Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1902-10-17
ODD SOUVENIRS.

"A lew weeks ago, said W as hngtonian
the other day, 81 went from New ork to
Fall River on my way to Boston, on one OF
the sound steamers. ! never was mucn OF
hand for bunking in with other folks when
l could get a section on train or a cabin
on steamboat all to myself, but on this
occasion | found it impossible to charter
whole stateroom for my own use on the
sound boat. The traffic on the line was
pretty heavy, and | was told by the agent
that the best | could do would be to engage
berth in stateroom, sla.i : e room
with an occupant of the otner hei1n.
Il was the first to reacn tie staterooSl
before the sailing time OF tAe boat, and L
was rather curious to see wat sort of
chap my room mate for the nights ride was
going to be- When he made his az, cararce
in a big hurry about two minute. before tAe
boat was due to pull out, mi, appearance
wasn't very reassuring. He was a somewhat
rougn-lookng customer. He wore a pretty
god suit OF clothes, but the effect OF the
suit was spoiled by the red and orange
sweater which he wore in place OF the con-
ventlonal masculine shirt. His tousled hair
was crowned by a peaked cloth cap that
looked to be several sizes too small Tor him
He mad decidedly Hibernian face, though
| afterward found that he wasn't Irish at
days overdue on the shave question. He re-
garded me civilly enough out of his little
pair of greenish eyes when he entered the
stateroom and threw his suit case onto the
lower bunk-I had already annexed the top
one. But | can't say that | regarded him
as a particularly high-grade looking Gus
toner as fellow traveller. We didn't have
much to say to each other. and he left the
stateroom Immediately the boat pulled out.
Il turned i'll along toward ii o clock at
night. My room mate hadn't yet gone to
his bunk. | didn't have any million dollar
bills or anything Of that sort along with me,
but | had a couple OF hundred dollars va
cation money and bit of jewelry, and, as
l didnt exactly admire the looks of my
bunkie, | tucked the stuff beneath my pill
low
81 was glad that had done this a few min
utes after he came in, which was a bit after
midnight. | was in a sort of half doze when
he entered the stateroom and turned on the
electric lamp. | was lying in such position
that ! could watch his moves through half
closed lids. You can gamble that | became
very wide-awake indeed when | watched a
move that he made Immediately he entered
tAe stateroom and locked the door lie
studied me for minute as if to make sure
ludl was dsletI, anu lIltu ne lOOh HIS
suit case from the lower bunk, sat down on
the floor and opened it carefully.
That suit case contained as neat-ooling
an assortment of burglars tools as ever
saw, and I've seen lot of burglars tools
exhibited as curios at various police mead
quarters throughout the country. The
whole outfit was there, with straps and
sockets ceverly arranged on the inside of
the suit case for holding each and every i'm
plement. My room mate picked the tools
over carefully, and with admiring glances.
1t took him about Is minutes to go over
them, and then he put them all back in their
places in the suit case, closed it, and thrust
it under his bunk.
He's on his way to pull off some big
| job, and he's giving his tools final inspec
ton | said to myself.
"You can fancy how much sleep | took that
night The fellow turned in almost imme
diately after looking over that kit of his,
but | wasn't going to take any chances on
his concluding to tap me for whatever valu-
ables 1 might have about me, and | fought
slumber with all my might. | wanted to 90
TO sleep the worst way, but | wouldn't yield
to the temptation. Even when, along to-
ward daylight, | concluded that the chap
must have made up mis- mind that | was too
small game-for he hadn't moved in his
bunk from the moment he turned in-I
couldn't bring myself to the point of tax
ing much resttul nap.
"A little after daylight my roommate be
gan to stir. As he climbed out OF his bunk
and started to dress himself gave cough
to Indicate to him that | was awake, and
when ne turned and looked at me fixed
his eye with stern gaze and said to him,
u 81
into my tone:
Look here, my burglarous friend, are
YOU aware of the fact that | could very
easily hand you over to the dock police
when you step over the side OF this boat:
He studied me with mystited expires
sion on his face for minute.
"'What for?'
"'For having said I, about as swell and
complete kit of burglars tools in your pos
session as were ever carried by a cracks
man
He managed to hold himself in long
enough to say: 4 didn't know you were
awake and then he rolled around the floor
of the stateroom in an uncomfortable fit OF
laughter. | thought he had suddenly gone
loony. Every time he'd look at me and see
me regarding him over the edge of my
bunk with what was probably a mingled
expression of alarm and sternness he go off
again in a shrek. 1t was fully five minutes
before he was able to pull himself together
Then, his sides still shaking, he pulled
the suit case out from beneath his bunk,
opened it up and displayed the tools again.
"'Beauts,' aren't they: he asked me-
with humorous twinkle in his small green
eyes.
Then he took big wallet from his in