The Forrest City times., 1899-06-09


 i'oht room, carrying his hat in b;s haho and ais evening cape over one arm. o"e
 The room was rather dark, so if did not strike Thompson that none of tbe furniture or decorations were familiar And he had very little time to notice anything. '''ee
 Eliza! he heard, sounding in mas. euline voice from the next landing "Elizal" Amanda Carson had no male rela. tiVes in her family except her father. ana that was not old Carson's voice.
 Elza's gone out, Henry" said a fe. male voice. "I sent her to mail n lot. ter"
 Then wish she wouldn't leave inc lront door open," said the first voice. Hello! Its closed now. She must have come in. Eliza."
 No answer.
 Then the man growled: Its very strange. That door didn't blow to. or would have heard it bang" Of course, by this time, Thompson re- alized that, after all, it was not 3s tha. he should have gone to, but B.
 lie picked up his hat and cape and moved quickly toward the door of the front room, intending to make an ex- pianation and an escape-both as rapid as possible.
 No, you don't" said that same mas. cuiine voice. You stop right where you are or I'll shoot"
 The good man of the house, having. as he supposed, grasped the fact that burglar had sneaked in at the front door while Eliza's back was turned. now stood, with something made of steel in his outstretched right hand, halfway down the stairs.
 My name is Thompson" the inno. cent intruder began.
 T daresay it is. Stay right where you are, Thompson"
 It was painful situation. Nothing could induce that grim householder to believe that Thompson was himself, and not particularly cunning and en. terprising early-evening burglar, who worked the dress suit racket"
 You Mir. Cyril Thompson, eh? We'll, MT. Cyril Thompson had a beard when l heard him sing II Mic Teroro.' Can you singP"
 Under the circumstances Thompson could not sing. Fancy warbling: Fl Mic Teroro" in such predicament!
 The end of it was that Eliza came in and immediately went out again to get 6 policeman.
 Thompson had no better luck with the policeman than with MT. Cameron that was the householder's name. The policeman refused to look at Thompson's handkerchief, on which he would have found the initials: "C. IT," elegantly embroidered. Neither would he examine any of Thompsons underwear. Even if he had, he would have found only the initials, and "C. T." may stand for Charles Tompkins" just as we'll as for "Cyril Thompson"
 At the station house the minions of the law followed the same objectionable course, believing nothing that Thomp- son said about himself, and laughing to scorn what they called that old gag"
 You say you are Mir. Cyril Thomp- son. said the inspector. "Then what were you doing in MT. Cameron's house without ringing the bell? You don't know anybody there, do you?"
 That really sealed poor Thompson's lips. He did not want to tell this police inspector all about his innocent little plan for surprising Amanda Carson.
 However, that part of his agony did not last overnight. A note to friend brought relief-and bail. And when Thompson's lawyer came the police cautiously began to believe something of the story of the lost beard. But the irate Cameron. by that time, had gone home and to bed; so there was nobody at hand to withdraw the charge, and the magistrate who was called up at that late hour made the bail heavy.
 Cameron did finally yield-though not until poor Thompson had spent a sleepless night, followed by very un- pleasant morning in the police court.
 But, after all this, and after Thomp- son had neglected to shave his newly-re- vealed face, hoping that that beard 
 would quickly reappear-the worst was yet to come. It came all through an energetic and discerning reporter. who saw in Thompson's account of himself a chance for a good story" This is how the 'good story" met Thompson's haggard eyes when he looked at the paper that morning of his appes rance in the police court:
 ONE ON CYRIL! SLICK BURGLAR. CAUGHT IN THE
 ACT, SAYS HE IS MIR. THOMP-
 SON"
 THOUGH BEARDLESS. HE WOULD
 IMPERSONATE THE HIRSUTE so.
 GETTY TENOR.
 Now, what is a man to do in a case like this?" Thompson piteously asked his friend who had bailed him out.
 q guess you'd better let it go at that, old man," said his friend. If you don't keep quiet they may come out with another scare head: The Bur- glar Was Thompson, After All. What IT. nz..- Th,% Hn,,~ac,