Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1891-02-18

table TO the sideboard. When he had
dozen he covered them with his hand
kerchief and slipped them into his
coat-tail pocket. Then he put on mis-
greatcoat, and went out as calmly as he
had come in. He found the stolen
articles somewhat heavy, SO as soon
as he was in the hanson he took them
| out and put them under the seat.
| Mrs. Charles T. Van Dyke was the
name of the hostess at the next place.
Van Bibber shot quickly up stairs and
! opened two or three bureau drawers, a
writing-desk and secretary, but found
! nothing of value There was an inn
mense silver water pitcher in one cor
ner with two gOblets, which he thought
of taking, but he could think of no way
of getting it out unobserved unless he
! lowered it down the elevator shaft with
a rope. In the dining-room, however,
the spoons were undisturbed as yet, and
| lay in coy little rows on the white
cloth. Van Bibber placed dozen of
| these in each of his trousers pockets
and told the servant as he turned from
the tea urn over which he had been
bending, that he would take two Jumps
and lemon.
A large, heayilp-moustached stranger,
with cup in his hand, nodded pleas
antly to Van Bibber, and asked him,
! with q Slanc0 at Ine TEA, II he Hdu got
what he wanted.
eyes, thank you," said Van Bibber
cheerfully. 81 think | have"
At the next place he was somewhat
| surprised tosee the same stranger drink
! ing more tea and apparently watching
! him. But Van Bibber put this down to
the fact that he was unduly suspicious,
and that his imagination was excited.
| He was just going out without having
made any seizures, when fat, pOmpous
gentleman, who he was sure must be
the host, took pity on his apparently
neglected condition and said: 81 see
you are looking over my bric-a-brac, sir.
! 1t is not much of collection, and |
have not had time lately to give it the
attention it needs" Then be pro-
ceeded, at great length and with evident
satisfaction to himself, to describe each
separate piece of crockery on the wall.
| Van Bibber was greatly bored, but he
| was too polite to say SO, and was re-
waTded when the gentleman said, 'This
piece of SatSuma cost me $500" Van
| Bibber kept his eye on the plate, and,
| when his host turned to greet new
arrival, slipped it into his coat-tail
| pocket and bowed himself out.
He placed it under the seat of the
| hanson very carefully, and drove on to
1
had won his bet, but anxious to settle it
without a question or doubt. He did
not see the stranger with the heavy
mustache pass him in close Gao and
! dart into the house to which ne was 60
| ing Just minute before. Van Bibber
| elbowed his way, with many apologies,
| to the third floor. There was dressing
table covered with silver trifes, and
| Van Bibber smiled complacently.
There was bed in the room, and be
could see this as he looked in the mir
ror. But he could not see under the
bed. His overcOat was on chair, and
he made several trips to it and filled
the pockets with silver brushes
and combs. But on the third of these
trips his heart stood still, for out from
under the bed came the big stranger
with the heavy mustache. He came
very leisurely and determinedly.
Don't make a row." he said; you're
under arrest"
At that moment two young men came
into the room, pulling off their over
coats.
"Help ~ screamed Van Bibber:
'Iook - he shouted, pointing at the de-
tectve. There's a sneak-thief under
| the bed" Then he fell on the officers
head just as relentlessly as he would
have dropped on football, and banged
his nose into the carpet and sat on his
shoulders. The two young men got out
of their coats much more quickly than
they had intended doing and fell with
their keees on each OF the detectives
arms, and while they thus pinned him
to the floor they punched him vigorous
ly in the ribs and yelled.
"Look at thisi'' said Van Bibber,
catching up his overcoat by the tail and
spilling all the silver over the floor.
''Look at what he had stored away
Hold him, will you? while | get po-
liceman"
Every one was running up the front
stairs, SO he could not 90 down that way,
and so ran to the back and went down
the kitchen stairs and on into the din
ing-room. whence all the walters had
fled. He was quite unobserved in the
confusion, and accordingly took time to
fill his pockets with spoons and forks of
heavy silver. Then he walked out
through the excited women and stepped
into his hanson, and told the driver to
go to the club.
''That detective of yours" he said
calmly, as he produced his treasures
from the bottom of the hanson, twill
probably be around here when he gets
his nose patched up. In the meanwhile
I will ask you to value these articles
roughly and ring for some messenger
boys
An authority said the lot was worth
| 500, and the separate exhibits were
promptly returned to where they be-
| longed by messenger boys, who were in
structed to leave them at the door and
run. The detective was pacified by
some of the clubs best brandy and
$40 bill. But whenever Van Bibber
enters the club now the men feel nerv-
ously for their watches and the walters
count the forks.-New York Sun.
| Stabbed by a Billfish.