The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1894-08-31

and cuffs innumerable."
By this time Smiler was as pale as a
ghost.
IF / were to read your mind little
further as an amateur l would tell you
that on the Goth day of September you
| went to a pawnshop on the Rue di
Rivoli and there disposed of two seal
! rings and watch, for which You re-
ceived five hundred francs. They
cheated you. Smiler. You should have
got double that amount From there
| you went to bank, like the thrifty.
honest, frugal fellow that you are. and
opened up an account. On the Esd OF
| September with cOmmendable industry
you added to your little hoard by dis
posing of my gold-mounted stick, the
one presented me by Baron Roths-
child. You carefully obliterated
ton. Four days afterward you sold,
| or rather pawned, sundry articles in
four different places which l won't
take the time to enumerate. In all
you have one thousand five hundred
francs in the bank and twenty francs
in your pocketbook, together with
other articles of mine which you were
about to get rid of this morning. You
have been quite thrifty, and in
side of a month it was your intention
to draw out your money and emigrate
to America, where you are DESTROYS of
setting up in trade. This has been
your dream, Smiler, the life of q pros
porous and honest tradesman. Am
right, Smiler? If / have made any
mistakes attribute it to the fact that l
am but an amateur"
But Smiler was speechless.
ITO continue, or rather to 60 back
into 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 differ
ent things to natural shrinkagc. When
you first entered my apartments in
Kings Road your thoughts were re-
garding my worldly possessions. You
saw much that made you sure | was a
man of means. After I entered the
room was seemingly busy reading the
newspaper. Really. Smiler, ! was
reading you. l did not want to see
your references. They were super
fuous The man himself stood before
me. There was the reference. | de-
termined to make little study of you.
You interested me at once, for
recognized in you thief of many
wears training. thief who had pill
fered for all his life and never been
detected. Here, thought. is n subject
worthy of my attention, here is a case
which will edify and amuse me. SO I
took you to my bosom, Smiler, and en-
ployed you on the spot AS YOU stood
there waiting for me to address 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 care
! less sort of swell, one of those spend
thrifts. He will come home inebria-
ted every night. If a pin, a ring. a
watch or some ther 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 l right, Smiler?''
But Smiler 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 shillings
from the purchases from the trunk
maker. Do not deny it. for it is writ
ten indelibly on your mind. took to
you right away. Here is precious
rascal thought. Here's a servant
worth having You will remember
that commended you for your faith
fulness. And now, Smiler, do you be-
lieve in mind-reading? BY the way,
where are those pawn tickets, and
kindly hand me your bank-book'
| Smiler obeyed without a word.
And now it wouldn't take a mind
reader to tell what is going to happen. {"
| The languid gentleman went TO the
door and ushered in two officers.
Smiler fell upon his knees.
"Mercy, mercy" he said.
You cOrrObOrate all / have said, -
remarked the gentleman, with mild
interest.
Yes, yes, I confess. Don't put me in
Jail"
II am sorry, Smiler. but I have fin
ished with my subject. l now turn him
over to the law. Officers, do your duty"
VERY well, Mr.. Markham" replied
one of the officers.
Markham" groaned Smiler.
"The same" replied the languid gen
tleman.
"The great English mind-reader?"
Il am he. l advertised not for a
valet, but for a subject. wanted to
prove some of my theories to the soci-
ETY. of savants here. You have proved
very good subject. 1 shall write out
the results of my Investigations to-
night, and then if you care to have the
law deal leniently with you, you will
| sign it. will then read the paper be-
fore the society. My enemies will
have to concede that my work is in
comparable. BY the way, Smiler, have
converted you to a belief in mind
reading?"
"You have, sir" groaned Smiler.
"And now, officers, take him away,
rs have little work to do"
With that the languid gentleman
turned and entered his study.
Smiler Strengthened himself up, dis.
mally.
swell, I'm bowed" he said.-De.
troit Free Press.