162 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



June 



one m the closet, with the others?" 



With rising rage Picket took up his 

 old hat, opened the closet door and 

 hurled the hat into the closet. 



"There," said he, "I hope you will 

 give me a rest on this hat business!" 



"That makes the twenty-eighth," re- 

 plied Mrs. Picket, with a burst of sar- 

 donic laughter. 



Picket went out. He started toward 

 Marley's house, but he had scarcely 

 gone mere than a couple of blocks when 

 it began to rain. 



"There, " said the unfortunate Picket. 

 "Just my luck. Beginning to rain. Got 

 a new bat on and no um brella. ' ' 



He started into a neighboring door- 

 way to wait until the shower should 

 cease, and as he did so a man carrying 

 a long plank on his shoulder turned and 

 swept tlie unfortunate Picket's hat from 

 his head into the gutter. 



Cursing like a pirate, the luckless 

 Picket pursued his new hat and rescued 

 it from the gutter, much damaged and 

 covered with mud. A passing good Sa- 

 mtu-itau stopped and said to him : 



"There's a hatter a couple of doors 

 up the street there. He will brush it off 

 and touch it up with the iron, and it 

 will be all right. ' " 



"Thank you." said Picket, and he re- 

 paired to the hatter's. When he had his 

 hat polished, he stood upon the doorstep 

 for a moment, and, not wishing again 

 to exijose his hat to the fury of the ele- 

 ments, he determined to step into a 

 friendly restaurant nest door, where he 

 would wait uuril the storm was over. He 

 went in, seated himself at a table, hung 

 up his hat on one of the hooks over his 

 head, ordered a sandwich and began to 

 look over the paper. But he coiild not 

 take ills mind away irum the satirical 

 welcome which he kncvy- his wife would 

 extend to him v,"hen he returned with 

 his damaged hat. However, theEubxon 

 had to be crossed. The rain had ceased. 

 He rose, and, still reflecting on his 

 wife's receprion, took a hat from the 

 hook and was about to go when two 

 waiters came up to him and grabbed him 

 by the collar. 



"Now we've got him, " said one. 



"Yes," said the other; "we've got 

 him now. This is the fellow who has 

 been stealing hats. ' ' 



Picket, paralyzed with astonishment, 

 protested. "What! I steal bats?" bp 



said, "What do you mean?" 



' ' You "will have an opportunity to ex- 

 plain this at the police station, ' ' was 

 the reply, and the proprietor, who had 

 whistled for a policeman at the door, 

 turned him over to the hands of a blue 

 coated guardian of the peace. The un- 

 fortuiiate Picket was yanked along the 

 street, followed by a crowd of passers- 

 by, v/ho applauded his ai-rest, and a 

 number of street boys, who signified 

 their disapproval more forcibly by hurl- 

 ing mud at him. When the party 

 reached the police station, the proprietor 

 of the restaurant made his complaint to 

 the sergeant there. 



"That's the man, " said he. '■ 'For the 

 last two weeks seme scoundrel has been 

 coming to my restaurant, and whenever 

 he goes oiTt somebody misses a hat. We 

 have been watching for him. Now 

 we've got him. There he is. This is the 

 thief. We caught him in the very act. ' ' 



"But I v\'as simply mistaken in the 

 hat, " cried Picket. "If I were stealing 

 a hat, I would have two here, but I 

 haven't. This is not mine, but you will 

 find mine hanging on the hook. " 



"Yes, " said the restaurant man, "I 

 know. Ordinarily you were in the 

 habit cf carrying a gripsack in which 

 you put the other hat. This time you 

 came ^yithout it.^' 



"But I am an honest man, " persisted 

 the unfortunate Picket. "I am well 

 known. Let the officer go to my house 

 and he will .see." He gave his name 

 and his address; and the sergeant, wav- 

 ering in the face of his protestations, 

 sent an officer to accompany him to the 

 address given. In about half an hour 

 the officer returned, bearing an enor- 

 mous pile of hats. 



"Here sergeant," said the latter, 

 "see what I found in tlie fellow's house. 

 His wife had gone out, and it was the 

 servant who let me in. ' ' 



"Well, ".said the sergeant severely, 

 looking at the accused person, "do you 

 still deny that you are a hat thief?" 

 gazing at the gigantic pile of hats. 



"I deny it. I deny it in toto, " said 

 the unfortunate Picket. "I bought these 

 hats. I doii't wear them, but I bought 

 them. ' ' 



"You don't wear them. W'hat in the 

 world can you do with 28 hats?" 



"Well, my wife has always told me to 



