St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-09-06
"That I don't, sir, +"

That l don't, sir,
well, now, suppose l give you q
little practical demonstration"
Smiler started.
You, sir?"
Eyes, I've studied little in that
line as an amateur. Suppose, for ex'
ample, were to read your mind.
| Smiler."
You couldn't do it. sir"
Il should say you were a feithful,
honest fellow, who always served
his masters interests"
Smiler gave a deprecating gesture
ut would take no mind reader to
| tell that, SIR
But would it take mind reader to
tell, Smiler. what you've got in your
pocketbook?
Smiler turned pale.
GAS an amateur, Smiler, mind, /
don't pretend to be accurate Il should
say that if any one should look in
that pocketpook he would find my
ruby scarf pin and my emerald and
diamond ring"
Smiler nearly went into a fit.
"Of course, | have so many rings
and pins that unless l was a mind
reader l would never have missed
these. And, let me see, Smiler, in
your trunk you have three pairs of
my trousers. Those would not be
easily missed, either. Also about
fifty neckties and collars and cuffs
innumera ble''
By this time Smiler was as pale as
ghost.
eff l were to read your mind a lit
tie further as an amateur l would
tell you that on the 20 day of Sep
TENDER you went to a pawn shop on
the Rue di Rivoli and there disposed
of two seal rings and a watch, for
which you received 500 francs. They
cheated you, Smiler. You should
have got double that amount. From
there you went to a bank, like the
thrifty, honest, frugal fellow that
you are, and opened an account.
On the 23d of September, with COM
mendable industry, you added to
your little horde by disposing of my
gold mounted stick, the one presented
me by Baron Rothschild. You care
fully obliterated the names. l COM
mend your caution. Four days after
ward you sold, or rather pawned,
sundry articles in four different
places, which | won't take the time
to enumerate. In all you have 1900
francs in your pocketbook, together
with other articles ofmine which you
were about to get rid of this morn
ing. You have been quite thrifty and
inside of a month it was your inten-
ton to draw out your money and
emlgrate to America, where you are
deslrous of setting up in trade. Am
| right. Sniler? If / have made any
mistakes, attribute it to the fact that
| am but an amateur"
But Smiler was speeches..
ITO continue, or rather to go back
in the past, read that you robbed
all your masters before me, only they
were not mind readers in an anna
teur way, and attributed the loss of
different things to natural shrinkage.
When you first entered my apart
ments in Kings Road your thoughts
were regarding my worldly posses
sions. You saw much that made you
sure was man of means. After l
entered the room l was seemingly
busy reading the newspaper. Really,
Smller, l was reading you. did
not want to see your references.
They were superfluous. The man
himself stood before me. There
was the reference. 1 determined to
make little study of you. You in
terested me at once, for 1 recognized
in you thief of many years train
ing, thief who had pilfered for all
his life and never been detected.
Here, 1 thought, is subject worthy
of my attention, here is a case which
will edify and amuse me. So took
you to my bosom, Smiler, and en-
plOyed you on the spot. AS you
stood there waiting for me to ad-
dress you the thoughts that flashed
through your mind were: Il can
easily get away with one of those
Dresdenware vases. He has so many
of them that he will never miss it.
Then he must be a careless sort of a
swell, one of those spendthrifts. ae
will come home inebriated every
night. If pin, a ring, watch or
some other article disappears he will
think he lost it somewhere the night
before. Here's a swell that pays no
attention to his personal effects. All
he thinks OF is having a jolly good
time. Am right, Smiler?"
But Smller never relapsed from his
collapsed condition..
''You began to pilfer when you pur-
chased the tickets to France You
made ten shillings on the tickets.
You put aside for yourself FIVE shill-
ings from the purchases from the
trunk maker. Do not deny it, for it
is written indelibly on your mind.
1 took to you right away. Here's a
precious rascal thought, Here's
a servant worth having You will
remember that l commended you for
your faithfulness. And now, Smiler,
do you believe in mind reading? By
the way, where are those pawn tick
cts, and kindly hand me your bank