Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1855-12-08

ribbon, all of which were charged to the ac-
count of Mr.. Sharpe whilst Emily left the
shop, thinking only of the happy morrow even
ing, and the walk with her cousin.
| That evening came, with gorgeous sunset
and mellow summer air. They stroled thro'
the parks, and passed the most magnificent
gardens but Emily had heard and seen moth
| ing but her cousin, who had entertained her
with such delightful stories of so many charm
ing places and people, that she twas perfectly
amazed and disappointed when"'she found her
self back at the Sharpes door, shaking hands,
and bidding adieu-her last-to Hugh. He
was to set out on the following day for Ger
many /; and with many protestations of regard
and remembrance, they parted-he on his ira
vels, and she on a journey she had but little
anticipated.
What could Mr. Sharpe want with her In
his library next morning early Alone, seat
ed at his desk, with more than usual Bir-
mingham face, he bade her close the door, with
hard metallic echo in his voice that made it
sound like human gong. Flnging on the
table the fatal purchases of the day previous
| ribbon, gloves and handkerchief metal
voice inquired when he had given her authori-
ty to use his name at the haberdasher's and
how many more swindling transactions of
like character she had been concerned in The
wrong she had committed the offence against
the law, worked out by her in that thoughtless
! evil hour came full, and wildly and painfully
before her, magniied even beyond its proper
proportion by her ignorance. Confusion gave
place to terror, vague and oppressive and sink
ing into chair, she buried her face in her
hands, and gave full vent to her passion in a
flood of tears.
Mr.. Sharpe, being a very rirtuous and re-
markably upright and good man-in his way
delivered himself of long grafton upon the
depravlty of human nature as existing in the
lower orders, and upon the great necessity
which existed for nippiug in the bud every germ
OF vice and crime amongst the said orders
He laid some emphasis upon the duty which
men at the head of families and of elevated
stations-like himself, for instance-owed to
society in general, and to themselves and chill
dren in particular and although Emily, amidst
her tears and terrors, could understand but lit
tie OF all this harangue she caught the sound
OF the words felon and JAIL and majesty
of the law
Some people would have been weak enough
and silly enough to have sent the weeping girl
to her room, with an injunction as to her fu-
ture conduct, under the impression that Justice
would gladly have connived at such an arrange
ment But, then, how could the majesty of
the law have been upheld ? How was out
ragged society to have been vindicated? ? True.
we had forgotten that The Birmingham mas
ter did not, however. His memory, like his
wares, was of an enduring kind and he did
not in this instance forget to stand up for the
outraged grades of society against the criminal
enOrmty before him.
The children cried good deal Mrs Sharpe
did not know what she should do and the ser
wants declared it was monstrous, when they
learned that poor pretty little Emily had gone
off in cab to terrible prison. 1t so hap
pened that just at that identical time the ses-
sions were on, and Mr.. Serjeant Kain was in
the thick of his very fourishing business, busily
engaged in uphoding the majesty of the law |
The widow was not long in making her way to
her poor chiid's side and sad scene was that
of their meeting, even for jailers and such sto-
ny people to witness
The terrible, dreaded day of trial came
Emily was led into court in state of hysteri- !
cal terrcr, which Mr.. SERGEANT Kain, in the
fulness of his judicial wisdom, pronounced the |
very essence of hypocrisy Her mother remain
ed as near to her as she dared, whispering in
her ear comfort that she herself scarcely dared |
to feel. The process of hearing the case was
not by any means tedious one, and might |
have been quickly despatched, had the bare |
facts only been gone into. But the learned !
SERGEANT having been just previously defrauded |
of two noted pickpockets, whom he had inward |
ly reckOncd on as his particular property, de-
termincd to wreak his disappointed majesty
upon the next conner, which, unfortunately, |
happened to be Emily.
There were no witnesses beyond the trades |
man and the master, and their story was soon
told. The prisoner did not deny the act of
obtaining the goods under false pretences-
which was the charge-and would have said |
more, but was too terrified The foreman of
the jury-a mild looking man, no doubt the
father of family-began to observe that the |
case was scarcely such one as should have
been brought on but was cut short and frown- |
ed down by the serjeant, who, trembling for
the safety of justice and the legal majesty |
aforesaid, proceeded to sum up the evidence
not very abstruse affair one would suppose.
But Mr.. Scrjcant Kahn worked it up so arts
ticaly, judicalIy, and threw in such heap of
horrors and monstrosities, that the gentlemen
of the jury scarcely recognized the case \
Surrey dramatist, or a Whitechapel tragedian
might have harmed few things from that
charSe. NHeh people lStched 10 the ieaTneu
Serjeant'S denunciation of serpentS, and viperS, |
and pests of society, and at the same time cast
their eyes upon the youthful form and sorrow
full face of the prisoner at the bar they must
have thought it one of the leaSt-venomous Spe-
cimens of the serpent tribe they had ever read
or heard of, or seen in pcture-books.
But Serieant kan was not the man to be
humbuggcd by crime, simply because it cried
when detected. He knew what the world was |
made of and he maintained that it was per-
fectly shocking to see young women of her age, |
seventeen years or morc-the widow shrieked
ont, scarcely fifteen ; but SERGEANT kain
r :; 81 u