Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1861-04-12
A TRUE STORY.
A "REMINISCENCES OF THE BAR.

ludu lIic luClt dIC al NaIiOuS Poiuto aiobS
our pathway obstacles which oppose our
progress and which call for strength Of
will and steadiness of purpose to over
come ma salient points, that project in
sharp angles across our way, to turn us
from our purpose or to conceal the OBJ
iects that lie before US in our future
course. Every man unless he is more
than usually fortunate or possesses more
than the usual amount of prudence and
foresi+ht. mus oxpect to meet with re-
verses and disaPpoiatm Young
profa Jnal men perhaps more to
meet IN the way OF opposition and dis
enlargement than any other class in
community No man of common pru-
dence desires to risk his life or fortune
in The hand Of an unskilled or dishon-
est man; auu hence, frequently, the mod
ess and retiring, though really'competent
and deserving young attorney or physi-
clan, has often to wait for employment
until he is tempted to abandon his pro-
fession in despair
l have in my mind at this moment a
case in point Counsellor NJ, late of
the Massachusetts bar, for long time
enjoyed an enyiable reputation and lu-
crative practice-was honored by his
constituents, with many important trusts
and often been cited as an example of rap
lprogress and quick success. Nothing,
however, is really wider from the truth
than that Counsellor VI. rose rapidly in
his profession little do they suspect that
he was a sound practical lawyer, and had
been ten years in the profession, before
the Circumstance occurred that called him
into public notice, gave him an extensive
reputation. and iutroj7red him into a
higher and more lucrative sphere Of prac-
ice. His office at the time was located
in the ~eat manufacturing city of New
England, some twenty-five miles from
Boston. lie was seated one day in his
office examining n recent volume of Re-
ports, and comparing the cases it con-
tanned with the principles of the English
common law, when young man entered
whom lie rememoered,t to have seen in
some way come ed with one of the
manufacturing corporations. He was
an intelligent good-iooking man, appa-
renty of about TWENTY-FIVE years, and
dressed in the garh H better class OF
operatives in the . lie was posses
ed of that ind ,endent and sefreliant
air that distinguishes the American me-
chauic from the laboring classes of all
,he rest Of the world, and indicates
degree Of intellectual cultivation which
Is at the same time the pride Of our citi-
zens and the safety of the rebublic. An
expression Of deep anxiety was upon
his countenance, and he proceeded at
once to say;
l wish to consult with you upon a
matter Of deep importance, involving the
integrity and happiness of a poor but
yirtuous and honorable family, A young
woman by the name Of Lucy Kendall,
who is engaged as a weaver in the mill,
and indeed in the very room in which |
am overseer, is accused cf grand larce-
ny under circumstances Of the most
grave suspicious. Public opinion is very
much against her, but am satisfied she
is innocent of any crime. The net of
eirc ms, s,aucos seems inext lbl but she
must be saved in some way and at any
hazard
The Counsellor su r-ested that perhaps
she was really guilty of the charge.
No, no. he answered, tits impossible!
I have known her from a child. We
were schoolmates together in one of the
little villages among the granite hills of
New Hampshire. Her father was a man
Of considerable property then, and ] was
a poor mans son; but we were in the
same classes in the village school. She
was two or three years younger than L,
but ! looked upon her, even then, as the
personifcation of virtue and goodness /;
and the bright example she set us then,
and the admiration | had for her charac-
ter in those school-boy days, has never
since been lost. At the age of eighteen
left my native village, and came here
as an operative in a-cotton mill, in which
l have been ever since engaged. lost
sight Of Miss Kendall till a year ago
last summer at which time she came
here anl uttered ne mill as a weaver /;
and then / learned for the first time that
her fathers circumstances had changed
sadly-that Ae had lost all his prop
erty except small arm on the outskirts
of the village, on which also there was