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Show on ho shoukicrdi l u,,( ,! t10 rohbi-..,. merely sot-!r.-.f .v. -.ir attention wi.i'V In, oonlodor.it.' relieved you. You ...If nothing iu your iw!wt? Xi? The. lin-,'ror.s lin-,'ror.s of our 'nonuvl l-a-'ins an- vor -li-ht and slKinolv. I rob'jod o:vv mysoli', and t:,;. uhiio (...mlm-iiii,' i!s! thiof to tiii; sUi.;-ur iL'!.io.;-' u hid,-'. ;;'or.e till wo o;a.i.- lo ooaroii loo n:-ai:t. l'or.r.y.t .10 a l.luuk loa.' fr.n. l.u'.ul.ml orii::, I "I t:;::i'.: vio ),;ul best advertise for it." ho "com- ivd I :u .,u0,,.,,.l. " oil v.-ou:l.;r, 1 soo," snidod the sor- y h. ;:. 'l o on? rn t re'-y corner thoro." llo d:!y ii f! -r ii:y ad-.'jnture on Ui sti- u.d n,y a U o. tUom-.n, as drawn 1'V .'-ori;t. I'.o.my. appoared in t: i.M-.io ;, ai.d sovoral days passed o . out any roMilts. I v. ...s breinuiur, . loivo a p...orr.;)o,ioii of lh.. toiler hour, of l.oiul.-.,r.H ravins, v. lion ono aft:.- j iio..:i. or,;,u niy return from a u-al';. i was surprised to liave mv laudlaOv I hand mo the identical souvenir ring-. " ! 'it was br..u";l,t to the house by'' weli-lired g-eo!;;man, who' beg . leave to say lie was sorry he had n" ' seen your notice sooner," she said , explanation. "lie was very polite, ar i wh.-u 1 oil'erod him the fiiinea hesa-l he eonld not think of taking it n -iyi.ipaihotio, a;id lie-re i , one oha.iee m a laouand that yol.r pure ma v. have f ;U'': int.) tho li.iado oi a foll.-w of Uds tos-:.-:;v.:ia. Vo '.- ill trr lirst with- "something Iii;e this:- " - ,,!j-'.wrj.u' -"P"!l f'1r a "1"t. ''is ' forth over t.ho -iioe!. and - .. ho.i ' he ha.nieeu put to so much expense ul- "nid you ask him for his address" J ui.iaired. ''I thought of doing so, far I imae-ined imae-ined thai you would wish to -thank him by post, Imt he was gone before I could put the question, touuhing his hat politely po-litely as he went down the steps." That wa-3 the end of the whole matter. mat-ter. Of course I had no clew to the -man who had returned the ring, and v. hen 1 narrated the incident to Serge. Donny lie smiled, and, having consulted consult-ed hi . fut i-ycljiger. like the immortal a!.-. !:.;. !:. :. . -..aid he presumed I would iio-.er lor t t.iy little experience with the ii-ht-u.ororod ;-o Ory of-London. 'T. C. Harluajjh, in uiii.-im.aU Gazette, j (.tnroyd. he read the f.dijwiajf adrer- ia I--.- ,-. :; .-.a--- ? a r,--.o-.ra a.:.1 '::o q:e3-Jj q:e3-Jj Jj'-'t ' rill was lest nu the v-r-.-me of t!.o iioht-aaoa-od g.Vatrv are v.-i t-.-iidor-l,. arto.t," .-.udSei- t iV,:;ny wh a he Lad read the advori ise-inoat, ise-inoat, whieh soooiod to deii-o'o.t i-iioi 'Tnaea-eof tliis kind we have no :n-o-.n-ate d.o.eriotion of .the thief: there-f. there-f. a-o, wo have to rciort to strata-'eni. Voor n.ivoi -i dement will appear in'iiie 'i iir.oi to-in.jt-i-.i-.v, and tlien we shall .wail for ivvi-.I'.-,. M.-antime, we have ? l-o-.hio;; to Jo, and I ao; prepared to j '' gr-t tit.v. -vVins- a-; h.-s-r have b.-vn de:ri:no. v illi tnem tht-ae i . ive i was rar.ro than pleased that tho ia--,peet..r h.ol turood me over to so ;i. j a bui.xodiiiato, and intimated i . -j sti-i.n.i.y ih.il 1 eras eaj-er to liitea to j anyihui" oi". Poimy-liaii to bay. ; "Tliii is June,- began he ''If you : had e.m'ie i-ter two months later'the I eiianees are that you would not have I been 'touched' on the Strand to-day. August and bepininbor a-e the safest noiiths to waiic iu i.r -mix -with the I crowds on the sireet ; of T.fcadon. Dtir-j Dtir-j ing tiic-se months on;' plekpoekets are j at the seaside,, working the crowds of ' faOaionablos w ho fiorf thither, or have 'coi.e to the forei j-n race eotii-ses. Tho'u- iirr-.u to oilier p:aoo. and we are not .o.) hu-y wiih. liieni at home. Ye?, v.r, .v.-e have one hundred thousand -of this evil class in London, more thieves than you ha.ve honest people in some i of your p.o Uy American cities. It is : to o;;r shame, oi course, but how are . '-. i .:!-, percent, of foreign picl:-i-oe::. o i; avo be. oi trained io London. i - hove thief -trainino- schools here, !-.' ; ..; tlt-!Ti. I'reeocioos boys, who :...', .- ,,,, hei-ae.-. ara picked off of the .0-.-, o, !.;,- thrj observant piekpockfct, f:1TVTw,t--Ml1atJ . where Ihvy are trained liy the 1'agins, in charge of tin m.'- Tle !,aa ..i. are taught all tho secrets of petty Uoeiii.u'. and, afte-e a..l Ue, .iaaiduate accompliMicd pickpockets. 'I hey are taught, also, to reeooiii.'e at r-i.oi.t the ditrerent peonie who il.xkt.v I.omion. They know the French rati a from rue native, a (Jerman fr.-m n i lu.itm, sod Amoricans are told a: o. Il.,-.v d they (to this'? Soiu. tioies by il.c- etu of one's cloiiies, by the manner of ear- , ryioii' jerrclry. Vou brought your ' clothes from York, did you not? ' I aek-nov. le.lgcil thai my garments , were fresh from the shop oi an Ainer-iean Ainer-iean tailui- at v,-hih : .-r.-i. Donuv f.miiod: und added that he would have taken me lor an Amerleaa 'on sie'ht." 'T'u great adi-juartei-s of our I'a-piaj," I'a-piaj," he eoinioiio.i, "are the dark and denial pii'.'iiotti of ;t. (.iles, liite-eiian.l liite-eiian.l and the long, low wharves of the Thames. They are there by thou-sand;., thou-sand;., yoeoiy and old and both sexes. They have soeieii- s and even savings banks, and when one of their .number is in our l.aeid:, the others are wilting to. tait up money to get him out. I do ii.-t v.Oiidet' that soma tourists get n (..!. I. 1 hoy will go down into thee parts..:' tl,o city u ii lu.ut a proper es-e. es-e. Tf. an.! the next day they are at Sr. aland Vard. telling a story of wo?. 1 !:a.l au a ran -iiig exnerience once with .one of this class, lie v. as a nic-a-look-io' raan. indeed wao an American pro-fe: pro-fe: -.or. l ie ea:ne to London, so he said, for the j-.tirnose of making a study of our criminal classes. I aid not kuow this, of course, until after the experience experi-ence I am about to relate. "V.'::l, oar professor went down into ini:: and v. hde ov -'ei-in eyes and ears he was robbed 1...- a boy seavee-ly ten Vears old. The little fellow was a shreoed pickpocket, and as I had had some experience with him I guessed that he was concerned in the robbery, for it had taken place on his ground's, thnri.rh the professor maintained that he h:. i been robbed by a man from whom he wan trying to obtain some sta.i-tuai information. Accompanied by the complainant I went to ihe dangerous dan-gerous fj.nar.cr and nabbed Utile 'Billy-before 'Billy-before he was aware of my presence. " 'Yon must discharge this child, sir,' said the American. Tic, had nothing to do with the theft. Why, ii, be couldn't take anything.' " 'Just as you say,' 1 answered v.-ith an amused smile, at the same time stealing a look at ililly. 'The boy. who felt thatlknew.be had committed tiie robbery, went opto the gpryt'emrtp end thanked him profusely pro-fusely for his- kindness after which ho hurriedly departed and walked on. Half a square from the scene of the encounter en-counter I turned suddenly and asked Ihe professor the time of day. fie readied for his watch, but, to his surprise, sur-prise, it was gone.,w!iereiipon be looked atjue tluroderstrn.-k. lie was inclined to ff-t au7!-v..sayin- that he had been plundered v. bile under the escort- of a London policeman. ,Tho following moment, mo-ment, to his ania'.ement, 1 pulled cut hi-, '.'.noii and extended it, " T'rav. hou- did you get hold of it?' he exclaimed. " 'The boy gave it ta me- fie 'touched" you while ho was thanking you f .oi' asking me to discharge him. la a short time we shall have your pur-a as well.' -'i he American could not believe that the b.-v i'iliy was the person who had tak. u t ae parse, but the adroit theft of the v.. o.;h went a long wav toward hiniiii-? that he might be mistakeu; and wiien, yet that day, I had the satisfaction sat-isfaction of restoring his purse, which had been brought in and surrendered by the Vr,y his wonder knew no bounds. I dare say that your country- 1 man did not venture into the. thioves' j quarter again without a different opin- '. ion of the shrewdness of 4he gamins London Fiek;oockot3 "who Could G.ve Okl Fair n LOSSO"S. Hie- Arc Sai-i to I'.e the CcTcr.-r.t TIi1pvc in the VVoi-l.l -l:o-y of a inc. iiv-periem? iiv-periem? of a .-.atla:iU-V.lr J Uc-lp.-tivp. While contemplating- a trip to Europe a few years ago, X purchased several well-advertised goido Looks, one of which, dealing chi.-ily with London aud its environs, warned Americans against the light lingered portion of its population. Th. -re fore when I went abroad f did so with rav eyes open, a-I a-I thought, but I was soon to itiseovi r iv actual experience that a siran:rer in ;b freat metropolis needs very i;. en opt.es do escape the wiies of ris l-'a'os. Having bid a moderate pur-.- ai my coniman.l ook cheap lode-i-egs in Charier House suiue, and v. men out sightseeing was careful to take along' jut enough mone3 to last me throne, h. the jaunt. in my half-aimless saunterings one morning I turned in the Strand, already al-ready bristling with its peculiar life, and had not proceeded, far when some one tajiped me on the shoul.le. Havoc,' no particular acquaintance in loenia at that time, I turned q,ii--i.!y and saw a well-dressed man step back l:':,.- a person embarrassed. "Av-, I beg your pardon, -,ir, ' aid he, politely; ''I thought I v.us tapoiu..' the shoulder of a friend: would not have stopped you for ihe world,'' ao i before i could tell him no loam iooi been done he was off and out of sight in a moment. I thought no more of the interruption interrup-tion until, seeing a book which 1 desired de-sired to purchase, 1 reached for m.y purse, but it was "ono. ' In a fia.h the shoulder tapping incident cam-' lack with strange diF.tin-Jtuess; and I had to lautrh at the adroitness of tfie the't. for'l knew I had been robbed wlbie tiie strange -nan was apologizing for t i;.; apparent blunder. I had not lost nraeh money, ov.'ir.a t;5 iie c-vref ulncss referred re-ferred to, but the purse conttiinod a keepsake in the shape cf a plain gold ring suitably inscribed. That was worth more to me than the contents of the purse, and, upon toiling the bookseller book-seller of my loss, ho advised rue to report re-port it at Scotland Yards, the headquarters head-quarters of the metropolitan polico. I had little hope of ever a:rain seeing the ring, for I could giye.notliing but a vatie description of the person wlio had stooped roe. bet I resolved to take ny complaint to the auilioriljes, as much to get intrj Scotland Voard, which is world famous, as anything oiio. 'niuiiig the book-stall, 1 made my v. ay to the place from which the shrewd detectives de-tectives of London sally forth to hunt down the evil doers, and in a short time was stating my loss to a little man in uuifoinj, v-ilii tiGtcnfd intently, bin with a lurking si'r,ile in ins blue eyes. When he heard me through, he said that in all probability the keepsake and 1 hail parted company forever; but calling to his sids n, man whom be introduced in-troduced as Scrgt. Donny. he went over ths slovy. and then turned roe over to the sersreant. bergt. Donny reminded me of TUr, inspector HuuU.-t of "Bleak House." He seemed to hav. a queer way of conferring with hi.; fat foreiin.-r while he listened, and fr.on the iir. t lie bMpres5ed rqe as a got I-iiatr.rod I-iiatr.rod man, too much so, I thoup-ht. t be a member of the police force, hat ii.e; to doal wdil the roughs a.n.4 toughs of London. The sergeant and I adjourned to the nearest little coffee-house, where 1 found that he improved on aeqaabi- "We have 100,000 thieves in Lou ion," said he, !'2sow, your pnrso has fall n into the hands of one of theni; but which one? . The man-who tapped ye.-.i |
