The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-03-15
IN GENERAL.
TribulatiOns OF n POcketbOOk,

of never firing satire in masculine circles,
and of never failing anxiety in feminine
ones.
have been looking up the history of lust
one pocketbook 1.-THE pock etbook--is
relegated to the past now, but while it was
in known existence it had u lively expert
ence. 1t was u handsome pocketbook; dark
blue, almost black, sealskin, with corners
and claps of solid silver. There was nc
sham about it anywhere 1t had one piece
of leather for the outside, and the pockets
were made of one continuous piece of kid.
The owner was very proud of its beauty.
She had no pocket in her dresses. Fashion
had not provided for pockets in several
years, and this pocketbook was too hand
some anyhow to hide in a pocket So she
carried it in her hand
1t commenced it's eventful career by dis
appearing one morning while she was dress
ing to go out She was sure she saw it on
the dresser q few minutes before, but it had
dropped out of sight, and no amount OF
searching could find it, Three weeks after
ward one of the drawers to the dresser re-
fused to shut. She finally took it out en-
trely to investigate its obstinacy, and there
back in the corner was the beautiful peck
etbook 1t had evidently been standing on
end and had fallen down and thus exposed
its hiding place. 1t was like meeting an
old friend She determined to do different
ly in the future.
She had some pockets in her coats She
formed the habit of placing it in a side
pocket where she could easily feel it with
her hand One day she was walking along
the street, and mt the corner of u crowded
thoroughfare she was jostled by number
of men. She felt indignant that they should
glnx
passing and flashed glance of rebuke at
them, but they seemed so perfectly uncon-
scious of her proximity that she soon for
got the annoyance.
About two hours afterward she wanted
to use her pocketbook. 1t was gone She
went over the ground she had traversed
since she remembered using it, but it was
not to be found. 1t then occurred to her
that the jostling of those rough men meant
that they had taken her pocketbook The
next day she received note asking her to
call at n certain large business building and
ask for the head engineer: that he had
something of Importance to communicate
to her. The one important thing with her
just then was her pocketbook. She went
Immediately. And there it was. 1t had
the cards and some checks, just the same,
with the ready money taken out. The
pickpockets had run through an alley, and
had had the kindness to raise a screen that
protected an open skylght and drop the
purse into the engine room of the building
almost into the engineers hands
She lost faith in pocketsl She decided
that, after all, it was best to carry the pock-
etbook in the hand She would keep her
mind on it and there would be no danger of
leaving it or having it stolen. For quite a
while it SKINNED along without anything
happening to it, excepting that her friends
were getting initiated into watching it and
were continually handing it to her,
| She took trip west and placed the seal
and silver combination in little chatelaine
Dag On the train the bag was in the way.
She unfastened it from her belt and placed
it back of her on the seat. She changed
cars at junction, and in the hurry left the
little satchel in its resting place, 1t con-
tanned her passes and keys and some money,
but not all that she had with her. She
telegraphed to the conductor of the train.
She received the bag and contents about
two weeks afterward.
| Satchels and pockets were alike for dan
| ger, and again she decided that the hand
was the safest place. She could remember
it there, and it seemed to be taking care of
itself And it did take care of itself most
successfully in a chair in the parlor of a
large hotel for an hour one day. with people
coming and going all the time. Its various
experiences were teaching it something Of
| the world
| One day she was on a crowded steamer
| The wind on one side of the deck became
dlsagreeable and she changed to the other
side. In about half an hour she discovered
that she had left her pocketbook in the
other seat. She flew around the corner,
sure that this was the last time she could
lose that pocketbook. But no, there it
was. A lovely, elderly lady and her hus
band were taking care of it for her. They
were strangers to her, but had found her
name and address inside the purse
Then one night this pretty little affair
TOOK sort of fiendish revenge on her for
her carelessness or observation-disclosures or
whatever it was. She went to a reception.
In DOMINIC dress that she had worn sew
eral times she discovered that her dress
maker had put a pocket in one of the back
seams. 1t was a great surprise, and for
once she would not have to worry about
her pocketbook. She placed it in the
pocket, buttoned it in securely with the
blind fastening and for once threw off all
care of it, While she and her husband
were waiting Tor their carriage one of the
ladies, whom she had met for the first time
that night, came up in great distress and
said; II have lost my pocketbook. put it
down somewhere while was adjusting my
hat, and it is gone"
Her husband volunteered his services,
and she waited patiently for some time
with two or three other ladies in the hall
All were sympathizing with the loser. She
hnally said, Some one must have thought
1t was their own and picked it up" AS she
spoke she glanced down at her own lovely
pocketbook. 1t WAS not hers at all Hers
was blue and this was black. Hers was
where was hers? And then the thought Of
that newly discovered pocket came to her
Hers for once was safe, and she had, from
the habit of having a pocketbook in her
hand, appropriated one belonging to some
one else. She rushed after the loser of the
pocketbook. She tried to explain, but never
felt that she made her explanation at all
lucid.
That pocketbook had gone through a
good deal and could endure much, but
there was limit to it. 1t met it's Water
loo in Paris. Without going into details
1t was snatched from her hand one morn
ing at II o'clock on one of the most respect
able boulevards in the city. The thief was