Evening journal., 1897-04-03
THIEVES IN SOCIETY.
STORIES TOLD BY NoNBEllEVERs ~
KLEPTCNANlA.

changes Which May lie Called Robbery.
old Thirei Tor New.
"Oh, give ii any name you lilic-hor-
rev ing othin peoples belongings and
failing ever TO return them, mistaken
identity as tl special possessions or klcp-
tomania, but ! call it thieving, aud |
something ought TO be done about II. "
This is what the blond woman in the |
gery smart bonnet said to her nearest |
neighbor in blue, whc1cupon every other |
woman near the tea table cut short her |
conversation and held her cup in midair
to hear what the discussion would bring |
forth
"That / do, went on the blond en-
phatically land I've been stolen from
repeatedly. No. my dear, ! won't take
q word Of it back, and l am not speak.
! ing hastily. in every instance it was q
plain case Of theft, and I've not up to
date recovered a single belonging Why,
| Of course if il had been grimy fingered
sneak thief or too enterprising house
maid, | most naturally would have gone
to the police and detectives for protec-
ton and assistance, but it is not quite
so easy to have an individual who wears
the best French gloves, whose honnets
come from an expensive importer and
who sometimes asks you to share her
opera box, receive at her teas or take a
lift home in her brougham, arrested and
searched on suspicion
"Well, neverm remarked the wom-
an in blue.
"Oh, that's just because you are
dear, unsophisticated little creature,
and out in your western town they don't
do such things. The temptations are not
so great but l can assure you that here
in our big cities, at regular intervals,
polite klep,Cmania is simply rampant,
and hardly a big function breaks up
that half the women don't come away
quite savage over the loss of some pretty
and especially priced belonging. Evil
IDENTIFY the blond was right, for all the
other women nodded assent, and the
hostess was apparently hreathless to tell
Of some personal grievance ON this score,
when rhe first speaker broke in again:
"You see, " she elaborated, eve used
to think it might have been the servants
] fault, or an honest error when we found
our possessions exchanged for others
less valuable or simply disappearing, un-
til two or three times the offenders were
caught right in the act, and then came
the awfully dismal consciousness that
really no enc could be trusted.
{ my first experience was with a very
costly lace fan / carried to a dinner.
Il held on TO itmost aiIectionately through
Z. out the evening until some half dozen
> Of US went up to the hostess bedroom
G for our wraps. There / laid it, with my
), vinaigrcttc and fan, on the dressing ta-
bic, and when / turned TO get them
I, again the ian was gene protested. the
l. maid searched, bat nothing came Of it,
d end broken hcartedly / went down, be-
.o vailing my loss 10 syupathizing fem
nino companion. We vert out 70 oUI
c ,cspcctiye carriages together, bat as the
. lutler oICned The hall deer puff Of
i wind blew her long cloak aside, and
here I saw, snug in its pocket, my pre-.
/, ious fan. Well, the next day / wrote
:, her very frankly, asking for its return,
uggcsting, Of course, she had taken il
~ mistake, ard home it came. But We
L have never spoken since
"That taught me to lock for highci
h .fgcnLers than maids in dressing rooms
b. WHO are usually accused Cf making way
y with all wraps umbrellas, overshoc
y AID what net that may be missing.
Il "Ah. that is net my trouble, chime,
y n q dcbutante across the tea table. "Th'
n. avorite plan is now TO exchange ba'
r, for gocd things l am growing almos
H. philosophical over the doFlorable shah
bincss Of MY wardrobe fiom this con
stant swapping Last week, On cCmini
l. up late to the dressing Tccm from
4, dance, found in place of my branl
d. new green suede carriage overshoes tw
i' overlargo, badly worn ones of rust
i' black velvet and by lace head scarf ex
~ hanged for a fraycd one cf soiled whit
~ chiffon Naturally cross and sleepy,
NJ fell Oh the tired maid, who wept an
rs denied, but locked as if shc could tell
li tale.
only 10 make q test case cf it ] role
my now French galocEo- IN my mackir
,. tcsh, laid my card cn top aud pat theI
rt IN safe corner Of the dressing room {
nc house whcro / went 10 lluchoon III
VI other Gc- Bat it WAS Cf 10 avail. IL
~ galochcs had been metamorphcscd int
bs pair muddy rubhus with holes
me- them Nh.u | went lack, AID l Gidn
'p- grumh.c. s,.Cc my rscty umbrella s.;
left. lie wCik Of thc sIcilc, sccs cn
the cloakrocms WHOM Ing wCGding Il
cOptions, teas, musicalcs and piva
balls arc IN TroSlcss
err AT one cf thc hig derccs Of Tire SCI
Ike son the hcs,css SIMPLY CrcCCi Lcr mai
20 issue checks crovery wCmcn's Vl~l
ne and, charming 10 relate, net somuch
ca. hairpn was lest. ior at her C~eGEtCr
ST. wedding reception, only q week tCscr
ely three mufs got away scnehcw witho
their rghtful owulis, ard tie possess
re- Of $500 sable hand warmer found
lps scrubby old astrakhan one in its place
ap- "That is where the fashionable kle
tomaniacs salve their CCngcicncCs by
al exchange, you see, for rarely is anythii
be- taken that some inferior article is I,
II put in its place, and very rarely a
they caught with them Their positi