, which is what the
officials are apparently paid to do, amt
as careful of their portable property as
they would be otherwise. When l was
a wicked sinner, 1 used to take advan-
tage of that, you know. You couldn't
bride me to do it nosC.--oh, no.
"But as said, was a-lounging about
there, and in came a gentleman with
long basket. 1t was the curiussst bas-
ket ever saw. Had two handles and a
paddock. Never saw such q basket.
There was cord about it, too. He put
it down in the corner as he looked for
his pocket.book, and he spoke to gen.
tleman who was standing near, and
seemed to know him.
"Got it, he said, and it's cost me
enough, can tell you, but 1 wanted it
for the collection; couldn't do without
it. So proud of it brought it along
myself. Whew! five minutes only, and
I haven't my ticket and he rushed
toward the Office.
That other man looks at the basket
a minute, and then walked away, and
that was my time. 1 crept up to the
basket and took it up and walked away
in another direction. Nobody noticed
me. I didn't run, of course. / just
went out of the station and down under
the trees, and what I meant to do was to
take the valuables out of the basket and
leave it there.
"Pd made up my mind that it was
something very valuable, but what it
could be I couldn't guess. I took of
the cord first, and then l took the key
that hung beside the paddock and un.
locked that, and lifted up the cover q
little. Just then there was a noise, and
turned my head.
"When I found it was nothing to be
afraid of, 1 turned back and opened the
cover wider and peeped in; but there
was nothing there; the basket was empty
not thing in it.
"Wby, gracious me" says L; only
not in them words-I was q wicked sim
ner then what does this mean? An
empty basket! And what did he mean
by talking of its being valuable' And
there was I, running a risk for nothing.
GA risk. Why, 1 was done for, for
nothing; for here were the police after
me; at least, big arm went around my
waist, all of sudden like and when l
jerked it only held me closer; and what
was that-another arm?
"Well, sir, l thought should just
give up that minute, for there and then
knew what was twisting about me was
Isomething worse than even policeman's
| arm to such as l was then.
"It was a snake-a great snake-the
kind they put in menageries. Beacon
strictor-yes, sir-that was the kinda
boa-constrictor; and now l remembered
the face of the gentleman who had the
basket-he was the menagerie man. I'd
stolen basket with a snake in it, and it
had slipped out when opened the cover,
| opd pow II hod mo