A PATERNAL PROBLEM

NZ Truth, Issue 464, 9 May 1914, Page 8

A PATERNAL PROBLEM

Mrs. Pryde's Predicament And the Amors of Aubrey. CFrom "Truth's" Dunedin Rep.) A curious case, In which a young lady once named Irene Olive Palmer (but now dubbed Mrs. Pryde) tried, and is trying, to fix the respectable, title of ' pater on one Aubrey Fisher, came up for probing before Mr. W. Y. Widdowson, S.M., last week. Aubrey denied paternity, and had "Costs" Irwin to back him up. The indiscreet Mrs. Pryde, whose hubby by the '\yay is hale and hearty, had £395 Adams to piously see to her side of the case. The affair on the whole seemed a very tangled mix-up, for, at the time Irene Olive presented the bairn for Fisher, she was the very respectable spouse of the bloke Pryde, but the latter, unfortunatly, did not accept the acquisition as anything redoubtable to his connubial covenant and his pollent pride. Pryde cleared out and left his tearful better half to tackle the strength, of Aubrey Fisher's congested purse. The whole business waa particularly unlucky for Mrs. Pryde, and far n^ore so for the fatherless bairn, m whom no magnanimous masculine seems to have any pride. Mr. Adams opened fire by reading copiously from many huge volumos on the laws of illegitimacy. • Mrs. Irene Olive Prydc. neo Palmer, said that m May, 1913, she was employed at the Occidental Hotel,, and met tho amiable Aubrey Fisher then and there accidentally. Later on, with bashful looks, they wandered out for salubrious rambles, and .DREAMY DAYS THUS PASSED. On a certain occasion she was with a Miss Terry, and Fisher met them. They left Miss Terry at the Salvation Army Barracks, and witness and Fisher journeyed up. lovely Macclaganstreet, past Jubilee Park, and into, as Mrs. Pryde said, Monticello. They sought an opening under the dripping, moon-lit trees. Fisher, besides being unusually amorous, .was surprisingly rude. Sho . never again tripped the daffodil dells with the awful Aubrey, and shortly afterwards she got. new employment m the Glasgow Hotel, where she met Pryde, fell m love, and eventually married tho generous gentleman. On February 11 of this auspicious year a very unwelcome and troublesome visitor popped on this spacious sphere. A child was born to Mrs. Pryde, but hubby denied all honors. She had previously Informed

Fisher of the little approaching item that awaited his attention and embraces,, but Aubrey merely hoped NOTHING WAS WRONG; ho did not want to part with another thirty, quid. Lawyer Irwin: Do you not know where Monticello is? — That's Monticello, where I said. j Your calculations are out by many miles, my dear. Monticello 'Park is away near the Southern Cemetery. — Well, I was told that was the name of the place. j Did you tell your husband of the i altair? — Yes. the night -we were married. He was very angry; No .doubt. And why did you not see Fisher over the birth afterwards?— THie reason was because I knew he was paying for another child already. When did the trip to this now Monlicello take place?— On May "2 last year. If, as you say, you did not want to annoy Fisher because he was already In trouble, why then bring these proceedings? — Whon I came out of the Home, seeing I could get no prospect of any support for my child, I decided on these steps. My husband would not live with me* while I kept the child, and L had nothing else to do. Yo*u were angry over the Monticello occurrence ?— DECIDEDLY. I made the remark that I. had been out with several young men, but nono of thorn had even hinted at the like. S.M.: When did you learn Fisher had another child?— After the occurrence, j Miss Olivo Terry gave evidence to meeting Fisher and Mrs. Fryde at the j Arcade on, the eventful night. They left her at the Salvarmy's Fire and Blood House, and went away. Miss Palmer had told her she had an appointment to keep with Fisher. Mrs. Palmer, mother of complainant and matron of the Sailors' Rest, said she met Fisher and told him of her daughter's state. He took tho news most indignantly, and ho certainly changed color a great deal. He eventually said he would see the daughter and wituess by arrangement. Under no consideration would he see Mr. Pryde. Fisher would neither deny nor admit anything. At this "portion of the proceedings, with a shriek, MRS. PRYDE COLLAPSED | UTTERLY. I Doughty Cop Sevier came to the rescue, and seeing an application of cold water did not revive matters, he took her up m his arms and boifo her out into the air. She gradually came to. , "Costs" Irwln intimated for the defence that no caso existed. Hls.wjtI nesses would show that Mrs. Pryde land her husband were intimate for 11 months. It's very easy to figure, out an occurrence after tho event, and that waa what the lady had done. Her collapse showed that she told a braxen-ed-out story. What she is telling is altogether Improbable, Her treatment of the man, Fiahcr, vras simply scandalouß. Ho happens to fie' a good mark, and a good pay, and that's about all that's m it. Aubrey Fisher, well -groomed and polite, entered the box and attested that he knew Miss Palmer m her prePrydc days, not so long ago. Ho admitted meeting her and Miss Terry at the Royal Arcade. They left Mlks Terry away a bit, and he and Mlbs Palmer parted whore they met. He never heard anything about the strange occurrence until , ho met her mother at the Sailors" Rest. She said. "There's a little matter I want tospeaU to you about; my daughter's latd up with a child, and she charges you with paternity." "GOOD HEAVENS!" he replied, "she's a murriod woman." He volunteered to thrash tho wholo matter out with her and her daughter when they choac. He gxive them hia addreaa. and told them to send him word, He had not got any word. To Mr. Aduma: Miss Terry's statement regarding -an appointment between him and Mlbb Palmer wns » mere Invention. Ho met them by accident. He was never out with Mlhh Palmer at any time. Roy Milne, a driver. Mild ho saw Pryde and Miss Palmer driving and dining together. When the Koo 551*l;nid bottloshlp was In the vicinity on •luuo 1, luvßttw the same pair JourneyIns to Port Chulmers together. In fact, ho was m the same earrluK<» with, thorn. Ho saw them several time* toKethur hoforo that. S.M.: Mrs. PryUo *ald she did not kuer» company with Pryde until August. Thiu'K very inconsistent with tho evidence we've just heard. Mr, Irwin: Yen. «lr: it In. William Fitzgerald, mvt Pryde and Mltw Palmer keeping company Ion« before they got married. He often tmw Pryde. Ho know him from «ippe»rjmce, but ho did not know his inotmik<«r wns Pryde. At UUh Juncture the Wench. £i% Adiimw. and "Sport" I«win koi POUHLICD IP IK A KNOT. Th« paternal rjueittirm wim becoming <i j very übKtruwe query, indeed, and the ! .S.M*. ronsJdered toe. Jmd better put th<- J mutter under his pillow for the nlghi. • und Kivtf it a frcifh run on ih« morrow, j The morrow duly ciirne, and with it i the minus delicate point. Mr. Adam* .*«t on hln volutnoH und expostulated < volubly, but H8 umifU to no purp"*"- | Mr. Irwln felt thut mum whk the word. fu> he merely *;u quiet and winced. The puternnl question wti* terribly (hie In the e«i»e. viewed fr«»tn «ny *ld<>. and the .S.M. hud nothing to do I'tu udjourn the affiilr to fucllftnte the uppenrunco of extra wlt»e>*nen.