Semi=weekly graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1895-1902, 1897-05-05
THIEVES IN SOCIETY.
STORES TOLD BY NoNBELiEveRs IN
KLEPTOMANIA.

Fashiceable Entertainers Unfair Ex-
changes which May BE Called Robbery,
old image Ter Neu.
"Oht give il any nalae son like-bor-
/ rowing other peoples belongings and
failing ever TO return them, mistaken
identity as 10 special possessions or KEEP
temaHia. bur | call il thieying, and
something nght to be done about it. "
This is what the blond woman in the
very smart bennett said to her nearest
ntighbcr il blue, Whereuron every ether
woman near the tea table cut short her
conversation and held her cup in nidair
10 near Nilat the discussion yyeela bring
forth
That de, went on the blond en-
phatieally, and I've been stolen from
repeatedly. Ne, my dear, [ won't take
a word CT it back, and 1 am not speak.
ing hastily. In every instance it was a
plain case of theft. and I've not up to
date recovered single belonging Why,
eli course if 1t had been u grimy fingered
] sneak tEief, on too enterprising house
maid, ! NEST naturally would have gone
to the Police aud detectives fer protee-
4 ton aid assistance, but it is not quite
sc cosy 90 have an individual who7 ars
/ tie Lest French gloves, whose bonnets
/ cciae from an expensive importer and
wio sometimes asks you to share her
/ oT6ra box, receive at her teas or take q
i lit home in her brougham, arrested and
searched on suspicion.
We'll, noverl' remarked the wom~
an in blue
ooh, that's just because you are a
dear, unsophisticated little creature,
and ont in your western town they don {
do such things The temptations are not
SO great, but can assure you that here
III our big cities, at regular intervals,
polite kleptcmania is simply rampant,
and hardly a big function breaks up
that half the women don come away
quite savage over the loss of some pretty
and especially priced belonging. Evi.
IDENTIFY the blond was right fer all the
other women nodded assent, and the
hostess was apparently breathless to tell
Of some personal grievance on this score,
when the first speaker broke in again:
s You see, she elaborated, I've used
to think it might have been the servants,
fault, or an honest error. when wo found
our possessions exchanged for others
less valuable or simply disappearing, I'M
til two OF 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 Loco fag3 ( oo.,4i1J T., =, F1s5,,,.,. +
heldon toitmest affeetionately through
out the evening, until some half dozen
Of Us went up to the hostess bedroom
for our wraps There / laid it, with nv
yinaig1ette and fan, On the dressing tn
bic, and Wien | turned TO get them
again the fan was gone. protested the
maid searched, lat nothing came Of it,
and broken Eearted1y / went down, be-
wailing ny less 70 sympathizing fem
inine companion We went out to our
respective carriages together, but as the
butleI eTGred tEe hall door 4 Puff of
wind blew her long cloak aside, and
there saw, snug ia its pocket, my pre-.
clous fan We'll the next dag / wrote
her very frankly, asking for its return.
suggesting, Of course, she had taken it
by mistake, and home it came. But We
have never spoken since.
That taught me to lock for higher
offeuderssthan maids in dressing rooms,
who arc usually accused Of making way
with all wraps, umbrellas, overshoes
and what not that may be missing .
All, that is not my trouble, =" chimed
I'M debutante across the tea table. 1.-The
favorite plan is now to exchange bad
for good things. / am growing almost
philosophical over the deplorable shah
biness Of my wardrobe from this con
slant swapping. Last week, ON coming
up late to the dressing room from a
dance | found in place Of my brand
new green suede carriage overshoes two
oyerlarge, badly worn ones of rusty
black velvet and my lace head scarf ex-
changed for Il frayed enc Of soiled white |
chiffon Naturally cross and sleepy, I |
fell ON the tired maid, who wept aud
denied, but looked as if she could tell a
tale
'Only TO make a test case Of it Irolled
my new French galoches in my mackin-
tosh, laid ay card OH top and put them
IN safe eeIaer Ct the dressing room Of
a house where went to luncheon the !
other day. But it was Ct 10 avail The
galeches had been inctamorphesed into
pair Of muddy rrbhers with holes in |
them Wien | went back, ard didn't !
grulablc, since my pretty umbrella was
left. Tie work Ct the spoiler goes on in
the clealroong when Zig wedding re-
ceptions, teas, musicales and private I
balls are in progress.
At enc Of the big dances Of the sea-
son the hostess simply ordered her maid I
to issue checks fer every woman's wrap I
and, charming to relate, not SO much as
n hairpin was lost, for at her daughters I
wedding reception, only week before /
three muffs set away euehow without T
their rightful owners aud the possessor
OF $500 sable band warmer found a
serubby old aatrakhan enc in It's place.
That is where the fashionable klep-
tomaniaes salye their consciences BIZ an
exchange, you see, for rarely is any hing /
taken that some inferior article is not |
put in its place and very rarely are
they caught with them Their position
in society is enc CT protection, and their
victims are tco timid or proud to trace
q clew, which too often leads right to
the door OF their best friends or some
woman WHO il aiding materially IN
helping them along ia sceiefy. 1-Afilli- I
rent Arrowpoint in Chicago Record.