"LOST AND FOUND"

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 10, 12 January 1929, Page 6

"LOST AND FOUND"

STRANGE TALES TOLD

A "Lost and Pound" ■Trus' Story Competition."in the. London; ''Spectator" produced some s extraordlnarily interesting entries, -including: the. following:— "" ;■ '/..'■,.'.. .■...'"■...,..,.;■'■„ •:. , ■ '' Some people! (writes Mabel,. Lady Crossley, Altrincham, ..Cheshire) • ;-\vere haying a picnic'tea iii one of the bays of Windemere—not a private" bay "but open to all. Someone asked her host for a donation for a 1 fayowito charity.' He replied: 'Two" years -ago*.^6 were having tea here as 'to-day;" -I lost'half.: a sovereign.' "If you- can.'find it it is ' yours for your : charity;-' ■ '•■■ Everyone laughed. The! girl without'moving'from hoi' seat on the • pebbles';" scooped ■lip a handful of them, and then,; opening" her', hand, let them''pass"' through ;hdi'; fingers. In her palm was the little-tar-^ nislied half-sovereign."' ; -.'•■s:.■.■;;.; ■; % "Some twenty years ago, on'an Atlantic liner, two days out from/New York (writes Edward 31.''Very, Switzerland), eight gentlemen lingered 'oyqr their coffee while one of tlie'ir'liiimbei, Sir Arthur P——, told the* history of the latest addition to his famous'-'eoin-col-lection. A brilliant: speaker,-arid'"ail authority on coinsj he made rnueh' of the tale, while the priceless bit of metal itself passed from hand "to I.hand for. eJf-" amination. The story ,dpnb;; the coin was nowhero to be found; ■lii'yain\the table and floor wore'"searched; ;in vain napkins were',shaken,' cups examined, questions asked; in"., vain "It .was suggested that each man present should be searched; seven^ assented, .but "orie,: "a Mr. S- ■, refused politely, but" firmly. Of course, .after that,, for ; the resjt v" of the trip they. cut. him dead; the other passengers, ,top,.'.except'Sir Arthur^ who generously acted /.as 1 if nothing nnto-wai-d had happened. Tho, "night .'.after laud was sightedj a sioVard, ■stopping, to, pick 'up a spoon,., found, tlie; coin on end, between, .tlie; carpetf. and; the. wall. He laid it a't.pnce on the .ta.ble in front of Sir Arthur, and," as the. news flashed' through the ...roo.m;. .apologies were made to" Mr. S— for unjust, suspicions entertained .tpwai'ds...him......,.'?. 'wiirtell you now why I. re'fusocl to.be searched,' he said, when. the " excitement had died down.: ILikti. .Sir. Arthur, I have nuule'a liobby of c.()in, c.Olleeti'ng for .some years,, and; I, should .have confossed as much, the. other .night,,if Sir Arthur's, fascinating stoVy.hacl; not' ended so abrupty with the iinfortunate.disappoarance of his coin.'.': After that Iwas reluctant speak, because' .„■ i-

he paused smiling, then reached; across the table, and laid beside. Sir Arthur's coin its exact duplicate.. .'..';' because this was in !my pocket at-..the. time. Even Sir Arthur,' he added, .'.would have found it hard ..'to bolieye.'that,.. with■' only two coins of. the kind in'existenco, I should have had/the'other,. that, even--ing hi my .possession. '."..„■ '•'■ .-•. •' > "While travelling-in a'railway ..ear-' riage with my small/boy * (relates ..the Rev. D.' M. Grant, The,:. Manse,. Bhupumbartonshire) I gave.him a, .cigarette, case to. play with. Imagine'my/ chagrin when the doff little ,;hand'.:-.;,made',.my-treasured possession disappear, .'intbihat pai't'of the door which the window occupies when.it,is lowered.. It was impossible to recover the lost article except by turning the. carriage , upside ; down. As this was .out "of : the. question we had to leave.it in,its/res'tujg place. And now the sequel, ,■". Ten .'days later I. was in a railway smash near. Sevenbaks.' I found myself in a heap..of -.^wreckage,. and there before my eyes was. tile cigarette case,which I-. thought'..-wasllost-for ever." ' ;■,'■■ 'i '; '.;.■ \/'': ;;.' . !•'■.-;.'.',".'•.. . Mrs.' ; J. H, "Webb,-. Windiiush,. "North Lancing, Sussex, .cbritrj.but"es .fhe'-i pllow-: jag: " Spme;, years'ago;T my linoth^'r 1- was-. sitting under.a~C.opper,".beeclv:tfe'e:iii."the garden at!hpmei.3Vh'eti,''.ttbr''TCedding..r.iiig slipped off' her .finger.' Search 'was' fliade' everywhere, but not ■a.'triice of If, could bo found. A'year later my.sisterl and' I wero sitting under the same tree -when suddenly ;tho missing '.ring .fell 'into niy sister's lap from- aboy;e:.'....There; wag'a magpie's 1 nest 1 in •the;'c'Opperl beech.',,',- w