Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1869-08-17
WHOLE NUMBER 500.

ton on very pressing buslness,-not
as lawyer, but as a friend"
"Just as you please" said officer
Knox; and then the door swung into
its place, the great key was turned,
and | was left alone. There was no
window, but a sort of twilight came
into the cell through the door. l
threw off my bonnet, pressed my
hands to my brows, and sat on the
edge of the berth to think. If l had
volume at my disposal, could fill
it all in telling what I thought in the
few moments I spent in this way. l
remember shutting little Freddy Lee
in the wood closet of the school room
week before, because | could not
find it in my heart to give the slender
boy severer punishment, and how
pale he looked when l released hin.
| tried to remember what sentepco
was given to pickpockets, and where
was the prison to which they were
sent. I wondered whether judges and
juries looked at innocent people thro'
such spectacles as blinded the eyes of
policemen. I wondered where the
guilty woman was with Mrs. Proctor's
money. And as memory and conjec-
ture were thus busy confusing each
other in eagerness, the door opened
again, and the hideously familiar face
and buttons of the patrol cleaned be-
fore my eyes in the passage way.
"Sorry to say Mr.. Churchill is not
in his Office. Maynot be back to-day;
and his boy says he is going for Wis.,
it to the country tomorrow, to be
gone week"
This news seemed hardly more than
fresh drop in the full bucket of my
despair. | felt relief rather than ad-
!, ditional woe when officer Knox con-
tinued: "Mrs. Proctor is here. She
is going away tomorrow, too, and if
she is to appear in court it must be
t this afternoon. So as the court hap
J pens to be in session, l will take you
, right over and have this thing dispos-
: ed off at once. 1t can't make any
' difference to you anyway as l see."
! BY all means, let US have it over
as soon as possible" said |, tying on
3 my bonnet again with trembling fin.
= gers.
Nothing you want to say to me
before you 60 in, suppose" said the
1 officer, looking at me through eyes
). half closed.
!, Nothing but to thank you for do.
/ ing my errand."
t 40, very well, like your pluck"
t he replied. "You know you won't
e have another chance to make an ad-
vantageous arrangement for getting
. the money back"
I said nothing in reply to this fur
ther hint; and the agent of the law
e stalked below me into the outer room
: again. caught a glimpse of Mrs.
? Proctor leaving it for the court house.
i, The captain had lighted a cigar; but
v the task Of watching its fumes left his
q hands and beard still free for their
e endearments. He did not once look
f at me as l stood waiting before him,
l. while Mr.. Knox gathered up my pos
/. sessions from the drawer and thrust
0 them into his own capacious pocket.
+ Then we left the captain, and | never
Y saw him more.
v [ could not have told whether my
= guide and | had walked a mile or two
Y rods when our destination was reach
K ed. All was a blur before my eyes.
y Streets and alleys, stairs and passage
r ways, were all alike to my dulled con.
It sciousness, until [ found myself in
:. sort of pit, so walled and rallied about
u that [ could see nothing but the cell.
a ing overhead; while | knew from tho
d murmurs which reached my ears that
: there was a room full of people just
e outside the barrier, before whom was
Il destined to appear by ascending a
l. short flight of steps. At the head of
Il these steps stood a man all rags and
S tatters, volubly explaining to listeners
a outside some charge against himself,
d but speaking in brogue so rich that
d | thought at first he used a foreign
tongue. Officer Knox had disappear.
e ed, but presently | saw his face over
a the railing above, and he seemed to
It whisper to me, You come next
) Then the Grafton of my ragged com.
f rade in misfortune came to pause, as
It | thought for want of breath; but a
t period was put to it by the announce
Y ment in clear voice, [ could not see
s from whom, Four months, House of
= Industry" and the fellow, his face
= grinning as if rather pleased than
v otherwise at his fate, turned and de.
l. Scended the steps to seat by me.
,, The summons to myself, which l had
e braced myself to answer bravely, did
: not follow. There seemed, as well
y as could judge frcm the murmur that
reached me, to be some unusual in
s. terruption in the proceeding of the
court. One or two people came and
o peeped at me curiously over the walls
:, of my den. and disappeared again.
J. Presently, thought heard my own
name, and in a voice that sent great
d thrill of delight to my heart. The
G shrinking horror at the idea of being
il seen which had before beset me de-
ii parted; conquered by my own curios-
f ity, crept cautiously up the steps un-
r til could just see over the wooden
barrier at the top. There, talking ca.
k gerly with gray haired man who oc-
cupied the most elevated seat in the
j. room, was indeed Mr.. Churchill. In
r his hand was my pocket book, and the
l little photograph of himself that he
e had given me, and which had lain
hitherto undisturbed in one of the
J. compartments of the wallet. Close
> by stood officer Knox, perplexity and
l. chagrin chasing each other over his
countenance. Manifestly my champi-
q on had arisen, and was fighting my