The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-08-25
Too Much
Simplicity
BY ALAN HINSDALE

IuIee ol US Htlu up Tram anu ~
AWAY with lot of money there was IL
the express car. The citizens Twin by
the road made up posse and got aftel
us. We separated, each man lookin
out for himself knew of house
where lived girl that I'd had some
experience with a good while before
/ thought I'd rather risk myself in that
house than any other.
The experience l speak of was this;
! was on the road lookin' out for some
place to make haul when i passed a
house that looked kind o. tempting.
knocked at the door, and very likely
lookin' gal opeued 1t. | told her that
was down on my luck. hadn't had
anything to eat for two days and
wouldn't she give me somepn to eat.
That's all / wanted-somep'n to eat.
The gal didn't give me a hunk Of
bread and a slice O. meat and tell me
to move on. She went to work and
cooked me a meal. While she was in
the kitchen / was In the Twin room.
had learned that some people are in
clined to put valua bles In such places
as no one would be expected to hide
'em in, and that's where ! did my In
vestigatin'. / dived into pair Of old
shoes In a closet, vase on mantel
and other such places as nobody but
fool or an expert would think of look
In, but didn't find anything. But when
! opened clock that stood In a corner
and swept the bottom with my hand
ran against a stockin'ful o. somep'n.
yanked 1t out and opened it and found
1t full O. bills and gold and silver.
put 1t In my pocket and said moth
in to the gal about it till after I'd eat
en- the dinner she'd cooked for me.
Then said to her:
You're a mighty good gal to treat
me so WELL and I'm goin' to repay you
for your kindness by givin' you point.
If you have valuables to hide don't put
'em In such places as no thief would
be expected to look for 'em. The best
place for valuables is in a safe. IL
you're goin' to keep 'em In your house.
bury 'em where any one1l have to dig
up lot o dirt to find 'em. Thieves
are too lazy to work"
When / had said this / showed her
the stockin' full O. money. You should
seen the expression on her face-an |
expression of surprise that should |
have thought to look In the clock for
valuables
well, / declarer' she said. What
made you think of looking for our valu-
bles at all, and how did you come to
think of looking In the clock? I'm
much obliged for the lesson you've
taught me-"
She put out her hand to take the
swag. Do you know there was such
dead innocence In her that for the life
Of me I couldn't make move to stop
her. I was just paralyzed by her sim
Dlicity and confidence. She took the
stockin' with all there was In it right
,ut Of my hand. Before she did so /
lad no more idea of returning the find
han l had of givin' her ten dollar
gold piece l had in my pocket. But
lfter her display of misplaced conf
lence I took a half dollar out of my
pocket and offered to pay her for the
Inner. But she wouldn't take it.
"The lesson you've taught me Is
worth a hundred dinners" she said,
and I shall always remember it"
I just went away without sayin' a q,
vord 1t didn't strike me how gal ,
lad come 1t over me till I'd got away
rom her, but l didn't go back on what !
d done. / says to myself, says |, :
Let her alone. | may have occasion =
ONE day to youch for what pure. :
oble good man l am" !
And so it was that when they were .,
fter me for holdin' up the train-we :
i'd the job not far from the gals homo
4 made for the house and found the !,
al mighty glad to see me.
There's been holdup of train on
ne railroad" l said. "a posse are
,okin' for the robbers. They're takin'
p everybody they find. If they come =,
ere just you tell 'em you know me to =
Q an honest man." =.
hadn't time to go any further for %
lere were sounds of horses hoofs =,
)min' full tilt. Several men rode up =,
the house and bolted right In. They =,
,und me readin' good book I'd taken :.
ON the library shelves. But they y.
,unced on me right off. The gal pro- -
sted, and they asked her who / was. -
ne told 'em that / was one o the best -
en- she had ever known in her life. =.
1t on q look so good that butter ~
ouldn't melt in my mouth. Some of
N said / couldn't be a train robber; l
dn't look it at all. but one of 'em said
ey'd better take me along anyway.
nally those who wanted to leave me :"
evailed and they rode away. But y, '
ey hadn't gone far before they came u
ok, and one on 'em said to the gal: az
what do you know about this man Ia
ywayT "a
Why, he come here one day and W
ked for something to eat. While I
Is cooking it for him he taught me a n'
SON."
What lessonT
That it's foolish to hide valuables
lere thieves are not expected to look va
!. 'em." rae
there was a guffaw all round. and
thout waitin' to hear the rest OF the en-
ry they yanked me out. put me on
-se and carried me of with EN- ~
caught sight of the gal as was cn'
ried of. and she was the most sur
sed person / ever seen. %
n ~ g. -.