The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-04-23

"A PUFF OF WIND BLEW HER CLOAK ASIDE"
naturally would have gone to the police
ana detectives for protection and assist
ance, but it is not quite so easy to have an
individual who wears tho best French
gloves, whose bonncts como from an ex-
pcnsivc Importers, and who sometimes
asks you to share her opera box, receive Mt
her teas or take n lift home in her brough-
am, arrested and searched on suspicion. -
well, L nevcr!' remarked the woman
in blue.
ooh, That's just because you are denr.
unsophisticated little creature and out in
your western town they don't do such
thinRs-the temptations are not so great.
But can assure you that hero in our big
cities, Mt regular intervals polite klepto-
mania Is simply rampant, and hardly
big function breaks up that half the women
don't come away quite savage over the loss
Of some pretty and especially priced belong
ing" Evidently tho blond was right, for
all tho other women nodded assent, and
tho hostess was apparently brcathless to
tell of some personal grievance on this
score when the first speaker broke in agaip.
''You sce," she elaborated, I'VE 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, until two
or three times the Offenders were caught
right in the act, and then came the awful
ly dismal consciousness that really no ono
could be trusted
My frst experience was with n very
costly lace fan carried to dinner. held
on to it most affcctionately throughout tho
evening until some half dozen of us went
up to the hostess bedroom for our wraps
There laid it, with my vinaigrcttc and
fan. tho 1ppSSino fol nd Y
turned to get them again the fan was gone.
protested. The maid searched, but moth
ing camc Of it, and broken heartedly I
went down, bcwailing my loss to sym
pathetic feminine companion. We went
out to our respective carriages together,
but us the butler opened the hall door a
puff OF wind blew her long cloak aside, and
there saw, snug in it's pocket, my precious
fan. Well, the next day wrote her very
frankly, asking for its return, suggesting,
of course, she had taken it by mistake and
nome 1T came. But wo have never spoken
since.
'That taught mo to look for higher Of
tenders than maids in dressing rooms. who
Rrc usually accused of making way with
all wraps, umbrellas, oycrshocs and what
not that nny be missing
All, that is not my trouble, chimed
in debutante across the toa table "1hs
favorito plan is now to exchange bad for
good things 1 am growing almost phil
osophical over thodeplorable shabbinoss of
my wardrobe from this constant swappinp.
Last week, on coming up late to the dress
ing room from dance, I found in place
of my brand new green suede carriage
overshoes two oycrlarge, badly worn ones
OF rusty black velvet, and my lace head
scarf exchanged for fraycd one of soiled
white chiffon. Naturally cross and sleepy,
fell on the tired maid, who wept and de-
MED, but looked as if she could tell tale.
only to make test case of it, 1 rolled
my new French goloshcs in my mackintosh
laid my card on top and put them in II safe
corner of the dressing room of {. house
where l went to luncheon tho other day
But it was of no avail. The goloshcs had
been metamoTphosed into pair of muddy
rubbers with holes in them when I went
back, and didn't grumblc, since my prct-
ty umbrella was left. Altogether, this
season has cost me some four pairs of pcr-
fectly new rain boots and endless umbrellas
and yet my case is not so hard as TINT of
other victims. The work of tho spoiler
5rc.9s. 90 in the cloakrooms, when big wed
: ePtions, teas, musicalcs and pri-
waite balls are in progress.
AT one Of the big dances of the season
the hostess simply ordered her maid TO is
sue checks for every woman's wraps, and,
sharming to relate, not so much us Il hair
pin was lost, for ut her daughters we'd
ding reception, only n week before, three
muffs got away somehow without their
rightful owners, and the posscssor of a
$500 sable hand warmer found a scrubby
old astrakhan one in its place.
That is where these fashionable klepto-
maniacs salvc their conscicnccs by an OK
change, you SEQ, for rarely is anything
taken that some inferior nrticle il NOT inf