New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1888-09-12
BOLDON'S EXPEDIENT.

Il am fairly dished-ruined done
for. / had better order my coffin
while / can pay for it" This was the
sad soliloquy Of Mr. James Boldon,
solicitor and notary public, as he sat
alone in his Office in High street,
Marlborough. one October morning
And truly Mr.. James Boldon's pos
ftion was not a happy one. He was
young man lately admitted as a
solicitor, and he had spent all his
little capital to no purpose in trying
to make a practice for himself in the
town of Yves thorough.
He was almost a stranger in the
town, and, although he had been there
nearly year, he had hardly sue
ceeded in making an acquaintance,
much less in gaining clients. The re-
port that there was IAN opening in
the place, on the strength of which
he had come there, had proved to be
entirely fallacious. The town was
just large enough to hide him. It
was in vain that he went regularly
to st. Augustine's mission chapel, in
the hope Of having his name
put on the building committee
Of the new church; in vain that
he frequented Cat proper hours) the
! billiard room of the new Royalhotel;
IN vain that he sedulously attended
the county court and thepolice court
with a glazed black bag which held
nothing but a newspaper and 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-one who might, if he had
any business whatever, have proved
q useful friend-Mr. Lionel Vim,
editor of the Marlborough Independ-
ent. The young man made the ac-
quaintance Of Mr.. Vim over the bill
lard table But of what use was it
to have the means of getting q fiat
tering notice in the newspaper when
there was absolutely nothing to no.
tice?
1t was nearly II O'Clock, Mr.. James
Boldon had been looking over his
ledger, and even his sanguine dispo-
sition failed him as he marked the
state of things there disclosed. He
rose from the table with a groan, put
on his hat, and, telling his solitary
office boy (Who was improving his
time by boring holes in the lid of his
desk) that he would not be in till aft
er lunch, he sailed forth into the
street.
Not having any particular object
IN view, he thought he might as well
go to the railway station and get a
London paper, and thither he directed
his steps.
After buying his paper, Boldon OBJ
served on the platform the station
master, whom he knew by sight, en-
gagged in an angry alteration with a
elderly man who looked like a farm
laborer. A little crowd surrounded
the disputants, and Bolden sauntered
up to see what was the matter.
"A tell zee ave COON from Lam
borne, an' all pay no more" said the
man.
"You must pay the fare from Lon
don all the same, F" returned the sta
ton master, angrily "Here's the
bylaw. You can read it for yourself
-thatis, if you can read"
Nav, a CANT
swell, it says that one travelling
without q ticket must pay the fare
from the station at which the train
started. How am I to know you on
~ got in at Lamborne?"
The dispute went on, the station
master, who had been sergeant in
the guards, and had great idea of
the Importance of his office and the
necessity of enforcing the law, having
evidently the best of it. The young
solicitor, ventured to say something
for the Nan, and was roughly advised
mind his },Wn business. This rather
nettled him; and as the poor man
protested that he could not pay the
fare from London Us. 1Od.-and
there was every prospect that he
would be taken before the magis-
trates, Boldon good naturally paid
the money for him, and the matter
was at an end.
Our hero walked abstractedly back
10 his office, bordering over the hard
case OF the poor man whom he had
succored; and bis deliberations lasted
for some time.
On the following Saturday morn
ing Boldon omitted to shave, and
stayed indoors all day. After a sub
stantial early dinner he proceeded to
make some changes in his raiment.
lie putt ON an old tweed suit consider
ably the worse for wear, and a pair
OF boots that had seen better DAYS.
His hat he took from a well-merited
oblivion, and finally he adorned his
Y