The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-04-28
THIEVES IN SOCIETY.
STORIES TcLo BY NoNseLIEveRs IN
KIEPTomANlA-

ElEPTomANlA-
light Fingers In the Dressing Rooms OF
Fashionable Enfertalners-U Unfair Ea-
changes which May BE Called Robbery.
Old Things Tor New.
''Oh, give it any name you hke-bor-
rowing other peoples belongings and
failing ever to return them, mistaken
identity IS 70 special possessions or kiep-
tomania, but l call il thieving, aid
somethiug ought to bc 6cDe about II ="
This is what the blend woman IN the
very smart bonnet said TO her nearest
neighbor in blEe, whereupon every other
woman near the tea table cut shcrt her
conversation and held her cup in midair
20 hear what the discussion would bring
forth.
THAT do, went on tie blond en-
phatically, land I've been stolen from
repeatedly. No. my dear. won't take
a word of it back, and / am not speak
ing hastily. In every instance IL was
plain case of theft, and I',e not up TO
date recovered a single belonging. by,
of course if il had been grimy fingered
sneak thief. or a too enterprising house
maid, | most naturally would have gene
10 the police and detectives for protec-
tion and assistance, but it is not quite
so easy 10 have an individual who wears
the best French gloves. whose bonnets
come from an expensive importer and
- 70 Ci1r hCr
opera box, receive at her teas OF take a
lift home in her brougham, arrested and
searched on suspicion
well, i neyerr' 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 can assure you that here
in our big cities. at regular intervals,
polite kleptomania 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. Evi-
IDENTIFY the blond was right, for 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:
"You see, !" she elaborated, 1--WE used
TO think il might have been the servants
fault, or an honest errCr, when we found
cur possessions exchanged for Others
less valuable or simply disappearing. I'M
til two or three times the offenders Were
caught right in the act, and then came
the awfully dismal consciousness that
really no one could be trusted
My first experience was with very
costly lace fan carried to a dinner. l
held ON 10 it most affectionately through
out the evening, until some half dozen
OF Us went up 10 the hostess bedroom
for our wraps. There / laid it, with my
vinaigrette and fan, On the dressing Ia
bic, and when | turned 10 get them
again the fan was gone. Iprotested, the
maid searched, but nothing came of it,
and broken heartedly / went down, be-
wailing my loss to a sympathizing fem
inine companion. We went out to our
respective carriages together, but as the
butler opered the hall door a puff of
wind blew her long cloak aside, and
there / saw, slug in its pocket, my pre-
cious fan. Well, the next day l 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 look for higher
offenders than maids in dressing rooms,
who are usually accused Of making way
with all wraps, umbrellas, overshoes
and what not that may be missing"
'Ah, that is not my trouble, ." chimed
in 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
mp late TO the dressing room from
dance, found in place Of my brand
new green suede carriage oyershoes two
overlarge, badly worn ones Of rusty
black velvet and my lace head scarf ex-
changed for frayed one Of soiled white
chiffon. Naturally cross and sleepy, j
fell on the tired maid. who wept and
denied, but looked as if she could tell
tale.
Only 10 make a test case of it rolled
my new French galcches in my mackin-
tosh, laid my card ON top and put them
in 4 safe corner CT the dressing room Of
house where / went to luncheon the
other day. But it-was Of 10 avail The
galoches had been metamorphosed into
pair Of muddy rubbers with holes in
them when ! went back, and didn't
grumbie, since my pretty umbrella was
left. The work Of the spoiler gees on IN
the cloakrooms when big wedding re-
:eptions, teas, mGsicales and private
balls are in progress.
A. one Of the big dances Of the sea-
son the hostess simply ordered her maid
to issue checks for every woman's wrap
and, charming To relate, not so much as
a hairpin was lest. for at her daughters
wedding reception, only a week before,
three muffs got away somehow without
their rightful owners, and the possessor
of $500 sable hand warmer found a
scrubby old astrakban one in its place
THAT is where the fashionable KEEP
tomaniaos salye their consciences by an
exchange, you see. for rarely is anything
taken that some inferior article is not
put in its place, and very rarely are
they caught with them. Their position
in society is one Of protection. and their
victims are tco timid or proud to trace
clew, which too often leads right to
the door Of their best friends or some
woman who is aiding materially in
helping them along in society. Mill
cent Ar,owpoint in Chicago Record
Sandals were more fashionable among
the Egyptians than among the Hebrews
They were worn by women of the high
& y