The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1902-01-03

roved to and fro in strange manner,
and she seemed bent on escape.
madam, 1 have been watching your
movements" [ said.
Still her eyes roved hither and
thither. Then suddenly, with
strange cry, she threw up her hands,
staggered to a sofa, and sank down
there like person stricken with
mortal wound. Covering her face
with her hands, she sobbed convuI-
sively: ooh, pity me! pity me!' she
cried, swaying from side to side. 81
can't help it! can't help it,"
At the time her tears were wasted
on me. 1 felt no sympathy for her.
"Give me what you have just taken"
I said.
"Oh yes, yes!" she cried "a thou
sand times, yes! Take them!" and
reaching forward, she sought to
thrust the paper cutter and lorg-
nette into my hand.
"And those other things you have
taken!" 1 exclaimed.
"Oh yes, yes, yes! Come with me
to my house. 1 will give them all
to you. I don't know why I ever took
them!" This and much more, over
and over, amid sobs and tears.
BY this time my patroness, who
had heard the crying, was standing
at the drawing-room door, much
scandalized and agitated. 1t was with
difficulty that brought her to COM
prehend what she saw and heard.
Both women were soon crying to-
gether.
When the tears had expended them
selves, 1 persisted in accompanying
the widow home. To be frank I re-
posed little faith, at first, in the gen.
uineness of her emotion. My indig-
nation had been simmering too long;
I wanted to see her properly pun
ished.
When we reached her house she
unlocked chest in the library and
gave me the lost articles, and with
them several other things that had
not come from our house. That chest,
indeed, was plentifully stocked.
81 don't know why I took them"
she continued to exclaim. 81 have
everything 1 want! But cannot help
it,"
"These articles ought to go back
to the rightful owners!" I exclaimed,
indignant at what l saw.
Eyes, yes, know it! 1 will give it
all back. I don't want it. L don't
know why took it," she cried again,
relapsing into tears.
/ secured what l thought had come
from our house and took my leave.
When 1 reached home my patroness
was very much moved, and besought
me to say nothing about the matter.
At first 1 was far from sure that this
was the right course to pursue. The
next morning the family physician
who is also the widows physician
and lawyer who had come on from
New York called on me, and succeed
ed in convincing me that we were
dealing with an infrmity rather than
crime. They made it out case
of kleptomania cor purposeless theft.
It appeared that the woman had been
addicted to such unfortunate slips, at
intervals, all her life. She had no mo-
tive for stealing, but appeared unable
to refrain from taking small articles
when exposed to the temptation.
In the opinion of the physician, two
natures, or two distinct spheres of
consciousness seemed alternately to
dominate the behavior of this wo-
man; one that of noble, charitable
Christian lady, the other that of a
furtive and cunning thief.
I readily consented to say nothing
of the matter. Later in the day the
woman's friends held sorrowful
conclave over the chest and redis-
tributed the contents. Her infrmity
was certainly a very sad one
Youths Companion.
"Syrian Lamb Fleece"