The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-12-01
CHAPTER /.
THE PREFACE OF TIMOTHY

| THE PREFACE OF TIMOTHY
M'SHANUS, JOURNALIST.
It would have been at the Fancy Fair
and Fete at Kensington town hall that
my friend DR.. Fabos first met Miss
| Fordibras.
"McShanus," said he, "if there's any
one knows good supper. tbs yourself.
Lead forth to the masquerade. Spare
no expense. Your friends are my
friends. 1 would have this memoir
able night-the last / may be in Lon
don for many Il year"
| There were seven Of us who took him
at his word and got into the cab to-
gether. You must know that he had
paid for little dinner at the Gold
smith club. and never man who did
not justice to his handsome hospitality.
IT'S poor heart that never rejoices;
and Fan Fabos paid for it--as l took
the opportunity to remark to my good
friend Killock, the actor
| "Shall we pay for the cab?' says he.
would YOU insult the most gener-
Gus heart in Great Britain this night?'
| SAYS l.
ION reflection" says he, "the man
| who does not pay Will have no trouble
about his change" and with that we
went into the hall. My old cornrade,
Barry Henshaw. had come In velvet
shooting coat and a red neckcloth that
was not to the taste OF the officials at
the box office Killock himself had
diamonds strewn upon his vest thick
| enough to make a pattern OF chrys-
anthemums. My own cravat would
have been no disgrace to the Emperor
Napoleon. And there we stood, seven
members of seven honorable profess
| sions, like soldiers at the drill. our
| eyes upon the refreshment buffet.
IT'S time for whisky and soda"
SAYS Barry Henshaw. the famous
dramatist who has written for the
| theater.
Shame on ye," SAYS ].
And then he remarked:
| IF Fabos was gentleman he would
Join the procession and pay for It. But
that's the worst of these sho"-s. You
always lost the man with tn money"
| / passed the observation ny as i'm
| pertinent and we went to the buffet.
| What they called the fancy fair was
in full swing by this time Slips of
| beauty dressed as shepherdesses mis-
took me ana my friend for their sheep
and would have fleeced us prettily: but
our lofty utterance restrained their
ardor and sent them to the rightabout
| Twas fair. be IL told. for the sailor
boys at Portsmouth; and when you had
bought bunch of daisies for 10 shil-
lings of maid with blue eyes and
| cherry lips. you could waltz with the
4
| My friend, Barry, | ob-erved, turned
very pale at this suggestion.
| do YOU not lift the sprightly toe?
| asked !.
| Man. he said, cts worse than a
| channel passage"
But Fabos is dancing" said I. point
Ing to our host in the midst OF the rab-
| BILE. See what comes Of the plain liv-
| ing. my boy. He'll dance until the sun
oh tina Ind t,yr chit n
| he has on his arm"
| Twas odd how we fell to discussing
| this same DR.. Fan Fabos upon every
occasion that came to us. Was 1t be-
| cause OF his money. ! venture. no. We
OF the Goldsmith club care for no mans
money
What was saying twas that Fan
Fabos' riches made no more mark upon
| rs than a lady's parasol upon the back
| OF mule. They said he was a doctor
| of Cambridge whose father had made
fortune out of Welsh coal and then
| Joined his ancestors. My homage to
| his consideration. say I.
He has beQueathed US noble son.
| whose dinners are second to none i'm
| the empire. Again say. hats off.
But / speak OF his son dancing with
| the little girl In red at the fancy fair
Mt Kensington. 30 sure that his six
feet one would go bending to 6S inches
and whispering soft things in her ear
at shillings the waltz. as the program
told yet. And he such silent man
ordinarily. I'd add to ii that there's
no true charity in all London which has
not benefited secretly by his generous
aims. But that is known to few
and was never known to me until
I met the daughter Of my friend Os-
| croft, the painter; left an orphan as
she was in this same unkind city.
4.
that turns all eyes upon him in what
ever company he may be? Some. for
sure, hope to borrow money OF him.
But, mark We. there are many more.
strangers to him, enemies because OF
the favor he enjoys. and these are on
their knees with the rest. What Is it.
then? III tell you in word. IT'S that
great power of what they call per-
sonal magnetism: n power that we
can give no right name TO, hut must
admit wherever we find il. Fan Fabos
had II beyond any man ! have known.
Now. this is the very man whom
l saw dancing with black haired
shephcrdess in red cloak. When he
surrendered her to her father. a stately
old gentleman and / asked him who she
might be, he answered me with the
frankness of q boy.
Timothy McShanus." says he. she's
the daughter of General Fordhras,
whose ancestor went to America with
the Marquis de Lafayette!
Your friend Lafayette was known
to my grandfather" says /. leading him
straight to the buffet, though do not
remember to have met him. As for
the labor that We speak OF, would ask
you why you do 1t IL ye have no
stomach for it? TO dance or not to
dance-shall that be the question?
was much astonished when he took me
by the arm and made the strangest
confession that ever fell from such
mans lips.
II danced with her. McShanus," said
lie, because she is wearing the bronze
pearls that were stolen from my flat in
Paris just three years ago"
rs there but one bronze pearl in the
world?' / asked him after while or
surprise.