Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-06-18
MR. B0LDoNs BXpEDIENT


J. q. Whiuicr H Iadepcndcnt.
MR.. BOLDONS EXPEDIENT.
~ am fairly dashed ruined done for. l
had better order my coffin while | can pay
for it," THIS was the sad soliloquy Of Mr.
James Boldon, solicitor aud notary public, as
he sat alone in his office in High street,
WestborouRh, one October morning.
Aud truly MIR. James Bodon's position was
not happy one. He was a young man.
lately admitted AZ solicitor, aud he had
spent all his little capital to no purpose in
trying to make practice for himself in the
town of Marlborough.
He was almost a stranger in the town, and
although he had been there nearly year, be
had hardly succeeded in making an acqualnt-
auoe, much less in gaining clients. Tue re-
| port that there was IAN opening" in the
! place. on the strength Of which he had come
there proved to be entirely fallacious. The
town was just large enough to hide him. 1t
WAS in vain that he went regularly TO ST.
Augustine's NJ ssion Chapel, in the hope OF
| having his name put on the building commit
| tee of tho new church in vain that he fire.
| quented at proper hours) the billiard room
| Of the new Royal Hotel IN vain that he sed-
| ulously attended the county court aud the
police court with glazed black bag which
| held nothing but one or two law books
| Business would not come TO him. Nobody
knew him, and nobody cared to know him
There was, indeed, one man who knew
him who might, il he had bad any bus
mess whatever have proved u useful fIit nd
| Mr.. Lionel Winn editor OF the Marlborough
Independent. The young man had made the
acquaintance Of Mr.. Wnn over the billiard
table. But of what use was 1t to have the
means Of getting hAttering notice in the
Newspaper when there was absolutely moth
ing to notice;
1t was nearly . o'clock. Alr James Bold
/ on had been looking over his ledger, aud
even his disposition failed him, as he marked
the state Of things there disclosed. He rose
from the table with groan, put on his hat,
and telling his solitary cilise-boy (who was
improving his time by boring holes in the
lids Of his desk) that he would not be in till
after lunch, he sailed forth into the street
Not having any particular object in view,
he thought he might as we'll go to the
railSay station and get London paper, aud
| thither he directed bis steps.
After buying his paper, B0ldon observed
| on the platform the station master, whom he
knew by sight engaged in an angry alterca-
| ton with An elderly man, who looked like a
farm laborer. A little crowd surrounded the
disputants, and Boldon sauntered up to see
VII was the matter.
"A tell ZEE ave COON from IAmborne, an
all pay no more, said the man.
You must pay the fare from London all
| the same, returned the station master, an
grily. Here's the by law. You can read it
yourself that is, il you can read"
Nav, a caaut."
"Well, II says that anyone travelling With
out ticket must pay the fare from tue sta
| ton at which the train started. How am |
TO know you only got iu at Lamborne p
The dispute went on, the station. master,
who had been a sergeant in the Guards aud
had great idea of the importance of his
| Office and the necessity OF enforcing the law,
having evidently the best side of 1t. The
young solicitor ventured to say something
for the man, but was roughly advised to mind
| his own business. This rather nettled him
and as the poor mau protest, that he could
not pay his own fare from Lsndon-se' eI
shilhngs and tenpence-Rnd there was every
prospect that he would be taken before the
magistrates, Boldon good-naturedly paid the
money for him, and the matter was al an end.
Our hero walked abstractedly back to his
office pondering over the hard case of the
poor man whom he had succored and his
deliberations lasted for some tme.
On the following Saturday morning Boldon
| omitted TO shave, and stayed in doors all
day. After substantial early dinner he
proceeded to make some changes in his raj
ment He put on an old tweed suit consider
ably the worse for wear, and pair of boots
that had seen better dsys. His hat he took
from a we'll merited oblivion and finally he
adorned his neck with n red and blue wooden
comforter. Thus equipped he set out for a
walk to Lamborne, a small town about ten
| miles OF.
He reached his destination about o'clock
in the evening, and his first proceeding was
| TO 90 to an inn and order some tea. Having
refreshed himself he left the inn, after ex-
changing few words with the landlady, and
| visited two or three shops. In each shop he
made one or two small purchases, directing
that the goods be sent TO him at Westbo-
rough and in each case he was careful to
take receipt for the money he paid. Then
| he went to the railway station, at which he
| knew the London train for Westborough and
the west would stop in a few minutes, made
| one or two trifl ing purchases at the bookstall
| and managed to engage the man who kept
| the stall in conversation for some time, The
train came in as he was still talking TO the
man at the bookstall, aud Boldon quietly took
a seat in it, without having gone through the
formality of taking ticket,
When the train arrived at WeslboTough the
young solicitor explained that he had Joined
| the train at Lamborne and rendered the fare
| from that town. As he expected, the money
was refused, and the full fare from London de-
manded. This Mr., Bodon positively refused
to pay, and accordingly he was detained till
the station master was sent for.
That official, in all the ma esty OF god-lac
| ed coat and tall hat, soon arrived, much an
noyed at being disturbed at his evening meal.
Whats all this about p he demanded
sternly, as he came upon the scene,
They want to make me pay the fare all
the way from. London, and I've only come
from Lamborne, answered Boldon in hum
| BILE tone,
"Of course you must pay the whole fare,
There's bylaw on purpose, made and pro
| Vided.'
Mr. B1don mOurnfuly shook his head.
'Oh, no, sir, he said meekly. II really can't
do that"
You'll have to so to tue lock up, then,
rejoned the station MASTER roughly. You'd
best pay up"
Mr.. Bodon shook his head again aud sigh
cd heavily.
As the lawyer expected the official was ex
Gsperated by his obstinancy and encouraged
in his high handed manner by the meekness
| with which he was confronted. None of the
railway people recognized in the shabbily
dressed, unshaved individual before them the
spruce gentleman who had paid poor mans
fare few days before,
"Ronner, go for a constable, said the sta :
tion-master with the air OF an infexible
| Judge awarding a term OF twenty years penal
| serYituds.
"Don't do that I'll give you my name
and addresss I'm known in the plaee-that is,
I'm quite respectable, you know"
"0h, | dare say" returned the station
master, with true official superoilliousness.
There was an awful pause while the porter
was gone to fetch the constable.
Don't you think, suggested Boldon, al
most timidly-"don't you think it might be
as well to telegraph to London for instruc-
tions ?"
The station master frowned.
"They couldn't complain of you nthat case,
at any rate, pursued Bodon.
| The station master hesitated.