The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-11
Under the Rose

suffering But he didn t seem to know
me, although he was pleased and good
hammered. He smiled in the very way
| knew he ou0ht to smile, but-well, /
was so flustered that | could only sit
and gasp. Sure enough, it was my own
boy. Martin. and yet
fW Veil, Mr. Valentine, we got
home, and all the servants seemed to
recognize him as their young master
He had been away, you will remember.
more than two years, wandering all
over creation; he was browner, broader,
bigger, somehow, and yet the image of
my boy. What could do but take him
at arms length with a curious look in
his eyes, half doubling, half suspicious.
| When 1t came to sending him to his
room he seemed all at sea-didn Il know
his way about the house where his
father and / had lived for twenty years
and where he ID spent his vacations at
Christmas and Easter. But I will say
that he was awfully nice-nicer than L
ever thought Martin could be,
"Of course, picking him up on the
street as we did. he had no clothes but
what he stood up in. Pray excuse my
appearance, he said; in a day or two,
no doubt, my things will arrive Be.
fore we went in to dinner 1 introduced
him to my niece, Sylvia Galloway, and
m bound to say his manners were ir"
reproachable. They'd never met be-
he and Sylvia were at once impressed
with each other. But. to cut long
story short-the things been going on
for three months now, Mr.. Valentine
I'm convinced that his man, whoever
he is, and although he is the exact i'm
age of my son. Martin Benson, is not
my Martin. True. he favors him in
every respect-face, voice, manner and
carriage-but you cannot deceive a
mother IS heart, you know"
Tinney Valentine almost lost his head
over this curious narrative. 1t was
foreign to anything that had ever come
into his varied experience,
"You say the servants all recognize
this man as your son?', he queried.
every onc,n said Mrs. Benson,
"and they have been with us for years
-Parkes IN particular"
"And your niece9'
fShe never met him until three
months ago. She s not really my niece,
you know, only the daughter Of a half
sister. But-and here g the funny part
OF it'd always hoped that Martin.
my Martin, you understand, would fall
in love with Sylvia. Well. that ex:
actly what has happened; the new man
II can t really call him my son-has
are as good as engaged"
"The impudent impostor!' e1.
claimed Finney Valentine.
"But YOU must not call him that, -
quickly interposed Mrs. Benson. "He's
really nothing of the kind
CLOVIS thatq' queried Valentine.
"W-e-Ll, it seems that he doesn 4
know exactly who he is! He claims
that he has lost his memory-when or
where he doesn't pretend to say-but
OF one thing we may be sure-the man Is
a gentleman, OF course 1t wasn't his
fault that Parkes seized him on the
forced him into my carriage. Parkes
insists that he is his young master,
Martin Benson, Jr., as do all the other
servants. Sylvia takes him at his face
value-which is simply nothing. If /
say he is my son. Martin Benson, that
settles IL. But himself, he doesn t
know, consequently the young man,
whoever he is, IS no impostor.'
"I should like to speak with
Parkes,n - said Valentine,
ON send him here this afternoon,
promised Mrs. Benson. 81 understand
the reason; you may question him
freely.o
Finney bowed. "And after that
he went on. ''I shall probably have to
interview the young man himself
ooh. ] m sure Martin wouldn't
mind came the quick answer. - You
see we have fallen into the habit of
calling him Martin, although he says
be doesn t believe that IS his real name
or identity. But YOU won't be cross
or harsh, Mr.. Nalentine7 Promise
me, - begged the old lady,
''On the contrary said the inspec-
tor, Sour one hope Of arriving at the
truth is to coax it from him by gentle
means. And, by the way, Mrs. Benson,
1 suppose you have photograph of
your son-the real Martin Benson,
mean? Yes7 Then please let Parkes
bring it when he cOmes.'