Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1911-01-12

trled On my p~onnetBi d wanted q
nice one but ! could not at her. She
said she lived somewhere in the sub.
urbs and she was in q great hurry.
She finally picked out one and said II
would do well enough for size. but she
wanted It trimmed differently. l have
made the alterations as she described
but have not seen her since. have
made bonnets for a number Of wealthy
people. Some Of my customers ride
in their carriages within a block Of
my store and walk the rest of the
way, as 1t would not do for them to
be seen in a little store like this. They
have recognized the fact that l make
the SWEETEST bonnets and sell them at
about half the price asked in the large
millinery parlors."
We'll, / declare" said the old gen.
tleman; that is about the kind of a
bonnet / want"
Il thought you would fall in love
with It," said the little milliner, "as
1t is beautiful. The woman hasn't
called for it, yet ever If l thought she
would, ! will sell 1t inasmuch as it is
going out Of town and l can make her
another just like It,"
After haggling about the price for
a time the old gentleman concluded to
buy it.
81 will take it along with me-" said
he, as he laid down a twenty dollar
bill of the National Shoe & Leather
bank to pay fer it.
The milliner picked up the note and
looking it over for a moment, her
face lit up with a smile of pleasant
sarcasm, as she said, Look here, old
fellow, this bill won't do"
The curious expression upon her
face was certainly amusing, and the
c%ountryman thought he noticed a lurk-
ing smile upon her ~countenance that
betokened sympathy and indicated
that she was posted on that kind of
money.
Look here, l know that stuff as
well as you do, SO you just keep it and
give me something else"
They stood and looked each other
in the face. There was a mutual
sympathy-two souls with but a single
thought.
my name is David Kirkbride,"
naming a w%ell-known co~unterfeiter.
Good gracious" exclaimed the
woman" why didn't you say SO? I
have e met you before, but l have
often heard my friend Eva Cole talk
about you. What were you thinking
about when you came in here?"
"Oh, Just about what l told you;
besides I thought it was a good
chance to shove a twenty"
Why" said she, 81 buy these bon
nets at Johnson's and keep them for
a stall. If you really want this one,
you are welcome to it."
AS she became more confidential,
she said, putting on a peculiar smile,
Suppose I had given you your change
in a bill like this one" as she pro.
duced a five dollar bill.
"Well, WELL" said the old fellow,
"it would have been all right with me.
But l am keeping pretty shady at this
time; l carry my stuff concealed in
my tobacco pouch and only keep a
little on hand at a time"
"Oh," said she, you men think yov
are smart at doing things, but yours
slow. | was arrested In Cincinnati:
by the city detective because l offered
a counterfeit bill in payment for g
pair Of gloves, but they searched mi
| at the police station and couldn't fino
any of the queer about me. I put up
a nice spiel and was very indignant,
and Jim Ruffin, the the chief of po-
lice, got scared and turned me loose"
What do you think! / had more
than a thousand dollars of those five
dollar bills with me at the time, but
they couldn't begin to find them. Just
look here she said; and reaching
her hand into an opening In her dress
she pulled "a string and drew her bus
tie to the front.
This on being opened at the end
contained a pocket. The widow, by
pulling the string, could move the bus
tie around her waist at will.
What is this continuance for?"
Kirkbride inquired.
you can put your hand into it and.
see
He pulled out a handful of clean
five dollar counterfeit notes. AS he
did so he expressed great amusement
at the ingenuity of her plan.
81 have carried 'phoney' with me for
years. she said, "but no one has ever
! discovered or even suspected it."
AT this moment the Jersey farmer
reached out and grabbed the widows
hustle. Unbuckling the belt that held
it, he pulled 1t from her person. She
was greatly surprised when she real
lied that she was at last fairly caught
red-handed.
This charming little widow was now
escorted to my branch office on
Blocker street. After a long and te-
dious questioning and convincing ar
gument on my part, she SO far yielded
as to turn "squealer' and assist the
government.
This little woman with the spark
ling brown eyes was a fair sample Of
exquisite female shrewdness. The lie
tie dodge she played upon the de
tective who in parlance was gun,
ming her in the car, was this. She
stepped into the retiring room, let
down her hair and braided 1t. Throw
ing her bonnet out of the window, she
put a small worsted cap o. her head.
Turning her dress (that had been
specially made for the purpose and
artistically arranged SO al to make
it long or SHORTY inside out, she bore
the appearance Of a school girl. AS