A HOLE IN THE FOG ANOTHER TALE OF MAGICAL SAN FRANCISCO Michael Matheny
PART ONE Jacob Stoneham, 2000
T
he Honorable Jacob A. Stoneham, Municipal Court Judge for the City of San Francisco, wiped his perspiring face with a handkerchief and tried to stifle a yawn. The only thing worse than the staggering dullness of the cases so far, he thought, was the stifling heat of the courtroom. Though it was mid-June, it was chilly and foggy outside with no hint of a break in the clouds. This was typical summer weather for San Francisco, but the custodian had cranked up the heat to a level which would be more than adequate in a Minnesota blizzard. He looked hopefully at the clock on the rear wall and noted with regret that it was only just after ten. Surely court had been in session longer than an hour. His stomach growled plaintively. It had been only two hours since he had had breakfast, if you could call it that. In an effort to rein in his ever-expanding waistline, he had sternly ordered his housekeeper, Mrs. Oglethorpe, to serve him only a spartan breakfast—two shredded wheat biscuits with a ~
A
H o l e
i n
t h e
F o g
b y
M i c h a e l
M a t h e n y
1
~