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A Thief Shrewdly Caught

A Thief Shrewdly Caught image
Parent Issue
Day
13
Month
December
Year
1878
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Dishonest people oftcn show a great deal of cunning - and they have use for a great deal. But very few of them master all the secrets of detection, so as to pei;fectly shield thernselves long in their bad trade. "Where did you get them tomatoes?" asked an old Long Island farnicr of a neighbor, whose real estáte yields not a tomato vine. His basket was full of very flne, ripe specimens, which he thonght he recognized. It was not the first time suspicion of his neighbor's honesty had arisen in his mind. "Where did you get 'em?" he asked again. "Boughb 'em." "Ah! Let's look at your hands." With his basket on his arm, he held out both hands for examination, " What do you want to look at my hands for? There ain't nothing on to 'em." The old farmer was washing his own hands at the same time in a tin basin of rain-water, with a wooden bowl of soft brown soap before him. "No, there ain't nothing on 'em tliat you can see; but look a-here! Set down your basket and wash 'em. It's werry coolin', and your face and hands look hot." So saying, he emptied the basin and filled it'with cold water, pointed to the so&p-dish, and relievcd the bearer of his basket. The first immersion and friction of the hands in the water caused the fluid to turn green. It grew greener every second, and at length turned an intense dark green. "Here, Jim," said the farmer to his tow-headed son, "take in this basket and empty it, and bring it out agin." Then, turning to his ncnest neignoor he said : " You liooked tliem tomatoes from my patch half an hour ago. Three or four of tlie top ones 1 knew in a minute. Here's your basket !" If any country reader of the foregoing wouM test this discovery of a theft, let him piek one or two tomatoes next season, separating the vines vrith aaked hand, and then wash it. Thero is a mysterieus something about the plant, perfeetly eolorless, that remains on the hands until water removes it. A fine illustration of the effect of a guilty deed, always. One never comes out of it with clean hands, however fair an appcarancc he may put on.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus