The Progress., 1894-08-25

pays EN-. mat my impression, Sir. !
A criminal, sir, can't be detected ex
ccpt by detectives, and they make an
awful bOtch of it, Sir
"Wrll, now, suppose that give you
a little practical demonstration.
"Iou, Sir?'
Yes, I've studied Il little in that
line as an amateur. Suppose, for
example, | were t. read your mind,
Smiler?'
"IOu couldn't do it. SIR
Il should say that you were faith
full, honest fellow, who always served
his masters interests"
ut wouldn't take no mind reader
to tell you that, SIR
But wouldn't it take mind reader
to tell, Smilcr, what you've got IN
your pocllctboOk?
Smller turned pale.
CAS- an amateur, Smiler, mind
don't pretend to be accurate; | should
say that if any one should look in
that pocketbooll he would find my
ruby scarf-pin and my emerald and
diamond ring"
Smiler nearly went into fit
"Of course, | have so many rings
and pins that unless | 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 innum-
cradle"
! BY this time Smicr was as pale as
ghost
If were to read your mind lit
! tie further as an amateur would tell
you that on the Goth day of Septcm
Der you went to pawnshop on the
Rue du Rivoli and there disposed Of
two seal rings and watch for which
you received 500 francs They cheated
you, Smi)cr. You should have got
! double that amount From there YOU
went to a bank, like the thrifty, hon
est, frugal fellow that you are, and
opened up an account. On the ed Of
September with commendablc indus
try you added to your little
horde by disposinS of my
! gold mounted stick, the one
presented me by the Baron Eoths-
child. You carefully obliterated She
names l commend your caution.
Four days afterward you sold, or
rather pawned sundry articles in four
different places which won't take
time to enumerate. In all, you have
1900 francs in the bank and twenty
francs in your pocketbook, toge Their
with other articles of mine which you
were about to get rid of this morning.
You have been quite thrifty. and in
side of month it was your intention
to draw out your money and Migrate
to America, where you are DESTROYS
of setting up in trade. This has been
your dream, Smiler the life of the
honest and prosperous tradesman,
Am right, Smiler? If I have made
any mistakes attribute it to the fact
that am but an amateur"
But Snliler was spe echless.
ITO continue, or rather to 20 back
into the past, read that you robbed
all your masters before me, only they
were not mind readers in an amateur
way and attributed the loss of diff
ferent things to natural shrinkage.
When you first entered my apartments
in Kings road your thoughts were re-
gardlng my worldly possessions. You
saw much that made you sure was
man of means. After I entered the
room I was seemingly busy reading
the newspaper. Really, Smier, was
reading you. l did not want to sea
your references. They were super
fuous The man himself stood before
me. There was the reference. l de.
termined to make q little study Of
you. You interested me at once, for
l recognized in you a thief of many
years training, thief who had pill
fered for all his life and never been
detected. Here, I thought, is sub
ject worthy of my attention, here is a
case which will edify and amuse me.
SO took you to my bosom, Ssniler,
and employed you on the spot. AS
you stood there waiting for me to adj
dress you the thoughts flashed through
your mind: 4 can easily get away
with one of those Dresden ware vases.
He has SO many of them that he never
will miss it. Then he must be clre-
less sort Of a swell, one o. those spend
thrifts. He will come home inebri.
atrd every night. If a pin, ring, a
watch or some other article dislp.
pears he will think he lost it some
where the night before. He's swell
that pays no attention to his personal
effects. All he thinks of is having a
jolly good time Am 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 shllings on the tickets.
You put aside for yourself five shil-
lings from the purchases from the
trunkmal1er. Do not deny it, for it is
! written inieliblV on vour mind