The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1899-06-08

whatever about how you lost It. have
4 been sent by another party to see you
Ia bout it. Even if you have me arrest
led, you willnot find out anything
Well, he said, 'Idon't want to be
hard on you. Hand it over, and here is
my cheque for the amount
Cheques won't do said |; i must
have it in gold.
1T would an hour or so to col
lect in gold,'' said he.
That will just suit answered,
for have not got the watch with me.
III go back and fetch it, while you
raise the money
II started off, and got the watch
where ! had left it. When came
back, the old gentleman was sitting be-
hind his study table, with the little
heap of gold in front of him. H.
| Here is your money he said, and
pushed it over.
Here is your watch said l.
He was evidently delighted to get
it back; and after examining it care
fully. and assuring himself that it was
none the worse, he put it into the
watch pocket of his coat with grunt
of satisfaction.
"'Now, my lad,' he said, 4 know it
was you that took the watch. Tell me
how you did it, and don't mind giving
you an extra fve-pound note'
81 wouldn't tell you in any case,'
said l; but especially I wouldn't tell
you when you have witness hid be-
hind that curtain You see, had all
my wits about me, and it didn't escape
me that the curtain was drawn tighter
than it had been before.
"'You are too sharp for u.s." said he,
good humoredly. We'll, you have got
your money, and that's an end of it,
I'll take precious good care you don It
get hold of my watch again in hurry
good night-no; not that door, he
added as l marched towards cup
board. This is the door, and he
stood up and opened it. l brushed
past him, opened the hall door, and
was round the corner of the square in
no time. | don't know how long the
old gentleman took to find it out, but
in passing him at the door, managed
to pick his pocket for the second time,
and next morning the family heirloom
was in the melting pot after all. That
wasn't bad, was it?'"
The old war-horse had evidently for
gotten all about his conversion now.
There was a tone of triumph in the
conclusion of his anecdote which
showed that his pride in his smartness
far surpassed his repentance of his mis-
deeds. He seemed pleased at the
astonishment and amusement ex-
pressed at his adroitness.
'''Yes," he continued with a laugh,
lit was capital joke. But sometimes
the fun lies all the other way. Even
the sharpest of us come to grief at
times. There was one rather curious
incident which occurred in my career
You may possibly have seen the
anecdote, for it got into print at the
time"
pray let me hear it," said l.
'Well, it is hard lines telling stories
against ones self, but this was how it
happened: had made a rather good
haul, and invested some of the swag in
buying a very fine diamond ring.
thought it would be something to fall
back upon when all the ready was gone
and times were hard. I had Just pur-
chased it, and was going back to my
lodgings in the omnibus, when,
as luck would have it, verv
stylishly-dressed young lady came
in and took her seat beside
me. l didn't pay much attention to
her at first; but after time something
hard in her dress knocked up against
my hand, which my experienced touch
soon made out to be a purse. 1t struck
me that I could not pass the time more
proftably or agreeably than by maxi
ing this purse my own. l had to do it
very carefully; but I managed at last
to wriggle my hand into her rather
light pocket, and l thought the job was
over. Just at this moment she rose
abruptly to leave the bus, and I had
hardly time to get my hand with the
purse in it out of her pocket without
detection. It was not until she had
been gone some time that found out
that in drawing out my hand in that
hurried manner the new and ill-fitting