Butte record., 1855-11-03

was absolutely desolate. He devoted
hims II to his profession, went upon the
bench, studied, labored, strove day by
day, year after year, to forget, and in
part succeeded.
Nevertheless there were times when
the memory Of the past came over him
ike flood, tearing up the strong bar
riers he had hulided to keep them back,
sweeping over bis soul, and laying it
waste and desolate. Sometimes, in the
solemn nights, he would remember the
beloved wife of his early years, and
would weep bitterly in his lonesome
room. Oftener still, his radient daugh>
ter would appear before him in all her
young loveliness, and he would shudder
as he thought what might now be her
fate, abandoned to the tender mercies of
a cruel world
And 50 years rolled on, and he grew
cid fast; and when Kate Cameron should
have been twenty-five her father was
prematurely old, and his mind was bro
ken by bis sorrows.
And when she threw back her vail
and looked at him, when their eyes met
once, only one instant, and he saw all
the horrible scene before him, it was not
strange that reason for the time depart
ed. 1t was only strange that any life
remained.
1t is astonishing what command some
men may obtain over their features. He
sat in the chair, leaning back Hstlessly,
waiting the coming in of the verdict, and
no one would have dreamed that he was
more than ordinarily interested in what
vas going on.
The night crept slowly on. The day
was approaching, and still no verdict.
The clerk had fallen asleep; the con.
stables sat nodding on the steps that led
to the bench; the counsel had gone out,
and were solacing themselves at a neigh
boring hotel with cigars and punch, dis
cussing the trial and the news Of the
time, with an occasional joke and story
by way of enlivenment. The candles
had burned down, and the long wicks
ob-cured the light, SO that it was diff
cult to see across the courtroom. The
low hum Of conversation had given place
to profound silence, and now all was
hushed, as if the same repose that
blessed others, guilty or innocent, were
blessing the prisoner and the court
alike.
But an observer, had there been one,
would have been startled at the scene
which the courtroom now presented in
all this stiffness.
The judge, from letting his gray eye
rove around the room, had,when he saw
that no one observed him, fixed it on
the prisoner, who sat in a large chair,
erect as before. She had removed the
vail from her face, and sat uncovered,
with her gaze fixed on his countenance.
Neither could see the expression Of The
others face. Each knew that the other
was looking, but neither gave any indi-
cation Of the knowledge. Her face was
calm, but full Of deep, ardent, earnest
love, mingled with impending anxiety.
Could his have been distinguished, the
similitudo would have been startling.
Slowly the night wore on. A little
before daylight stir announced the
coming Of the jury As they entered,
the courtroom resumed its former ap-
pearance. The lights were trimmed;
the constables awoke; the clerk reused
himself 10 call over The names Of the
jury. But they had only come for in
struciion.
'In what the court had said about
ch ractsr. were they to understand that
lack Of evidence Of the prisoners good
character was presumPtiye evidence Of
bad character"
1t was nice question, and, in the
present instance, terrible one. For a
father to direct jury in determining
the character Of his daughter on pre-
sumptiye evidence, was work requiring
no small mental determination. But he
did it calmly, repeating what he had said
before, and saying in substance that
though no evidence Of bad character, it
was entitled to its weight in connection
with the other evidence in the case.
Day broke on the city, and light stole
into the court-room-gray, and feeble,
and cold a the first. flushing up al length