An Ingemous Thief.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3309, 14 September 1889, Page 3

An Ingemous Thief.

A theft, Btniill in proportions, but amusingly ingenious in its conception, took place a short timo ago at the At Grand Hotel, Paris, An elegant- * looking gentleman, lodging at that well-known establishment, and giving his name as Sir James X,, Bart, went into a fashionable bootmaker's shop on tlio Boulevard des Capucines, and ordered a pair of the vcrv handsomest boots that could be made; no expense was to be spared, ami I lie boots were to bo sent homo on a certain day by 10 o'clock, aa the pureliaser was to leave tor Marseilles by tbo 12.40 train. After that lio wont to another * bootmaker on the Boulevard des Italions, and ordered a second jnir of boots prcsiscly similar to the first, which were to lie sent home on the same day as the others, but at 3 o'clock, as ho was to leave for Brussels at 5. Punctually at the appointed hour bootmaker No 1 appeared with his boots, yii* James tried thorn on, and found them splendid, admirable, not in the least dear, but the left boot hurt him a little. Would not the take it homo, put it on the TB6t, and stretch it slightly! lie conld bring it back tho next morning, as Sir James was obliged to delay his departure for twenty-four hours owing to pressing business. Of course the obliging tradesman complied with the wishes of his aristocratic customer, and walked oQ' with his solitary boot In the afternoon bootmaker No 2 ontorcd, and the same pvocoss was repeated, only this timo it was the right boot of which the customer complained, and which the bootmaker carried off to stretch. The next morning the two luckless w tradesmen met faco to face, each with r an odd boot, their charming and aristocratic customer having taken his departure by tho night train for London with the othor pair.