Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-09
WHOSE UMBRELLA7
A Complex Question of Ownership
Practically Put.

From the New York Herald
Il want to put a hypothetical question
to YOU said the pretty girl, after the
man had picked out the most comfortable
chair in the room and had seated him
self therein. 1T is as long and as COM
plicated as some of the questions pro-
pounded by lawyers in criminal trials
but I think you will be able to follow its
intricaces.
Suppose you We're woman-me, for
example-and suppose two other women
visited you the same evening. They were
strangers to each other and came and
went separately. Suppose that after they
had gone you noticed an umbrella which
had been left, presumably, by one OF your
callers. Suppose the next morning Miss
A. telephoned you and asked if she had
left her umbrella at your house; that she
had left it some place, she couldn't just
remember where, but she believed it was
at your house. Was it? You said
1t was, and Miss A. said she would send
boy right around to get it; she had just
learned that she would have to leave the
city for quite while and would you
kindly give the boy the umbrella?
Suppose the boy came and you gave
him the umbrella, and then, a little later.
Miss B. came rushing in and asked for
ner umbrella, which she had left at your
house the night before-her umbrella,
mind YOU. the very one you had just sent
to Miss A., but which Miss B. swore she
could positively prove to be hers-you'd
be in something of a pickle by that time,
wouldn't you?
We'll, suppose that to clear the matter
mp you rushed around to Miss AS, hop
ing to recover the umbrella, but found
that both she and the umbrella had al
ready gone. Then you rushed around
home again, TO ind Miss b. pacing up
and down your room wondering what on
earth she should ever do. because 1t was
beginning to rain cats and dogs and she
had dozens of places to go to that day and
would certainly get soaked to the skin
and maybe catch her death of cold be-
cause she had no umbrella; because you
you, the careless monsrer-had given hers
away to somebody who hadn't the shadow
or a right to it; you'd ieel pretty desper-
| ate by that time. wouldn't you?
We'll. suppose that to relieve the situa-
Miss BIS umbrella. The substitution
wasn't your own umbrella, but one that
another friend had left at your house
short while before, a most excellent UNI
brella, best of silk and beautiful handle;
much better, no doubt. than the one Miss
B. had lost. Would that be fair? Would
you have a moral right to square yourself
with one person by giving her the UNI
breIla that had been Iert at your house
| by somebody elseo"
Right exclaimed the young man.
why certainly An umbrella Is common
property The courts have decided that.
| il a man leaves an umbrella any place he
| has 40 right to expect ever TO sec 1t
| again.
| .Oh, am SO glad murmured the
pretty girl.
..Rut what is the end Of all this hyro-
| thetical inquisition?" asked the man.
| What is it leading up to-?
'Oh. nothing said the girl. Lets talk
about something else
They did talk about something else for
three hours. When the man started home.
he said:
oh by the way, where's my UNI
brella? / left it here the other night,
didn't II?
You did," said the girl sweetly. 1T
was your umbrella that 1 took TO square
myself with Miss B.