Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1881-10-21
THE TWENTY-FIVE HATS.
A French Passcngor,s story.

eA@AAS< ~ - ''F>SN'@ :. = - - ~N''
A French Passengers Story.
He was Frenchman-no doubt
about that. He was u very pleasant
fenow-no doubt about thai, either.
But what his occupation might be was
a phzzler to us all. A sailor he could
never have been, as any one could see
by his unsteady walk on deck, and his
very poor performance at dinner the
first day out from Lisbon.
He was too polite for Government
official, too quiet and thoughtful for a
commercial traveller, too we'll informed
for Gas newspaper correspondent, too
grammatical and refined in his language
for a popular author.
From a certain jauntiness in his air
and manner, and the semi-military cut
of his short, gray moustache, some OF
our party were inclined to set him down
as retired army officer; but the sud-
den start with which he clapped his
hands to his ears when the signal-gun
was-ired- close to him, was quite suili-
cent to knock that theory on the head.
IH was in a rather curious fashion
that the truth came out at last. On the
thim afternoon (when we were already
we'll down the African Coast toward
the tCape Verd Islands) Monsieur
Cartier suddenly stopped short in q
series of very entertaining anecdotes
about various European celebrities
whom he seemed to have known quite
well, and stared fixedly straight before
hinka as if he had seen ghost.
Hooked somewhat anxiously in the
SAME direction. expecting to see, at the
very least, the ship on fire or somebody
falling oyerboard; but nothing was to
be seen more remarkable than a very
sicslydOoking saloon passenger crawl
ingsup the cabin hatchway for the first
time since we started. He was certain
" quite pale enough to have passed for
ghost, but could see nothing else
about him to justify my genial compan-
ion's excitement.
In another moment. however, / no.
ticed that Cartier 5 eyes were fixed not
upon, the sick mans face, but upon his
hat, which was certainly very extra
ordinary head-gear for the open sea.
1t was a. genuine ''stove-pipe" as ever
blew off in high wind, but all of a
light mouse-color, and curving down.
ward both in front and behind. as res
olutely as if some one had sat down
upon it.
Cartier eyed it with the startled air of
one suddenly meeting an old acquaint-
ance in a very unlikely place, and l
could hear him mutter:
That's the first of the sort that I've
seen since Imade twenty-five of them
myself, the year of the Paris Exhibi-
tion.p
"So,n thought I, "the murders out
at last; this mysterious old gentleman is
neither, more nor less than q halter.
M. Cartier. / added, aloud, '.Pm sure
there's some good story connected with
that hat, and nobody can tell one better
than yourself. If it's not asking toe
much, would you oblige me by doing
sop" NiLiAI
"Well," said the old gentleman
laughing, az should have thought
had'bored you enough for one day al
ready with my "reminiscences. It's no
every young fellow who would lister
SO patiently to an old man's ramblings.
'If all old men 'ramble' like you, m,
dear sir, shall certainly make the ac
quaintance of as many as possible. Now
will you oblige me?n
WON, ~ lCtiiy 10 u CullOuS otOIy SO
ifyou're SO good as to be interested il
it, it's at your service:
sIn the spring of 1867, little be
fore the opening of the Paris Exhibi
tion, had Just moved into anew sho
in the Rue Saint Honore. and Was do
ing pretty fair business, though per
haps not quite so good as / had eS
pected. ..-s,,..--,-s
- But one day business had been un
usually slack, and i was beginning t
be rather put out about it, when, to
ward afternoon, in came fine-lookin
gentleman, dressed in the height OF tn
fashion, saying that he wanted som
hats made after pattern OF his own
TO be ready by certain day. Their
were to be twenty-five of them in all
and the pattern that he gave me wa
exactly the same as the hat of that gen
tleman yonder.
sit struck me at the time as rathe
an odd idea, for although the shap
happened to be in fashion just then, tn
color certainly wasn't.
"'But, after all, it was no business {
mine, SO long as he chose to pay for hi
fancy; and. as he began by paying m
in advance good part of the price.
went to work with will, thinking tha
most likely it was only some new clu
that wanted distinguishing badge.
f.When the hats were finished, har
pened 10 try one of them on. and
suited me SO well, in spite of the quee
color, that decided to make one fc
myself as we'll. And so did; and
day or two after the others were pal
for and sent home.--which was ju.
about the time when Paris was tegir
ming to fill with the first rush of visi
ors to the opening of the exhibition
put on my new hat and went out for
walk. ..ii -
"The streets were very crowded tn,
day. and i hadn't gone far when
caught sight of man with hat lik
my own. He came toward me. an
said, in an undertone, as he passet
without looking at me: ...
ga fine day for business, conrad,
and M police dbottr
~ don't think ever got such sta
in my life If the man wasn't Graz
there was only one possible explanatio
for his words, and that very unplea
ant one. indeed. But wasn't left lor
in ndoubt, for as turned into the Tu
leyies Gardens l saw several more
my hats among the crowd One
them sidled up behind me anu slippt
something into my hand, whispering:
Pocket that, quick"
"Now that was a gold watch.
purse and several jewels, SO 1t was n
very difficult 10 guess for what kind
customers my twenty-fi five hats had be,
made. In another moment was ru
ming. as II my life depended on it, TO d
nearest police station, and there i to
my story.
ITO work went the Inspector
once. and within tweI ty-four hours
the twenty-five has were snug
prison. Bat their loss was my eai
tor the affair made such a stir chat q