The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1886-08-21

enough for me there. I wonder how
she came in to play that when there
were so few in the house. Why, three
or four were watching her noting the
fun. Thought you knew her, did your
How's thatP'
"She's the image of the wife OF .
wellIknown architect" explained the
reporter.
"Suppose she is; I know she is no
architects wife. She's stone-cutter'
by the way" laughing at the idea.
theory that such resemblance are
designed by some professionals, and
they study their prototypes most care
fully, even to associations, SO as to
talk familiarly of friends if occasion
brings about the opportunity. / have
been mistaken myself in assumptions,
but got over it long ago, after most
disagreeable scrape. l was younger
and brash. ! saw understanding
woman take off a half-dozen as nice
embroidered handkerchiefs as we had
in the store. was positive she was a
certain customer on our books, and was
confirmed in the belief by recollecting
the absent-minded way she worked. To
me it seemed sad case of kleptomania,
and fancied her house full of all sorts
of stolen nicknacks of no use, but said
to be presents from friends. That's
the way, you know. So l let her pass
out unnoticed, and at the end of the
month sent up the item with the
rest of the statement of the months
purchases. Then it all came out. As
soon as I saw the lady / knew my
error. But it was close resemblance.
No, 1 take no stock in kleptomania. If
you notice, it's only disease for rich
folks. Who knows but what Pasteur
will be inoculating for it after he gets
through with hydrophobia? There's
more money in it for him. They say
the nobility have attacks of it once in
while. Yes, every stock suffers with
us. o, it might stop stealing if we
didn't display goods SO much, but it
would stop trade too. Why the other
day 1 actually saw a grown woman
hook q bunch of hair crimpers off the
notion counter that were plainly
marked two lunches for three cents.
The gall of it paralyzed me and the
clerks around, and we nearly laughed
aloud. We let her 60 her way, though.
Silk remnants and bolts of ribbon or
lace are the most tempting. Hang me,
but l wonder what the shoppers take
US forp They can't reason at all, most
of them. bat steal on the impulse,
especially such as were arrested the
other day. It's our business to watch
the goods around, and we get SO by
deal with one scope of our eyes. We
know all our patterns, besides having
them marked otherwise. Then we get
to know the character of our visitors
pretty well by the way they carry
themselves. By just moments talk
we know if . woman really wants to
buy to-day, or wen call again.
They can't play it on us unless the
store is pretty full, and then it is our
losses occur, and our profits, too, !
night say. Yes, we do search, but
more frequently it is not necessary, but
as you saw. If a woman comes pre-
pared to steal, and has the customary
bag or pocket sewed in her clothes, we
can know whether she is good to
search by beating around her CLOTH
ing, when we feel uncommon OBJ
jects for the pocket. From time to
time we have accumulated up stairs
stacks Of stuff taken out of such places,
but not stolen from US. Rarely do
they try to brazen it eut, but cry, and
talk of their homes, and they never
did it before, and never will again, and
80 on. As said, we don't care to 20
into court, and let most go if we get
our goods back. Articles regularly
purchased, you know, are wrapped and
have cash checks with them. We have
found such with goods acknowledged
to be stolen, but never keep them, of
course. How do we keep track of
every thing in such q varied stock?
By system, and nothing else. Then
every thing gets familiar to the sales
patterns of goods and bulk of pack
ages. It's only when things are known
to be sold that they never viii be
missed We did have a girl here who
boasted she could tell If hole was
gone out of pattern of lace, but she
died, or got married, which is the same,
so far as regards business, for they
quit then. But I'm off of shoplifters.
You can say nine out of ten are pre-
sumably respectable, and most of them
never stole before they were caught,
and never will afterward. Once is
enough. Shouldn't you think sop
Chicago Inter Ocean.
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