Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-04-13

everything that was his. Of course,
he got no sympathy. The landlord,
though very upset about such an un-
heard of thing happening at his house,
could scarcely refrain from smiling;
the servants giggled whenever they
passed Paul on the landing, and the
other dodgers chaffed him unmerci-
fully. The only person who looked
solemn was our friend the constable,
who came down at once when Paul sent
word to the station. Paul is always
afraid of the powers that be. Official
ism overawes him, and when the
pompous policeman fixed a sternly Of
hc1al eye upon the poor little chap and
put two or three searching questions,
my friend got so confused and self
conscious that he afterwards conflded
to me he more than fancied that the
officer suspected him of being the thief
himself. However, he did his best to
conciliate the representative of the
law by inviting him very respectfully
into the sltting-room, where he pulled
forward his Suggest chair, brought
out his best Scotch and placing a
syphon of soda and box of fragrant
HavaMas upon the table, invited Mr..
Policeman to help himself This the
legal sleuthhound condescended to do
pretty literally, too-and while Paul
in his apologize way particularized his
losses, the Marlborough luminary sat
with knitted brows and pursed lips,
looking as learned as a judge. Find
ing the cigars so good and the whisky
so much to his liking, he expressed a
wish--when he had heard Paul out
that the officer next above him should
be consulted. The maid was duly dis
patched to request the presence of the
official in question, to whom on his ar
rival his colleague passed the cigars
and whisky, with the request that Paul
would run over the details again.
The newcomer, after some consid-
Grafton, was convinced that nothing
could be done without Sergt. Davis.
Once more the housemaid was put into
requisition, once more Paul told his
story, once more the cheering cup
went round, and once more the sooth-
ing weed was kindled. The sergeant
made very serious business both OF
the whisky and Of the robbery. He
shook his head solemnly at the de-
canter as each detail was related, and
declared, after hearing Paul to the
end, that the matter was too serious
for him to deal with, and that the su-
perintendent must at once be sent for.
We'll, to make long story short,
poor Paul had the entire staff of the
station at his place, where they stayed
knocking their heads together and pun
ishing his whisky and his weeds until
the decanter was empty and the fire.
place was strewn with cigar stumps.
Then the superintendent took Paul
aside with the air of a cabinet minister
communicating a state secret and told
him not to be uneasy, for, though he
wasn't, for official reasons, at liberty
to go into particulars just then, he
might tell Paul in confidence that
they'd got their eye upon some one;
but as they did not get any other por-
ton of their anatomy upon the thief
for OBTAINING purposes, poor Paul never
saw his property again.
And all the time the thief, as might
have been supposed, was living in the
same house. He turned out afterwards
tc be humorous rascal of an Irish
man-an impecunious devil who rented
a room on the third floor, and had come
to Marlborough to give singing lessons
The police did search his room, it is
true, but, of course, they found moth
ing, for after securing the stolen goods
the fellow had opened a ground-floor
window, to give the place the appear
ance of having been burgled, and had
then carried his booty to his bedroom,
where he made it into parcel, which
he dropped out of the window into the
garden below, whence it was carried
away by an accomplish Of course, the
police found footmarks on the flower
bed next morning, and this confirmed
the burglar theory. Hence no further
suspicion attached to the other dodgers,
circumstance of which the Irishman
took advantage by wearing openly the
only stolen article he had retained
g pair of brown boots, which he BACKED
over. When he disappeared soon
after, he left them-worn to the up
rers-behind him, with a short note
to Paul complaining of the quality of
the leather. He sent his love to the
police, and advised Paul If ever he
found himself getting shabby about
the feet to borrow somebody's brown
boots and Try Day &: Martins black
ing!
That's the story, gentlemen. 1t
wasn't worth the telling, except for
the welcome assurance it gives you
that we have nothing to fear from the
Marlborough police. And now, with
your permission, We'll come to bus
iness"