The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1916-01-13

woman with the TWO children was
very busily engaged with them and
that the men ahead were at the height
of their argument. So she noiseless-
" slipped across the aisle, picked up
the handbag, snapped it open and
there, thrust in hurriedly amongst q
confusion of other things lay her if-
ty-dollar bill. Mrs. Rockwell took it,
returned to her seat, and calmly de-
posted it in her own bag before the
lady returned.
The success Of her impulsive plan
did not surprise her SO much as did
the extreme holiness, of the other
woman. She had heard and read Of
the hundred and one little robberies
that occur aboard trains, but she had
always believed them with rather a
shade of doubt: That an ordinarily
g~ood-looking young woman, whose
wearing apparel. to say the worst of
1t, was Of rather an odd selection,
should be so daring as to actually try
to commit robbery in the space Of
time required for one to pass down
the aisle and take a drink of water
was indeed astounding. She could
readily appreciate that 1t was merely
because the time was SO limited that
the woman did not ransack the whole
bag and strip it of It's moneyed con-
tents.
When the woman returned to her
seat, she rather carelessly pushed her
bag to one side and picked up a book
which she had with her and began to
read, leaving Mrs. Rockwell to won
der what kind of a criminal she was.
AS she studied her Mrs. Rockwell
thought the woman had a hard face.
There was nothing about it by which
one could judge her age. The lack
Of the faintest trace Of wrinkles might
lead one to think she was young, but
the lips were too thin and the eyes
gazed about too calmly and too care
lessly for a person Of inferior age.
Fer easy manner too, gave n the
suspicion that she had seen lots Of
the world, and that it would take a
great deal to throw her off her guard.
Yet there was something about the
face that attracted Mrs. Rockwell,
and she found herself at times almost
plying the poor creature. and even
going SO far as to advance to herself
the theory that possibly she was q
victim of kleptomania.
The gravity Of the act she herself
had committed. or the possible con-
sequences of it should she be appre-
hended, did not once occur to Mrs.
Rockwell. She was nj of those WON
en- who move upon impulse and never
stop to anticipate possible results, and
it never occurred to her that IL she
had been caught in the act of going
through the others handbag her own
story Of having first been robbed
would not have been credited by the
conductor, and the other woman had
only to tell q simple little lie to put
Mrs. Rockwell in q very compromis-
ing position. However, she had not
been detected; she had made a really
lucky move, had recovered her fifty
dollar bill. and vas inwardly congrat-
ulating herself, that she had done a
clever thing. And the rest Of her jour
ney was divided between patting her
self on the back and watching the
movements Of this woman across the
aisle.
In New York the money went fast
enough, but ever with what she had
saved it was quite inadequate to com.
plete the list she had made out. How
ever. when one runs short Of funds
there Is nothing to do but to return
home or go somewhere where the
funds can be replaced. and Mrs. Rock
well returned home.
She autographed her husband, and
he met her at the train. There was
an odd little expression on his face
when he kissed her. and q certain re-
serve in his voice when he asked
what kind Of q time she had had. both
OF which impressed Mrs. Rockwell as
peculiar.
.And about your shopping!" be said
suddenly. You didn't do much, did
your"
Indeed / did,. Mrs. Rockwell -
piled.
'You did, her husband exclaimed
rather wondsringly. why, what on7''
why, o. the money / had saved,
hut principally On the afty dollars you
gave me. dear.:.
Rockwell stared aghast q hsr. The
Aftys dolfars lkAyo youf Why. my
dear. don't you know that ron forgot
that nfty dollars and LETT the bill
naa4 n