Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-25

given him money, and he had started with
violent haste for London. The haste and
the rush were still daZing him. He had
lived down there in the farmhouse beneath
the downs with the stockyards under his
eyes, with his books of verse and his few
prints on the wall-My God, how it all came
back to me.
Whilst he talked to me there, lines of
verse kept coming to his lips; and, after
the habitual pleasure of the apt quotation
he felt acutely shocked at the inappropri-
ateness of the place. And he had tried so
hard, in his emergency, to be practical
When he had reached London. before even
attempting to see me, he had run from
minister to minister trying to influence
them in my favor-and he reached me in
Newgate with nothing at all effected.
l seemed to know him then. so intimately
so much better than anything else In the
world
He began, I had my idea In the up coach
last night. / thought. a very great per-
sonage was Indebted to me In the old days
(more indebted than you are aware of,
Johnnie l will intercede with him. That
why my first step was to my old tai
lors in Conduit street. Because
what is At for farm for a palace were
low" He stopped. reflected, then said
What is fit tor the farm for the palace
were low"
He felt across his coat for his breast
pocket. 1t was what he had done years and
years ago, and all these years between. in
scribe ideas for lines of verse In his pocket
book. l said:
You have seen the king?''
His face heightened a little. Not seen
him But l found one of the dukes secre-
taries a pleasant young fellow not
such as we used to be. But the duke was
kind enough to interest himself Perhaps
my name has lived in the land. ! was
called Curricle Kemp as l may have told
YOU because l drove a vermillion one with
green and gilt wheels. -
His face, peering at me through the bars,
had. for moment. a flush of pride. Then
he suddenly remembered, and, as If to pro-
pitiate his own reproof, he went on:
Il saw the secretary of state, and he as
sured me. very civily, that not even the
highest parsonage in the land >"
He dropped his voice, Jackie, boy" he
said his narrow-lidded eyes peering misera-
bly, across at me, there's not even hope of
a reprieve afterWard.'
1 leaned my face YEARLY against the iron
bars. What, after all was the use of fight
ing If the Lion were not back"
Then, suddenly. as the sound of his words
echoed Gown the bare. black corridors, he
seemed to realize 1t. His face grew alb
solutely white, he held his head erect, as
fl listening to a distant sound. And then he
began TO cry-horribly, ind for long time.
1t was l that had to comfort him. His
head had bowed at the conviction of his
hopeless uselessness; all through his own
life he lad been made Intellectual by his
indulgence in perfectly innocent. perfectly
trivial cnjoyments. and now, In this ex-
tremity of his only son, he was rendered al
most Enthusiastically of nc avail.
mo. TO. sir You have done all that any
one could; you couldn't break these walls
down. Nothing else would help"
Small, hopeless sobs chook him contin-
ually. Tie intense desire to comfort him,
made me grip upon myself again. And l
remembered that now that l could commu-
nicate with the outer air, 1t was absolutely
easy; he would save my life l said: Look
up the addresses OF Kingston planters. If
any are in London. They could testify that
| l was in Jamaica all the while Nickola Ell
| Escoces was in Rio Medic
My father was fidgeting to be gone. He
had his line marked for him, and a will di-
rectng his own. He was not the same man.
But l particularly told him to send me a
lawyer first of ALL
Yes, yes" he said. "I shall be able to be
| of use to the solicitor AS rule they are
men of no great perspicacity."
And he went hurrledly away.
The real torture, thesagony of suspense
| began then. l steadied my nerves by try
| ing to draw up notes for my speech to the
| keys idea.
| He said. slap your chest, peal to the
| honor of a British gent, and pitch 1t In
strong"
1t was not much good; ! could not keen
| to any logical sequence of thought, my
| mind was forever wandering to what my
| father was doing. l pictured him In his
new blue coat. running agitatedly through
| crowded streets, his coat-tails flying be-
| hind his thin legs. The hours dragged
| on. and 1t was a matter OF minutes
| had to hold upon the table edge to keep
myself from raging about the cell. I triod