Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-28
By
BARONESS ORGY
Copyright, 1911. by oeors. Il. Doran Company,

tude. but clearly the coroners threats did
not affect his simple equanimity.
Il thank you. sir, kindly. he sain' |
when the coroner had ceased speaking.
"but can't 'elp it. Paul would go on is
own way. Ask is mother there never
would be spoken to. wouldn't Paul. Ana
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 it, really.
You see. Paul left 'ome nearly two year
ago come Christmas. E didn't tell us
nothing"
Then you last saw your son alive two
Eyes. sir That's the last me and is
mother seed Of i'm. Christmas day, SIT,
twas. two year ago nearly. Paul e SAID
then ed 'ad enough OF knockin' about in
London. E was goin abroad, e was,
that's what e said. And e left 'ome, sir,
the next day. Bank 'oliday 'twere. and
that's the last me and is mother seed OF
i'm
He had told this with all the simple IA
talism peculiar to his class The son
went abroad" and abroad to Clap
ham labOrer is a very vague term, indeed
1t means so many things-geographica
radius from home: the antipodes are
abroad" but so is Yorkshire. Domes-
tically it means that the traveller passes
out of the existence Of those that are left
behind ID. as surely as ne had
mouth less to feed, seeing that the in
tending traveller Is nearly always was
trel at home. In any event the proposed
journey abroad is taken with quiet
philosophy by family and friends. The
traveller starts for abroad as easily. as
simply, as he would for the nearest public
house. He has no impediments. nothing
to burden him or to cause him regret.
Strangely enough, no one ever has any
%
pays 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 precincts
of the family circle goes on just as 1t had
done before. Sometimes news comes from
the traveller picture post card from
abroad usually request for pecuniary
assistance. Seldom does good news ar
rive: still more seldom does the traveller
come back home.
But it is all very simple. Nothing to
make fuss about
Then" said the coroner. The didn't
tell you where he meant to go?"
mo. SIR" replied Jim Baker, The just !
was going abroad"
DO you .'u know where he went:'
Did you ever try to find out?"
mo, SIR. Where 'ad been the use? !
Where. indeed? The world is SO large
ana the BAKER family SO lHS1SH1liCdHl.
He didn't write to your
mo, SIR"
Nor communicate with you in any
way?"
mo. sir. 4
you had no idea what had become OF
him."
Not until last summer: sir.
What happened them
His sister, sir our Emily, she was out |
walkin' with Harry Smith-young Smith |
fr4yS IN
down in the West End o. London with
i'm one day. and 90 should they meet |
sir, but Paul.
Ibid they speak to him."
Eyes. sir. They says, ''Ello, Paul, we
didn't know as 'ow you was ONE and
seemed upset like at first, and pretended
e didn't know 'em, and that they'd made
mistake. But they chaffed I'm ana
thought 1t best to make clean breast OF
it ALL
do you mean to say that he told MS
sister and his friend that he was carry
ing on a criminal fraud against the Earl
Of Radclyffe?''
"Oh. no, sir; not all that. e only told
'em that e was in for g. good thing.
gentleman's gentleman e told 'em was i
would come and see the fam'ly-'e meant
me and is mother. sir-some day soon.
But e never come.
Did he say where he was living?
Emily. Up 'Ampstead way it were. A
long way, sir Me and is mother never
seemed to ave the time to go and look
i'm up: but Emily she went with young
the street, nor where Paul said e was
Twin. There weren't no such street in
"And you never thought of making
further inquiries?'
mo. sir This again with that quiet
philosophy. the sto1id fatalism. peculiar
to those who live from day to day. from
hand to mouth; who have neither leisure |
cumscribed limits Of their own hearths.
"You never made any effort to know
more about what your son was doing. or /
how he was living?" suggested the coro- |
ner, who, though accustomed to this same
quiet philosophy in men and women OF
that class, was nevertheless strangely
moved in this instance by the expression
OF fatalism that CARVED In its train
such extraordinary consequences
But Jim Baker, mildly astonished at the
coroner's insistence over so obvious
matter. explained meekly: :.
I'VE knew that Paul was dom well.
you see. sir. e was that splendidly
dressed when Emily and young Smith
seed i'm they was quite respectful like
to I'm. So we knew e was all right"
"And you never troubled any further
about your son.
I'VE didn't want to interfere with i'm. |
sir Gentlemen don't allus like their
servants to be aving visitors, or to 'obnob
with poor people like US"
More calm philosophy not unmixed with
a delicate sense of pride this time. and
| q sublime IL unconscious vein of selfiess-
ness.
WELL" rejoined the coroner. not un-
| kindly this time-the man who looked so
| like a beetle, who was so humble and
apologize, compelled quite q certain
amount Of regard-''we'll leave that mat
| ter for the moment, Mr.. Baker. Now.
como to this court today? What led you
to think that the man who had been muir
dered in a cab the night before last, and
| Of whom all the newspapers spoke as