The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-05-29

same rooms you see-and then she ate
less N = mouse an took to needle
work, plain an fancy, for q lot o. the
gentry's wives round the neighbor-
hood befriended her. though they had
to be sly an hide that they meant it
for q favor, or she'd ha' snapped their
heads of. An all the while she was
teachin' her boy and tellin' en- what
ever happened, to rem EN- Der he was a
gentleman. an lovin' en- with all the
strength of desolate woman
This Willie Pinsent was = comely
boy, too; handsome as old Key, an
quick at his books. He'd n bold,
masterful way, bein' proud as ever
his mother was. an well KNOWN
there wasn't his match in Tregarrick
for headwork. Such beautiful hand
he wrotei When he was barely turn
ed sixteen they gave ZEN place in
Gregory's bank-WiIkins an Gregory
it was IN those aged times He still
lived home wi his mother. rentin' a
room extra out of his earnln's and
turnin' one of the bedrooms into
parlor. That's the very room you're
lookin' at And when any father in
Tregarrick had a bone to pick with
his sons he'd advise 'em to take ex-
ample by. young IPinsent. so clever
and good, too, there was no tellin'
what he mightn't come to in time
''Well-a-well, to cut it short, the
lad was too clever. 1t came out,
after, that he'd took to bettin his en-
ployers' money agen the rich men up
at the Royal exchange. An the up
shot was that one evenin' while he
was drinkin' tea with his mother in
his lovin', light hearted way, in walks
brace o. consta bles an says, will
lam Pinsent, young chap, arrest thee
upon a charge o. .counterfeitin' old
Gregory's handwritin' which is hang
in matter!"
can now, sir, comes the curious
part O. the tale; for. if you'll believe
me, this poor woman wouldn't listen
to it = wouldn't hear a word OF.
What! my son Willie she flames, hot
as Lucifer. My SON Willie a forger;
my boy that have nussed an reared
up, an studied, markin' all his pretty
takin' ways, since he learned to crawl!
Gentlemen she says, standin' up an
facin' 'em down, what mother knows
her son, if not I give you my word
it's all mistake
cay, an she would have it no other.
While her son was havin' his trial in
Jail, she walked the streets with her
head high, scornin' the folk as
passed"
''But her greatest freak was seen
when the Assizes came. Sir, she
wouldn' even go to the trial She
disdained it. An when that mornin'
the judges had driven by her window,
same MS they drove to- day, what dee
think she did?
'sShe began to lay the cloth up in
h. IL
the rarest meal, ready for her boy.
There was meats, roasted chickens,
an tongue, an great ham. There
was cheese cakes that she made after
a little secret of her own, an bowl
of junket. an inch deep in cream, that
bein' his pet dish, an all kinds o.
knick-knacks, wi grapes an peaches
an apricots, an decanters o. wine,
white an red. Ay, sir, there was even
crackers for other an son to pull to-
gether, with scraps o. poetry inside.
An f1owers-the table was bloomin'
with flowers. For weeks she'd been a
plannin' it, an all the forenoon she
moved about that table, givin it a
touch here an touch there, an TAX
in a step back to see how beauti full it
looked. An then, as the day wore
on, she pulled a chair over by the
''In those days capital trial was
kept up till late into the night, if need
we're. BY an by she called up her lit
tie servin' gal that was then, (she's a
gran'mother now, an sent her down
to the courthouse to learn how far the
trial had got, an run back with the
news.
Down runs Selma Mary, am back
with word:
They're a-summin' up says she.
''Then Mrs. Pinsent went an lit
eight candles. Four she set pom the
table an four pom the mante1 shelf.
You could see the blaze out in the
street, an the room lit up, wi the
flowers, an fruit, an shinin' glasses.
$50 the poor woman sat a while
longer an then she calls:
Selma Mary, run down agen. an
as he comes out, tell ZEN to hurry.
They must be finished by now
THE maid was gone twenty min
utes this time. The evenin' was hot
an the window open; an now all the
town that wasn't listenin' to the trial
was gathered in front, gain cur ously
at the woman inside. She was iti-
vatin' the table for the fiftie tn time,
an touchin' up the flowers that had
dropped bit i the bowls.
But after twenty minutes Selma
Mary came runnin' up the sire ct, an
fetched her breath at the front door.
and went up stairs slowly and pom
tip-toe. Her face at the parlor door
was white as paper; an while she
stood there the voices of the crowd
outside began to take all one tone.
and beat into the room Like the sound