St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-02-05

I
And that advertisement was for KEEP
/ tomaniac. Really. Miss White, l must ask
/ you to let me see your bag"
Crying bitterly all the time. but without
word, she handed it TO me. / opened il
and found it emptyi l don't think that,
either before or since, have ever felt so
crushed as did at that moment though
my conviction that this shameless woman
had got the vase was mistaken by my fall
ure 10 ind it.
PLEASE don't apologize. she whimpered.
Nobody ever apologies to Inc. no matter
how deeply they have wounded my feel
| ingS. I'll say nothing about PREPARATION
not word But after your unjust sus-
! picions / am fairly entitled 10 live here
under your eye. so that you may judge of
me for yourself-and such duties as you
give Inc Ill do uncomplainingly."
Could impudence go much further than
this? Here she was coolly founding upon the
one robbery right to live in the house and
rob me at her leisure! Anxious as was to get
rid of her. / was still more anxious 10 re-
cover the vase. But how was to proceed?
L could not call in the police and have her
searched for that would involve telling all
about my unfortunate wife.
And now there burst upon me a thought
/ that brought the perSpiratiol out in great
| drops upon my forehead. In every availa
bic room in the house there was one Of
these desperate k.eptOmaniacs, vino was
doubtless thieying right and left.
Excuse me one mOment-only one mo-
ment." said /, and literally ran from the
room. my intention being TO create a scare
and thus prevent any further depredations.
| Mrs. HeSlop. / felt. was harmless enough.
There was but little damage she could do in
the ball; so l hurried by into the dining
room and caught Mrs. Stone in the act of
pillaging the plate basket. She was a tall
and handsome woman, with remarkably
elf-pOssessed manner, for she advanced TO
| greet me without the least sign of disc0m-
| pOsure. Being in most agitated state of
| mind myself, / scarcely know what i said
| to her except that j should certainly be
back before she could find a seat. Then /
rushed away to the library, where the first
thing that struck me was the disappearance
of my ivory paper knife. Miss Mildew,
who was small and brisk, came smilingly
out of a corner, but. without word. 1
/ fed, thinking that by so doing / might
alarm her more than by anything else.
go TO the hall door at once" / said 10
James, who happened 20 be passing, land
on no account let any of the five ladies out
of the house until tell YOU"
1t really was a frightful scene that met
nv gaze in the b0udOir. Mrs. Dark had
discovered in an Indian cabinet a secret
drawer of which had had no knowledge
and this drawer had apparently contained
large quantity of jewelry, all of which
felt sure had been appropriated by poor
Maria. In order to fill her pocket more
easily, Mrs. Dark was seated upon the floor
with the whole collection of rings, bracelets
and brooches in her lap and paper in her
hand. She was bush-browed, keen-eyed,
oil chi
and slight stOop. a glance
at her Manufactured face and
coarse hands was enough to show
that she belonged to different class from
those of my other visitOrs-a fact that
rather surprised me, for her letter had been
the most attractive of all. When l heard
her speak L was driven to conclude she had
not penned il without assistance, if, indeed,
she had anything TO do with it.
Strangely enough, too. she was the only
one of the five who displayed the least sign
of embarrassment at being caught thieying.
She laughed. 1t is true, but the laughter had
very forced ring. However. she recovered
much sooner than did. After closing the
cabinet she crammed all the jewelry into
her pocket. and rose to her feet.
Looks fishy. don't it," said Mrs. Dark,
scrutinizing me from head TO foot
''YOu are a very brazen-faced woman"
said /, carefully keeping between her and
the door. For if she were to get away and
pawn the things Maria had taken there
would be terrible explosion.
WELL" said Mrs. Dark with an irritating
pretense at resignation, Il suppose hard
names are all in the days work. What
wages are you going to give me for this job
of looking after your wife,"
| L WINGED at this.
Hand over the property YOU have
stolenw 1 angrily exclaimed. You can't
escape. for the door is guarded"
That's all right. But stOlenI" The
abandoned woman was actually winking at
me! That's hard word. too. How many
kleptOmaniacs have you got slowed about
the house?"
Five, including yourself"
They'll carry off every stick of furni-
| ture if you don't watch Them" said Mrs.
Dark, laughing. 1.-The very idea of put
ting them in separate roOmsl It's Just like
a man. Shall l help you to make the
Others fork ont? Set a thief to catch a
thief, you know"
jumped eagerly at this suggestion, hop
ing TO come TO terms with Mrs. Dark after
the rest of my tOrmentOrs had been got rid
of. She undertook the management, and,
| l must admit, went about her work i'm a
short space of time the six of us were col
lected in the drawing all sitting down
except Mrs. HeslOp. who preferred stand
ing. / supposed she was vexed at having
been left i'm the hall, but the real reason
came out presently.
Its no use trying to soap it over"
began Mrs. Dark. looking round the circle:
were all kleptOmaniacs. Its not our
fault, OF course, for we didn't make our
selves, so there's no harm i'm owning to il.
And what we are is one thing. and what
people think or us is another. How is this
gentleman here to know Pm not a humbug9
lie advertised for kleptOmaniac and he
wants the real genuine article, take it.
But how is he to know he has got his
moneys worth unless he tests us? An in
capable kleptomaniac would be just as bad
as vulgar thief. So what L propose is
that the five of us should empty our peck
cts, chignOns and such like places of resort
for missing articles. for" said Mrs. Dark.
smiling complacently. ''Tll Law a tenner to
a brass farthing, ladies. you've not been
idle"
Though the terms of this proposal were
II considered Objectionable. it was eventually
agreed to, Mrs. HeslOp strongly protesting
on the ground that she had no opportunity
of showing her powers. However, l told
her that unless she took part i'm the competi-
ton she would have no chance of being an
pointed TO the post and as she had no val
liable prize to set OFF against the salary, She
recognized the expediency of yielding.
Mrs. Heslop was the first who was called
upon to show what she had got. And here
little difficulty arose which explained her
, objection TO sitting down. 1t turned out
that she had improved herself-that. L be-
] X