Freeman's champion., 1857-08-06


hopeful, and aspiring young authof
very few really promising young au-
thors would have chosen to do SO.
o He therefore only told them what
his name was, where he came from,
and what he came out to B. for,--
without mentioning the name Of Mary
Maxwell.
"Ahar' said they, "you needn't
think to cheat US in That way! Weate
caught you, old ieller, and we bsPA
we've caught NiGl Youth &Atip
more about it pretty soon !"
Metby such a torrento Of accusation,
the poor fellow thought it best to say
as little as possible at present, and to
await events. .stam .o4a
Presently a justice of the peace en-
tered, and at his back couple of la
dies, residents in the village. What
was Chester Jcnk's first great morti-
fication, to hear the justice accosted
on all sides as Squire Maxwell 1t
took the courage out Of his heart in
an instant.
"Look here, sir" said Squire M,
to begin with, "you are charged by
these women with entering their
houses and taking goods Of such and
such description. Are you guilty
or not guilty ?"
Chester began long speech, but
was cut short at the outset. They
did not come there to hear long
speeches, or any sort of speeches
but to see justice measured out to a
rogue and robber. a..
While this was going forward, a
constable had the thought to exam
inc his coat pockets and, sure
enough, from one Of them he fiShed
up four silver spoons, with heinitials
of one of his female iaccusers quite
legibly engraved upon them They
were held up as proof that he was the
thief
Whoreupon Chester commenced an
explanation of the manner in which
he came not only by the spoons, but
by the clothes also.
GA very likely story =, they all
mumured, with a sneer, in his ears,
ga likely storyP
The women testified both to the
property as theirs, and to the identity
of the prisoner The landlord iden-
tilted him as the same fellow who had
come in the stagecoach only the same
afternoon and the few men who had
vainly chased after him freely offered
their testimony that this was the same
fellow they had run out Of town, and
wore precisely the same clothes.
Gould proofbe more to the point
Chester jerks continued to protest,
He was ,laboring under a mingled
sense of modification and confusion,
at finding himself arraigned as a
criminal, and especially at having
his case tried before the father of the
very girl he had been SO anxious tc
see. He thought of mentioning tc
Squire Maxwell the name of his
friend Tom Whiting; but then, on
second thought, why need he make
himself known at all? 1t was al.
ready bad enough; could he hope tc
better it in this way? Still he die
not cease for a moment TO profess
against the proceedings with all hi
present vigor; to declare himself ar
innocent person, and the victim Of {
foul conspiracy; and to insist tha
the very clothes he wore were nothil
own, but had been left him in OK
change for those he laid on the river'l
bank while bathing. All, however
to worse than no purpose; for nov
they thought him not only an out-andI
out thief, but consummate liar in a.
bargain. " ' "
Esquire Maxwell, the father 0
the beautiful Mary, found hiiRs- guilty
in due course of law A.; and Sentencey
him to o fine of seven dollars, will
costs, together with impriSonmen
in the county Jail for thirty days. !
he could not raise the amount of tn
fine, he was at perfect liberty to re
main in limbo until he had worke'
it out. Ditl No NlG q
A constablorodo up with a smar
horse to drive him off some six goo,
miles to the place Of bis more ,perma
nent destination. Chester jerks go
into the wagon with an odd comb
nation of feelings, with which 'th
: ludicrous wasjusto beginning to cge
mixed up, He arrived at his quer
ters in safety, passed q sleeples
night, and awoke in the morninI
with a determination to sit down an
do something about it,. Early in III
: forenoon, however who should max
} his appearance in the county ,institu