The Yale expositor., 1922-12-28
The Shoplifters'
Decoy
By JOHN PALMLR
. 1929, western Newspaper Union.)

"Say! See that woman!" whispered
the little man with the dented derby,
In the jewelry department Of Hutchin-
sons, the big department store.
| 1t was not the part where thousand
dollar rings and twenty-thousand-dol-
lar necklaces are displayed in glass
cases and watched over by lynX-eyed
attendants, but there were number
of good gold bracelet watches and
rings with real stones lying handily
| about.
! The woman was walking slowly
along the store. She was coming to
the jewelry. She was passing the silks
Deity she picked up a half-dozen fine
silk handkerchiefs, fumbled with them,
sighed, and let them go.
Then, opening her fur coat, she dis
played, just for a moment, an array
of hooks and pockets inside, where
neither hooks nor pockets ought to
have been.
All the crowd was observing her.
The store detective was already on the
spot. And so eager was everybody to
see something happen that they all
pretended not to be looking at her.
At the end Of the silks she whipped
up six pairs of silk stockings, made
as If to thrust them under her cloak,
and then replaced them.
A whisper of excitement went up
from the crowd. "a kleptomaniac,"
muttered the little man with the dent
ed derby The store detective tried to
look as inconspicuous as possible The
clerks at the jewelry counter were
dreadfully alert
Funny, that impulse to take things
said the little man. III she was Il
poor woman, now, it would go harder
with her. She'll not be able to resist
those watches, you take my word for
IT,"
The woman in the fur cloak, quite
unconscious Of the interest that She
was arousing, came to the jewelry
counter.
81 want to see some rings" she said
"Yes, madam" answered the clerk,
watching the store detective out OF the
tail of his eye "About what price
madam
ooh, seventy-five to hundred dol
lars" answered the woman.
The clerk showed her some rings, the
other clerk drew near; the store de
! tective pretended to be a customer
the man in the dented derby put his
hands in his pockets and whistled.
The tray of rings proved dubious
The woman picked up several, exam
ined them.
81 don't think" she began,
The store detective stepped up. "Par
don me, madam, but l must ask you
to step into the Office"
"What do you mean2 Who are your
= the woman flared up.
'I must respectfully ask you to sub
NIT to be searched, madam. There
are two rings missing from that tray
Three" said the clerk with the
4 tray.
"Quite So" said the store detective.
The woman strode six PAGES alOn'
the counter. The detective, bland an
imperturbable, stopped her by standni
z Immediately In front of her. All abou
j them was q gaping crowd. The CLERKS
4 leaned forward intently, watching her
e "Unless you are willing to submit Il
search, madam, I must call the Pc
!. lice"
The woman struggled. Her fur coa
| n
cts The pockets were filed with
miscellany of objects.
"For heavens sake don't arrest me
| was a fool, / know. l was temple
so badly What right have you to e.
pose goods Of such value and temp
people to steal?"
The detective led her away. In th
room of the general manager a WON
an detective subjected her to rigoi
Gus examination. She was puzzled.
81 haven't found the rings you spok
Of" she said to the manager and tn
= detective. "And these goods-wel
they amt ours"
= From some other store, | expect,
b said the detective.
n "Well, what are you going TO q
about it now?" sneered the woman.
b Madam, please remember you hav
confessed"
y "Say, are you going to let me go, G
am l going to bring a charge of falls
a Imprisonment"
There was nothing to say to tina
They stood aside, and the woma
swept to the elevator and passed dow
II know her face; she's an old hand
said the detective, puzzled.
a The manager of the jewelry depar
ment came running up. They've g
away with FIVE thousand dollar
WORTH" he stammered Kings
y watches-it was plant. That woma
n didn't take a thing. 1t was the litt
man with the dented derby"
I-.l.