Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-09-05

hand. were far too excited even to
think.
Now" resumed the coroner. tell the
jury. please, when you first Identified
the deceased as our SOM"
This morning. sir"
IN the mortuary chamber?"
Yes, sir"
NC, SIR"
have sworn that the body is that of a
gentleman called Philip de Mountford?"
Yes, sir. l knew hat"
Then do you mean to assert tina
those other witnesses nave sworn false
oaths ?"
oh, no. sir" rejoined James Baker.
with an apologize smile of self-dep-
sir"
We'll, them"
They was mistaken. sir. that's all.
Paul was that clever, sir; ask is moth
err there"
And once more the lean and grimy
finger pointed to the seedy looking MAJ
iron. who nodded a melancholy head,
half in pride, half in regret.
Clever. did you say?" asked the cor
oner, more briskly now. At last he
tangled skein. Then do you mean to
assert that your son-Paul Baker
went about the world calling himself
Philip de Mountford? ."
That must ave been it, sir, l think"
"Deceiving people"'
AYE! e was eve q bit o. no good"
You think he imposed upon his lord
ship, the Earl of Radclyffe?'
"E must ave done. sir, mustn't e,
now? SEEM as 'ow is lordship must
ave been took in"
You helped him In the deception, /
SUPPOSE"
Me, sir? Lor' bless We. no! Me an
lis mother amt clever enough for such
things! We knew nothin' of Pauls
doin's. n e allus vent is own way,
SIR
But at least you knew that his
fraud was going on"'
Not exactly. sir"
How do you mean. not exactly?'"
retorted the coroner sharply. You
seem to be unconscious of the fact
that this story which you are telling
the jury is Il very serious matter in
deed. If 1t is true, you are not only
making Il grave accusation against
your dead son. but with this accusa-
ton you may be involving yourself or
some other membe of your family in
an exceedingly serious charge of fraud
the penalty for which,. ii proved, would
be very severe indeed. On the other
hand, If III story you tell is nothing
but a cock -and-bull tale, which fur
4 SAASAi Wv WO0i0 presently ucIuOl.
ish. then you lay yourself open to a
charge OF perjury and of conspiracy to
defeat the ends OF justice. I have
thought best to give you this word OF
warning-the last which you will get
from me-because ally you do not
seem to be fully conscious OF the ex-
IRENE gravity OF our position"
The bricklayer from Chaplain had
listened to this ~admonition, delivered
with solemn emphasis and no small
measure Of severity. with a kind OF
stolid Indifference. He retained his
humble, apologize attitude. but clearly
the threats did not affect his
simple equanimity.
II han you. sir. kindly" he said
when the coroner had ceased speaking.
is own way. Ask is mother there. n
never would be spoken to, wouldn't
Paul. And me and 'is mother allus
said ed come to mischief some day
Did you know anything at all of this
fraud?'
mo. sir. We Knew nothin' of 1t real
ly. You see Paul left 'ome nearly two
wear ago come Christmas. 'E didn't
tell us nothin'."
The you last saw your o alive
Yes. sir. That's the last me and is
mother seed of i'm. Christmas day.
sir. twas two yea g nearly. Paul
e said then ed 'ad enough of knock
IN about in London 'E was goin'
abroad. e was. that's What e said. And
e left 'ome. sir. the next day. Bank
'oloday 'twere. and that's the last me
and lis mother seed Of i'm"
He had told this with all the simple
fataltsm peculiar to his class. The
son went abroad" and abroad" to a
Clapham laborer is a very vague term
indeed. 1t means go many things; geo.
graphically 1t means any place beyond
a l2-mile radius from home; the Anti
podes are abroad" but SO is York.
shire. Domestically 1t means that the
traveller passes out Of the existence OF
those that are left behind as surely as
II he had stepped into the grave. FL
nanciallv. 1T means a mouth less to
feed. seeing h a the intending traveller
is nearly always a wastrel at home.
abroad is taken with quiet philos-
ophv bv family and friends. The trav-
eler starts for abroad" as easily. as
sfmply. as he would for the nearest
public house He has no impedimenta.
nothing to burden him or to cause him
regret. Strangely enough, no one aver
has n idea where the money comes
from that pays for the Journey
abroad" The traveller being a wastrel
never has any himself. and the family
is Invariably too poor to provide 1t.
But the wastrel goes. nevertheless.
And life within the narrowed pre-
cfncts of the family circle goes on Just
as 1T had done before. Sometimes news
comes from the traveler-a picture post
card from abroad" usually a request
Tor pecuntary assistance. Seldom Toes
good news arrive:' still more seldom
does the traveller come back home.
But 1t ts all very simple. Nothing to
make a fuss about.
Then" said the coroner "he didn't