The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1912-09-05
CHAPTER Xxx.
AND WHEN EVERY ONE WENT
HOME.

hOmEs
Though the hour was getting late.
no one among the crowd thought Of
leaving the court. Even the desire for
tea, so peculiarly insistent at q certain,
hour of the day in the whole of the
British race, was smothered beneath
the wave Of intense excitement which
swept right owe every one.
Although the next Worcestershire
each in their turn came forward to the
foot of the table-swore to tell the
truth n faced the coroner with more
or ,lwess assurance, they could but re-
peat the assertions of the head Of the
family: nevertheless the public seemed
ready to listen with untiring patience
to the story which went to prove that
| the man whom everybody believed to
be the heir of one of the oldest TITLES
n richest rent-rolls in England was
the sor of a Clapham bricklayer, a
master of audacity and Of fraud.
The mother-a worthy and simple
soul-was the first to explain that
Paul, her only son., had always been
something Of a gentleman. He had
done very we'll at school n never
done a stroke Of work like is father.
When he was fifteen he was quite
stage-struck. always play-acting,"
as the mother put it, land could recite
poetry beautiful"
Mrs. Baker seemed distinctly proud
of her sons deeply rooted horror of
work. She thought that all the in
stincts Of a gentleman were really in
him. When he was q grown lad, he
went as footman in a gentleman's
family somewhere in the Midlands. The
mother loftily supposed that 1t was
there that Paul earned his good man
ners.
He was q perfect gentleman, sir"
she reiterated ~complacently.
1t appeared too hat the wastrel had
had a period in his career when the
call OF the stage proved quite irresistible,
for he seemed to have left the gentle
mans family in the Midlands some
what aruptly and walked or as super
for a time in the various melodramas
produced at the Grand Theatre, Not
tingham, whenever a crowd was re-
quired on the stage. There seems also
to ave existed q legend in the heart
Of the fond mother and of the doting
sister that Paul once really played a
big part in a serious play. But this
statement was distinctly wanting in
confederation.
What was obviously an established
act was hat the man had a certain
spirit OF adventure in him, and that he
had beer a regular rolling stone, a reg
ular idle, good-for-nothing wastrel,
possessing a certain charm Of ann
which delighted his family and which
was readily mistaken by the simple
folk for that OF a gentleman.
They were all called in turn; the
sister, and young Smith from next
door," and the latter's sister. Not one
Of them swerVed for a moment from the
original story told by Jim Baker. Emf
ly and young Smith told of the meeting
which occurred on a fine summers
afternoon between themselves n
Paul. BY the strange caprice OF wanton
coincidence tire meeting occurred in
side Green Park.
Paul seemed q little worried, thinking
that the passersby would see him talk
ing to poor people like u.s." as Emily
Baker had II, although" she added,
proudly. Il 'ad me new at on. with the
pink roses" Otherwise, he was quite
] pleasant and not at all "off-'Qnd."
The account Of this interview was
from next door," Jane Smith, who at
one time had considered herself en-
gagged to Paul Baker, had a few tender
"reminiscences to recount She had seen
the prodigal once, on the boards Of the
Queens theater, Lewisham, and she
had declared that he looked " a perfect
gentleman"
The day wore on, or rather the COM
mencement Of evening. The evil SMELL
ing fog from the outside had made it's
home inside the dismal room. People
there only saw one another through a
were wrapped in gloom. Exciting as
was the story which had been unfolded
this afternoon, n or two among the
audience had given way to sleep. Lady
Ducies' feathers nodded ominously. and
the old dame who had munched sand
witches was inclined to give forth an
occasional snore.
Louisass eyes were aching. Constant
watching had tired them; they even
ceased to see clearly. Her brain had
become somnolent. She was tired Of