The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1851-08-02
From the Loalon Lady ; Companion.
Miriam.

Miriam,
\ Tale of CIrCumstantiaI Evidence.
1t WAS on this very circuit, and in tins very
town ! was Young at the bar then, one Of the
least known Juuor-, and very poor, anxious to
" TX hard, but without either interest Or cUnncx
ion to bring me forward. had been the circuit
four times, and except twice had never held a
hrlti, ana those two were gwen me BY another
man, Who was summoned o. his mothers death.
bed. Still did not despair, had indeed, two
Incentives to couiage and perseverance The
:r-t was hrm trust in Gods mercy, and the
second, my engagement to your mother But It
was hard work sometimes, lasscs. and needed all
my resolution to endure but d,d endure, and
the end came We'll. i was the Lent A,.izes
and Lord Cranstoun, the Lord Chief JusIcc, wal 6
On the criminal side. The calendar WAS uuusu.
ally heavy, aud we knew from h- LorI,ip 8
'huge ihat he came prepared TO make an exam.
PIE, as he called II.
The commission was opened late a the day,
after which the court adjourned TIL the morrow.
Ii happcued that iOr some reason or other re
malnrI IN court Il short time after every one else
had Quilted H. 1t seemed h0I an accident, allho'
doubtless It was Gods doing. aud ordained Ly
hn". remember that was gazing IDLY IN the
empty benches, vAcu heard rapid footsteps uJi.
moment utcr ! was acc, sted by an at uIney.
Ih"g your P rIon, hc SAID, 1uri,Ily, can you
:cll ne where to lind Mr. A>hicy :
Indeed, cannot Some mistake has occurred
with bis clcrk, and when we came INTO town 10
day We found 'iI. lie had no, procured lodgings
AS usual
So learn | have b, en- to the rooms Nlr Ash
ley usually has, and hear they are taken for Ser.
-eunt Keats. wish to see hm as soon as posi-
n'e, ana am ~ the utmost pcrplcylty.'
! nm very sorry cannot help You, Nlr Paget
--Mr Ashley had some intention ul gong to Md
ycln this evening, in which case he offered To
drye inc over, therefore If YOU will come to nv
rooms "e may hear some tdugs of linn; alna.
perhaps, as decliucd lis proposal he may not
call; II j. all chance
BOW dli You know msf asked the attorney
us we walked together
You are an Oxford man, think; were you
not at Maslalcnf
Yes and youi do not remember you'
! was at Worcester Do YOU not rtcplIect that
vine patty in Loyds rooms at Oricl, when the
chimney took fire and the punch spoiled met
YOU there
TO Be sure how could forgeti And what
have you been doing succ'
'Mnivelously little
'lS this your first circuit;
No; the fourth
1 never saw You here before, did you read
with Chanty
30, with Mouk-vhyr
Because he had an Oxford man Of your name
with hun few terms since and he married a
cousin Of nine. | wish had seen you before,
should have asked You to hold this brief for me.
But uow--ah, here is Mr.. Ashley
Ashley had been to my rooms and not finding
me there, had sailed forth in search Of mc, and
now turned back with u. A. soon rs his eyc
caught the name upon the brief which Mr. pagct
handed to him, he said, Sorry cant take it, sir
| am retained to prosecute 4 short cOnvcrSa
ton ensued, which resulted in the brief being
handed to me.
/ 'Andn now, Mr Conway said the attorney, 'car
YOU give ne n cOnierenccl We must get an aC
qulttul II possible. nr4 | know that no effort,
will be spmci hy the prosecution to convict my
client, who is, firmly believe rs innocent Of th,
charge As you are-when can You see NOR
/ Now this moment The guucns were nest
ling comfortably IN my wni,.c0at pocket and tn,
nJrel excitement caused me to forget the dignity
| ought to have preserved.
Thank YOU; then If You will glance vour eve
over the cusr upon your brief von " III at once b,
~ possession ot the names Of the parties and til,
offence charged. When you have done So wi
explain the prisoners previous history, which i
is material that you should know
/ 1t was prosecution icr ar.on the rrsoae
an apprentice girl, aaG her masters premise'
,lSse wpcE, had been DESTROYED, ....u.-.n.g,ea-
h'"' s"h '-.', p-- - '''' '.'
reading, now you must listen to long story
Eighteen years ngo large basket, containing nm
infant apparently six months old, was left at the
door Of a surgeon in this town, The child was
handsomely dressed aud letter enclosing n
bank lll for twenty pounds, and stating that the
infants name was Miriam Lyndon were found be.
side her
'1he surgeon was bachelor, IN eccentric and
strange man, although very humane ami char.
table one, mud IN spite of all the scandal aud
tests of the world lac kept the little strangcr,-
But he had hoLsekeepcr Alice sharpe es,
lie continued seeing me turn again to my oIl,i
'thut is the woman whose house ihS been burned
and she was 50 greatly cnlaso! at the prospect "l
any one sharing the influence she had obtained
over her master, that after vanly trying to after
biz determination, she rev'nged her d'Harpoht
rn.nt upun the poor child, by the most crue
usage. Ten ears rolled on in this way; the sur
econ rnvc un practice and society, sccludng linn
self in hi- house aud gp'd'n, There were -" ser
wants beside Alice Sharpe aud poor little Miriam
|vhr.vn. .,Iu unr,,uu,hly hated hy the iurn.,r
with boy whu worked occasionally m the gu
den. By the cAcryi.c Of constant wa'ehtuurs
and cunning Alice Sharpe managed I" Keep he
ma.trr and ht. lulr pyoisYo ulmu 'n'rclS ophl
,rl shr continued ~ tu TILL the rhllds uNld Wl'
'pnprrhon-iun AMI tears ul her protector, Tia
/ ,I,n hy amy chance they did meet, her tctro
wa, 50 great as tn mortIly aud dlaappolnt III
kind old man. Still he loved the child dearly