San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-08-14

DRESSED i: the height ct t,1smor. MEN
gante. bien chausse, and attended by the
very ugliest bull terrier it had ever been
my lot to gaze on. enter Mr.. Chelm's
| office. had by this time learned to d.
| vine usually the errands Of clients before
they began to speak, and made up my
mind that this handsome young dandy
for he was extremely good looking to
bout-muSt be the heir to some large
estate which he wished to intrust to the
care of Mr.. Chelm. or that he had got
entangled with an actress and was in
search of legal aid to release him from
the meshes of the net. In either event
| expected to have the door closed in my
| face and the strangers secret to remain
sealed from me forever. placed my
| chair. however So that could be
screened from observation and yet within
earshot. prepared to see and listen as
long rs should he possible.
The visitor drew carl from a very
dainty case and laid 1t on Mr.. Chelm's
desk.
my name is Prime, sir i Francis
Prime have come to consult you on
business matter"
7 PRAY sit down. Mr.. Prime What is
it can do for YOU
You knew my father, Think"
Ralph Prime of New York? Most
assurediy. | had a high regard for
him.
Il am his only son. He died, as you
| l, Go in
circumstances, because he preferred to
remain honest An odd, erratic choice,
was it nOt?"
Il was sorry to hear he had been I'M
fortunate" answered Mr.. Chelm quietly.
Yes, sir. paradoxical as it may seem,
my father was an honest man. One
might have supposed his only son would
inherit that trait il nothing else. But it
must have skipped a generation. | am
not what | seem. lam sham" He sat
in silence for some minutes stroking his
mustache.
u judge that you have got into some
difficulty, Mr. Prime. If so, | am sorry
to hear it, Be frank with me, and as
YOUR fathers friend | will do what can
for you, but as lawyer must ask you
to conceal nothing" So saying, Mr..
| Chelm made move as if to close the
! door,
pray, do not trouble yourself, sir.
My story is already known to so many
people that privacy is immaterial. Let
me, instead, ask permission to light a
cigarette is, if you do not object
to smoking, and are sufficiently at leis-
ure to hear me to the end"
Certainly Make it cigar and will
join you, and pray try one of these if
you will, for my time is quite at your
disposal" answered Mr.. Chelm, who, it
was evident to me, was amused and puz-
zled by his visitor.
Thank you" He settled himself
comfortably in his chair, and after a
preliminary puff said: 81 am no ordi-
nary felon am even not, strictly
speaking, amenable to the laws. am,
however. as have told you already, a
sham TIE world believes me to be a
young fellow OF fortune, whose only
concern is with the cut of his coat and
the smile of his mistress. The world
for once is in error, am nothing of the
sort. Appearances are against me, /
admit. Even you. fancy, were deceived.
No, my dear sir, while every one judges
ME to be mere butterfly of fashion,
am an idealist at heart and the worst of
it is that no one will believe me. All
that want is chance, an opportunity
to prove am that which | claim; but
nobody will give it to me. If venture
to suggest that am in earnest the state
ment eXciteS sneers or ridicule. For
nearly two years | have been trying to
find something to do, and without sue
cess. have exhausted my own city,
and have now come to yours. Your
name was familiar to me as one which
my father respected, and it occurred to
me to tell you my story. l am quite
prepared to be informed that there are
thousand applicants for every vacancy,
and that such a case as mine is not es-
pecially deserving. In one sense of the
word you would be right. There are
others who suffer more acutely than |,
but few who suffer more unjustly, and
the whole cause is to be found in sim
| gle phrase am gentleman"
You are indeed to be pitied," said
| Mr.. Chelm. with an amused laugh.
And what is more, it is not my fault.
am not responsible for it; | was born
so. My case is precisely opposite to that
of most of my contemporaries. They
find it easy enough to get occupation,
but very difficult to be gentlemen. |
know how to behave like a gentleman,
but can find nothing to do. Gentlemen
are evolved. not made. Would to heaven
| | had been consulted on the subject!
| d.. l n,,-nl.n nnn dnr md found m uSalf