The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-04-21
CHAPTER VIII.
OLD GEORGE.

A stranger making a call In that
portion Of North Kensington which
lies In the vicinity of Ladbroke grove,
by some mischance lost his way He
| wandered through many prosperous
| crescents and quiet squares redolent Of
! the opulence of the upper middle class
| es, through broad avenues where neat
| broughams stood waiting in small car
riage drives, and once he Numbered
| into tidy news, where horsy men
with great hissings made ready the
| chariots Of the Noting Hill plutocracy.
1t may be that he was in no particu-
lar hurry to arrive at his destination,
this stranger-who has nothing to do
with the story-but certainly he did not
| avail himself Of opportunity in the
shape of passing policeman, and con-
| tinued his aimless wanderings. He
found Kensington park road, a broad
| thoroughfare Of huge gardens and
| walled forecourts, then turned into a
| side street. He walked about 20 PAGES,
and found hin,self In the heart of slum
| land.
It Is no ordinary slum this little
patch Of property that lies between
Westbourne grove and Kensington park
| road. There are no tumbled down how
els or nofsome passages; there are
| streets of houses dignified with flights
| Of steps that rise to pretentious street
mails that served the need Of the
| lower middle classes of other days. The
| streets are given over to an army Of
squalling children in carrying STYLES
OF dirtiness, and the halls of these
houses are bare of carpet or covering
and in some the responsibility of lease
hold is shared by eight or nine families,
| all plugging together.
They are streets Of slatternly women.
who live at their front doors, arms
rolled under discolored aprons, and on
| Saturday nights one street at least de-
serves the pithy but profane appella-
ton which the police have given it
| Little He'll"
In this particular thoroughfare it
is held that of all signs the greatest
] Is that which Is associated with "spy-
ing" A spy" is a fairly comprehen-
sive phrase in Cawdor street 1t may
mean policeman, detective, school board
official, rent collector or the gentle
man appointed by the gas company to
extract pennies from the slot meters
To Cawdor street came man who
rented one Of the larger houses. To
to the surprise Of the agent, he Of
fered his rent monthly in advance; to
the surprise Of the street. he took no
dodgers. 1t was the only detached house
| in that salubrious road and was No.
40. The furniture came by night, which
Is customary amongst people who con-
centrate their last fiuttering rag of
pride upon the responsibility Of their
| household goods. Cawdor street. on the
qui vive for the lady Of the house.
learns with genuine establishment that
there was none, and that the new
conner was a bachelor.
Years ago No. 40 had been the abode
Of jobbing builder, hence the little
yard gate that flanked one side; and
1t was with satisfaction that the Cav
| dor streeters discovered that the new
occupant intended reviving the ancient
splendor of the establishment. At any
| rate, a board was prominently dis
played bearing the inscriptions:
]. JONES, BUILDER AND
CONTRACTOR.
and the inquisitive Mr.. Lane (of 76)
who caught momentary vision Of the
yard through the gate, observed of
flee" printed In fairly large letters over
the side door.
At stated hours, mostly In the eve
ming, roughly dressed men called at the
'office," stayed awhile, and went away.
Two dilapidated ladders made their APP
pearance in the yard. conspicuously
lifting their persisted rungs above the
! gate level
II tried to buy an old builders cart
and a wheelbarrow today" said "Mr.
Jones' to a workman. I'll probably
get 1t tomorrow at my own price, and
1T wouldn't be a bad idea to get a few
sacks Of lime and a couple of cart
= loads of sand and bricks in. also few
road pitchers to give 1t finishing
touch"
The workman grinned.
you've got this place ready in time,
Connor," he said.
Mr.. Connor-for such ~ Jones,
Builder and Contractor" was-nodded
and picked his teeth meditatively with
a match stick.
i 1--WE seen for long time the other
place was useless" he said with a
| curse.
1T was bad luck that Angel found
us there last week. I've been fixing w
this house for a couple of months. It's
a nice neighborhood, where people don't
go nosing around, and the boys car
meet here without being the wiser"
"And old George?"
"Well settle him tonight" said the
other with frown. bat IL bringing