The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1912-08-29

tangled skein. 'Then do you mean 70
assert that your son-Paul Baker
went about The world calling himself
Philip de Mountford? Z"
must ave been it. sir, ! think
"Deceivfng people?"
"Ayei 'e was ever a 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 low is lordship must
ave been tock In"
you helped him in the deception, I
suppose?"
Me, sir? Lor' bless We. no! Me an
Is mother amt clever enough for such
things: We knew nothin' of Paulfs
doln's, and e allus went is own way,
sir" a9
But at least you Knew tina this
fraud was going on?"
MOI 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 q very serious matter in
deed. II 1t is true, you are not only
making a grave accusation against
your dead son., but with this accusa-
ton you may be involving yourself or
some other member of your family in
an exceedingly serious charge of fraud
the penalty for which, il proved, would
be very severe indeed. On the other
hand, IT the story you tell is nothing
but a cock -and-bull tale, which fur
their evidence would presently demol-
lSh, then you lay yourself open to a
charge of perjury and CT conspiracy to
defeat the ends of Justice. / W.
thought best to give you this word OF
| yar oine---fha last Mh;rl, Won will rraf
from me-because really, you do not
seem to be fully conscious Of the ex-
treme gravity of your 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 %coroner's threats did not affect his
simple equanimity.
Il thank ou. sir. kindly" he said
when the coroner had ceased speaking,
but l can't 'elp it, Paul would go on
is own way. Ask is mother there. Il
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?"
NO. sir. We knew nothin of it real
". You see Paul left ONE nearly two
wear g come Christmas. 'E didn't
lCli ~ IOltiIlt .L..
Then you last saw your son alive
two years ago."
Yes, sir. That's the last me and is
mother seed of i'm. Christmas day,
sir. twas tWo year ago nearly. Paul
e said then ed lad 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 is mother seed of i'm"
He had told this with all the simple
fatalism peculiar to his class. The
son went abroad and abroad" to a
Clapham laborer is a very vague term
indeed. 1t means SO many things; geo.
graphically it means any place beyond
a l2-mile radius from home; the Anti
podes are abroad" but so is York
shire. Domestically it means that the
traveller passes out of the existence Of
those that are left behind as surely as
If he had stepped into the grave. FL
nanclallv. it means a mouth less to
feed. seeing that the intending traveler
Is nearly always u wastrel at home.
In any event the proposed journey
abroad" is taken with quiet philos-
ophy by family and friends. The trav-
eler starts for abroad" as easily, as
simply. 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 ever
has anv idea where the money comes
from that DAYS for the journey
abroad" The traveller being a wastrel
never has any himself, and the family
is Invariably too poor to provide it.
But the wastrel goes. nevertheless.
And life within the narrowed pre-
clncts of the family circle goes on Just
as it had done before. Sometimes news
comes from the traveler-a picture post
card from abroad" usually a request
for ~pecuniary assistance. Seldom Goes
good news arrive: still more seldom
does the traveller come back home.
Bat it is all very simple. Nothing to
make a fuss about.
Then" said the coroner. "he didn't
tell YOU where he meant to go?"
NO. sir" replied Jim Baker, "he
just was going abroad"
DO YOU know where he went?"
mo. sir"
Did you ever try to find out?"
NO. sir. Where lad been the use?'
and the Bake family so insignificant.
He didn't write to you"
No sir"
Nor communicate with you in any
way?"
No. sir"
You had no idea what had become
of him."
Not until last summer. sir"
What happened then?"
His sister, sir, our Emily. she was
out walkin' with Harry Smith-young
Smith from next door to us, strand
she was down in the west end O. Lon
don with i'm one day. and 90 should
they meet sir. but Paul"
Continued Next Week.l