The daily Alaskan., 1914-10-03
An Ariistocratiic
 Thief
By F. A. MITCHELL


 fore me In order to secure place to live against my coming. 1 vas on my way there from Paris, travelling on a first class railway coach. Beside me sat a man. and before him sat aDoth- CT man. the two being evidently travel ing companions. for they were talk ing very earnestly in German, lan- guage l did not understand. Directly before me was vacant seot, on which 1 tossed my hand bag. This was very careless of me. for it contained all the money l had with me.
 had been up late nights in Paris and was very tired and sleepy. l fell into doze and from doze into a sound sleep. More thHu au hour pass ed before l awokc, and when l did found that the man who had been seat ed beside me was the only other per son except myself in the compartment. He had changed his seat to one oppo- site me next the window and was reading a periodical Near him lay my bug. just where had placed it. opened it and looked for my pocket book
 Now, l leave 1t to any woman if she on awakening from slumber to find she had been robbed of money from q bag lying beside man would not look up at him accuSingIy. The mans eyes were upon me, and my looks told him that l suspected him of stealing the money l had lost just as plainly as 1t could have been expressed in words. He looked frightened and said some thing to ne in German. but he might as well have spoken In Sunskrit Then he tried me in French. can speak a little French. but c9n understand it scarcely at all. At Tuy rate, didn't catch what he had to say.
 The man looked 50 cut up that l grew suspicious of him. But why he had not left the train with 1t while l waS asleep could only conjecture. Perhaps the train had not made q stop. He was not cool thief by any means, for without my taking any action whatever he took out a roll Of crisp bills and said to me in French:
 "Combien"' C'How much?'O which 1 understood was asking me the amount had been robbed of. held up one finger and said. "NIille francs" meaning that 1 had had l,C0O francs in my pockcthoCk. My money had been brand new. like the notes he held in his hand. and 1 did not doubt they were mine. l gathered that be pre- ferred to return my money rather than hays ne call a guard at the next sta tion and have him arrested. He count ed the roll in his hand, and it amount ed to exactly i,OOU francs. Then he handed it to me. saving something Ill French which did not understand.
 was very glad to get my money back at all and especially so easily. When we reached the next station the thief looked at me anxiously and on seeing that made no move to call any one to arrest him drew n long sigh Of relief. This was the only stop we made till We reached Berlin. and when we rolled into the station and the coach door was opened by the guard the rascal jumped out and disappeared in q great hurry.
 My husband had secured q house in the capital. had engaged servants and had everything ready not only for our comfort, but to enable Us to entertain guests. Of course every one of the diplomatic corps must do more or less entertaining. and since 1 brought my husband fortune and We were ahun dantly able to bear the expense " proposed to do our full share; but. of course, l must go through the pre!im- inarles of being introduced at court.
 All this had been attended to, and was full tiedged member of Berlin society. The first important function I attended was state ball at the pal ace. was standing talking to a lady whose husband was member os the diplomatic corps when I saw the em- peror coming with gentleman who was hedizened with decorations, the emperor laughing at something the lat ter was telling him. When they came near enough for me to distinguish their features the marrow frOze in my bones. The man to whom the emperor was listening was the thief who had stolen. then returned. my money. l shrank away, but not In time. He saw me, and the expression on his face denoted as much surprise as mine did conster- nation. Then he said something to the emperor. who looked at me with an ex- pression Ot amused surprise.
 Calling to a lady standing near me, the emperor and the thief talked to her. and it was evident that they were talking about me. Then the three approached me, and the lady, after making the required presentation. told ne that the thief was Count Hein- rich Schmieden. one of the emperor's most intimate friends. He had been telling his majesty of how lady on a train had been robbed and how he rather than submit to arrest had paid over the amount stolen, Just as he had finished the story he espied Lne.
 The matter was considered an ed | mirable joke by the emperor and. ir- deed, by the count, who claimed that