The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-01-11
IN THE MATTER OF
 A SUIT OF CLOTHES
BY J. c. PLUMMER.

l (Copyftght, l9O6, by Daily story Oup
 Col | If said the mate, dispassionately "a man goes to sleep ana leaves his cabin door open when his schooner is tied up to lumber wharf on dark night he ought to have his clothes stolen. It's a wonder the thief didn't pull his teeth out. too"
 "A brand new suit of clothes" be- walled the skipper; 'only wore it once" Now there's old Cap'n Bonday." continued the mate, 'he gets as tight as bricks. but he don't go leaving his cabin hatch open and go to sleep, specially when his craft is at a wharf,"
 | Captain Peter swore deeply. 1 What are you goin' to do?' asked the mate, tell the police about it?'' | 'Tll tell you what I'm going to do,' thundered Captain Peter. I'm go- ing to tell you that paid for that suit of clothes and it's my business if they were stolen. If ever I hear of you telling anyone about my losing this suit of clothes I'll smash your jaw : for you," and Captain Peter. irascibly went on deck.
 Jour or five schooners lay along the lumber wharf, some discharging and others loading cargoes. Immediately beyond Captain Peters schooner, the Redwing, lay the schooner Sarah com rnanded by Captain Bonday. The two vessels were counterparts of each other as to size and deck arrangement and both had brought in cargoes of lumber.
 When Captain Bonday saw Captain Peter on deck he hastened aft and hailed him over the taffrail.
 "Hallo, Peter" he cried; you look Kind n down in the month today Hain't loss anything, have you?'
 Now, not for the value of ten suits of clothes would Peter have the gar rulous Bonday know what the night previous. he having gone to sleep with out the precaution of closing his cabin, hatch, thief had purloined his best suit of clothes. He knew by exper- fence that Bonday would tell the story with many variations to every man he met and hence he, Peter, would be- come a standing butt of ridicule among 1 his fellow captains. From the perti- hence of the question he dreaded lest already the mate had apprised Bonday | of his misadventure
 No. indeed" he replied, mendacious- ly, I've lost nothing. Fine day, isn't it?"
 Captain Bouday shook his head, pass ed his hand over his wrinkled and weather bronzed forehead as if deep ly puzzled and then went below. When the mate came on deck Captain Peter scowled at him to accentuate his order as to keeping silence and went into the cabin. Here he brushed and rub bed the only suit of clothes left him by the thief. until, considering their age and hard usage, they were fairly presentable, and then feaping over the rail walked slowly up town.
 T rather think" muttered Peter. as | T. erix fhfd matter to the police. I'd like to get my clothes back and I'd like to see that thief in the Jug, I could tell the clothes any where, for the first time I wore 'em splashed a spot of ink on the collar of the coat while I was signing bill of 1addng in Norfolk"
 | Now, Captain Peter was bound on no such prosaic business as signing ! bills of lading today. He was going to call on Miss Millie Davis. a young lady of attractive exterior and of men tai abilities who, some day he hoped, would deign to change her last name to Peter.
 The most exigent lover could have found no fault with the reception giv- en Captain Peter by Miss Millie. She was unfeignedly glad to see him. chat ted pleasantly and oven after making sure of her mothers absence, tried to extract merry air from a jingling meIodeon which was specially con structed, apparently. to perform the dead march from Saul Presently Mrs. Davis and her son came in and general ' conversation was indulged in. The shippers attention was attracted to the suit of clothes worn by young Davis. The pattern so closely resembled that of the clothes stolen from the cabin of the Redwing that he manoeuvered to get a closer view. Then he found ha ffar fO hn idanfical finder dinary conditions it was plainly pos sible for two or more people to pur- chase clothes of the same pattern, but in this case the skipper thought 1t rather odd. He had purchased the suit in Norfolk, being attracted by te pat tern, which was large plaid, intersec- ted with red stripes and usually de- tscribed as loud" de remembered that there was just enough of it to make him a suit and he also remem- lbered that the tailor mad remarked that it had been on his hands for two years and that he was glad man of good taste had come along
 The skipper found an opportunity to say to young Davis: That's a pretty suit of clothes. Where did you get it?"
 To his surprise this query seemed to embarrass Davis nightly. He red dened, stammered something about having picked it up by chance and then anxiously changed the subject. Captain Peter tried to dismiss the clothes from his mind, but he could not prevent cycling them curiously at intervals This so annoyed Davis that he somewhat rudely changed his po- sition and in so doing brought the left side of his coat collar before the skip per's eyes. There was the splash of ink. Beyond doubt this suit was the one stolen from the cabin of the schooner.
 The skipper was as amazed at this discovery as he would have been had the Redwing bumped on shoaI when chart and line showed the water to be man fathoms deep, and on his way back to his schooner he turned the matter over in his mind. Davis might have bought the clothes from the dealer who had purchased them from the thief, but the theft only occurred the night before and he knew pur' chasers of articles of doubtful ante cedents do not usually expose them Immediately for sale. Again, if Davis had bought the clothes from dealer why should he be so confused when allusion was made to them. There was surely nothing shameful or unusual about such purchasers. Many people about the waterfront bought theil goods. The result of the shippers cogi' tations was the unpleasant conclus' ion that the brother of his sweetheart was a sneak thief.
 It was 10 o'clock when he reached the wharf and as he was about to steI
 aboard the Redwing he felt a touch or his arm. By the mIrky gleam of 6 gas lamp further up the wharf he rec ognized Captain Bonday.
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