Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-26

ed. suddenly. looking hard at me with his
shrewd gray eyes. why did you take stock
of me so carefully before you spoke?"
1T Is a habit of mine," said /. II am a
medical man, and observation is everything
in my profession. had no idea you were
| looking"
II can see without locking" he answered.
II thought you were a detective, at first;
but couldn't recall your face at the time
knew the FORM"
Were you detective. then?" said !.
NO" he answered. with a laugh; Il
was the other thing-the detected. you
know. Old scores are wiped out now, and
the law cannot touch me, so I don't mind
c91fessing to a gentleman, like yourself,
what n scoundrel have been in my time. "
I'VE are none of us perfect" said 1.
mo; but was real out-and-outer. A
fake you know. to start with, and after
ward 'cracksman.' 1t is easy to talk of
spirit. It's as If I was talking Of some
other man. you see.'
Exactly So" said T. Being medical
man 1 had none of that shrinking from
crime and criminals which many men pos
sess. I could make all allowances for con-
genital influence and the force of circum-
stances. No company, therefore, could
have been more acceptable to me than that
of the old malefactor; and as I sat putting
at my cigar, / was delighted to observe
that my air of interest was gradually
loosening his tongue.
Yes; I'm converted now" he contin-
for that. And yet" he added wistfully,
there are times when I long for the old
trade again. and fancy myself strolling out
on cloudy night with my jimmy in my
pocket. 1 left a name behind me in my
profession. sir. 1 was one of the old school,
you know. 1t was very seldom that we
bungled job We used to begin at the
foot of the ladder. the rope ladder, If /
may say so. in my younger days, and then
work our way up, step by step, so that
we were what you might call good men all
through"
II see." said l.
II was always reckoned Woodworking,
conscientious man. and had talent, too
the very cievereSt of them allowed that.
1 began as blacksmith. and then did
little engineering and carpentering, and
then / took to Sleight-of hand tricks, and
then to picking pockets. 1 remember, when
L was home on a visit, how my poor old
lowering around him. He little knew that
i used to clear everything out of his pock-
cts dozen times day. and then replace
Them just to keep my hand in. He believes
to this day that l am in an office in the
city. There are few of them could touch
me In that particular line of business.
though"
II suppose 1t is a matter of practice" I
remarked.
ITO a great extent. Still, a man never
quite loses it, If he has once been an adept
excuse me; you have dropped some cigar
ash on your coat" and he waved his hand
pOIlely III lIOlil VI my breast, DIS IL u
brush it Off. There" he said. handing me
my gold scarf pin, you see 1 have not
forgot my old cunning YETI
He had done it so quickly that I hardly
saw the hand whisk over my bosom. nor
did 1 feel his fingers touch me- and yet
there was the pin giittering In his hand
1T Is wonderful / said as / fixed it again
in it's place.
some really smart Jobs. / was in the gang
that picked the new patent safe. You re-
member the case. 1t was guaranteed to
resist anything; and we managed to open
the first that was ever issued. within a
week of It's appearance. 1t was done with
graduated wedges, sir, the first so small