The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1913-02-21
Copyright, BY the Bobbs- Merrill Company

VIA W ooI AAy oVAs ~ "A0 A4AS " SAOOA
when the haSl-boy's bell rang, and l
placed my ear to the tube. A gentle
man wished to see me in regard to q
lost hat.
Send him up, James; send him
up" bawled down the tube. Visions
Of the club returned, and l tossed
Blackstone into a corner.
Presently there came tap on the
door. and I flung it wide. But my
visitor was not the benevolent old
gentleman. He was the Frenchman
whose absinthe had offended me. He
glanced at the slip Of paper in his
hand.
II have zee honaire to address zee
in numbaire six"
Il live here
Delight! We have meexed zee
hats, have zee r-r-regret. Ees thees
your hat?" He held out, for my in
spection, an opera hat. Il am so alb
sent-mind-what you call deestrait?"
-affably.
l took the hat. which at first glance
I thought to be mine, and went over
to the rack, taking down the old stove
pipe.
This is yours, them" l said, snlil-
ing.
Thousand thanks. m'sieu! Eet ees
certain mine. l have zee honaire to
beg pardon for zee confusion. My
compliments! Good night"
Without giving the hat single
glance, he clapped it on his head.
bowed and disappeared, leaving me
his card. He hadn't been gone two
minutes when I discovered that the
hat he had exchanged for the stove
pipe was not mine. 1t came from the
same firm, but the initials proved it
without doubt to belong to the young
fellow I had met at the table I said
some uncomplimentary things. Where
the deuce was my hat? Evidently the
benevolent old gentleman hadn't dis.
covered his mistake yet
Ting-a-ling: 1t WIS the boys bell
again.
''Well?"
"Another man after a hat. What's
goin' on?'
Send him up" l yelled. 1t came
over me that the Frenchman had
made a second mistake.
I was not disappointed this time in
my visitor. It was the benevolent old
gentleman. Evidently he had not 10
Gated his hat either, and might not
for some time to come. l began tC
believe that I had carelessly given i,
to the Frenchnan. He seemed to be
terribly excited.
you are the gentleman who occu
pies number six?'
Yes, sir. This is my apartment
You have come ir regard to hat?"
Yes, sir. My name IS Chittenden
Our hats got mixed up at Martins this
evening; my fault. as usual. l am al
ways doing something absurd, my
memory is so bad. When I discovered
my mistake I was calling on the fam
lily Of client with whom had spent
most of the afternoon. l missed some
valuable papers, legal documents.
believed as usual that had forgotten
to take them with me. They were no
where to be found at the house My
client has a very mischieyous son
and it seems that he stuffed the pa.
pers behind the inside band Of my
hat. With them there was a letter
l have had two very great scares. A
great deal Of trouble would ensuc il
the papers were lost. l just tele
phoned that I had located the hat
He laughed pleasantly.
Good heavens. here was a howlv.
do.
MY dear Mr.. ChittcnGen. there has
been q great confusion," faltered. Il
had your hat, but-but you have come
too late
TOO lateo" he roared, or should
say. TO be exact, shouted.
Eyes. sir"
what have you done with it,"
Not five minutes ago I gave 1t to a
Frenchman who seemed to recognize
it as his. 1t was the Frenchman, il
you will remember, who sat near your
table in the cafe"
and this hat isn't yours. thcno"-
helplessly.
This" was a flat-brimmed hat Of
the Paris bouleyards. the father of all
stovepipe hats. dear to the French
mans heart.
"Candidly, now" said l with a bit
of excusable Impotence, do | look
like a man who would wear hat like
that"
He surveyed me miserably through
his eyeglasses.
mo. can't say that you do. But
what in the world am I to do?" He
mopped his brow in the ecstasy of an.
guish. The hat must be found. The
legal papers could be replaced, but
You see. sir. that boy put a
private letter of his sisters in the
band of that hat, and it must be re.
covered at all hazards"
Il am very sorry, sir
'But what shall I do?''
II do not see what can be done save
for you to leave word at the cafe. The
Frenchman is doubtless a frequenter
and may easily be found. If you had
come a few moments sooner. -
With a Gurgle OF dismay he fed
leaving ME with half-fnished sen.
tence hanging on my lips and the
Frenchman's chapeau hanging on my
fingers. And my hat; Were was my
hat?
So the boy had put a letter of his
sisters in the band of the hat, ]
unused. How like her kid brother!
1t seemed that more or less families