AT THE INN 147 
we had to struggle along as best we could!” 
Another landlady wanted a little more time to 
size up humanity, and then she was confident. 
“ Give me two days,” said she, “and I can tell 
you all about their character, all about their 
‘little ways’.” . 
Queer characters turn up at hotels sometimes. 
One, of whom I was told, remarked to the landlady 
that she must not mind him, but he happened to be 
a kleptomaniac. She, good soul, got it into her 
head that this meant not being able to sleepat night, 
and she expressed the hope that the fresh air would 
soon make him better. Two or three days 
afterwards the real meaning of the word flashed 
across her, and at the same time she remembered 
that a toast rack was missing. The visitor 
happened to be out; so she paid a visit to his 
bedroom. At the bottom of a drawer was the 
toast rack, together with a few other pieces of 
hotel property. These she withdrew, but other- 
wise kept her counsel, saying nothing to anybody, 
for she is not only wise, but also a great-hearted, 
large-souled woman, Presumably the visitor had 
missed the articles, for when he happened to pass 
the room where the silver was all laid out (for the 
usual cleaning) he said just one word to the 
landlady : “Copped!” And that was the only 
word that passed on the subject between him 
and his hosts—except when, in the ordinary way, 
he was leaving, and then he remarked to the land- 
lord, as he was saying good-bye, “ And tell your 
good wife not to worry, I’ve only got one spoon |” 
