In Sight of St. Paul's — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A DANGEROUS BEAUTY. 9 Bill Hodge, who drove his own plow, was an emperor compared to Tom Chichester. For the farmer who was not a gentleman flourished, while the gentleman who was not a farmer went to the wall. But just when things looked their worst, there came an astonishing change. Twenty years before, Mr. Chichester’s eldest brother, after borrowing from him every penny he possessed, went to Australia with a cargo of smug- gled lucifer matches and British brandy. At Ballarat, phosphorous and fire-water were at apremium. ‘Their owner sold well, and bought better, converted claims into companies, led a respectable life, and finally, on his death-bed, among other sins, remembered his starving relations and his brother’s loan. Signing his will finished him. He died the best hated man in Melbourne, but one of the richest. The change to the Chichesters in England was enormous, and brought its results. Harry, his father’s pride and joy, was sent to college, the farm was sold to Hodge, who knew how to make it pay, and the rest of the family moved to London, where we now find them celebrating Harry’s birthday. Mr. Chichester had been lavish in his expenditure. Carte blanche had been given to the best caterers in London, the house was superbly decorated with flow- ers in and out of season, and bands of music, hidden behind palms, discoursed their sweetest strains. Comicbooks (E(@) m