New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-05-11


A friend of mine, who was IN business. and
in need of clerk, ADVERTISE, but out of the
whole number of those who presented them
selves only one shut the door tight as he went
out of the Office. This one was Immediately
called b65k and employed.
A little while afterward another friend, a
successful lawyer, advertised as follows:
"Wantel-A young man to work in an at
torney;s efice, aud also to read law at his
leisure. Apply to John Smith, Is Dunlap
street b" a
Ii was the canvctionaof my friend that Mhai
| is most desired in lawyer is a certain GOO
Judgment, which holds q to the main points
| in a gwen case, and allows no sidsa issues to
wan the mind from its anchored position.
| have often heard him say In the end thetaw
yer who, having hit the nail OSkthe besd, keeps
| driving ii in until it Is countersunk IN the con
| viction of both Judge and jury, is the lawyer
who succeeds best at the bar of justice. Al
ways select for my students such Young men
| as have this quality, and l almost invariably
| find it lodged in minds that are inclined to
stick to the point
On the day following the publication OF the
above notice. Mr.. Smith had in the forenoon a
dozen applicants in person. lie babe them
wait his pleasure then, when they were all
seated around him, he addressed them as fol
lows:
'Before We proceed to business, my young
friends, wish 10 tell story"
OF course, no one objected to this. And il
it seemed little odd IN the lawyer, 1T was
the way our beloved late President did, and
there was this circumstance at least to COM
mend it. a.
ION Deacon Whites barn. began Mr..
Smith, there perched one evening an owl
The deacon was slightly superstitious, and not
fancying the hooting of the lugubriOus. visitant,
he took his gun, stole out softly, got within
good range, leveled his gun at the ominous
intruder, and fired. Now, the barn was old
and full of chRcks and holes and it being a
very dry time, the treacherous wadding imme
diately set fire to the hay inside, aud in an
instant the entire fabric was in flames.
40 dear dear 7 cried the deacon, how
can l release all my cows, oxen, and yearlngs,
and my sheep, and horses, in season to save
them?' for the wind was high, and, as II al
ways happens, it increased in freshness as the
fire gained in fury.
''Help help : he shouted" @
"Did the folks hear him in the honse?' asked
Alfred. I shall call the applicants by their
Christian names.
"Not directly" said Mr.. Smith
'The deacon lost no time in getting out the
cattle. He found them frantic with terror and
manageable. While engaged in loosening q
stout bull the latter suddenly turned his horns
and pierced him. rm gored Pm gored' he
exclaimed, in agony, just as his terror-stricken
wife came to the rescue"
'Did he dies"
"He was injured seriously" resumed Mr.
Smith. Feeling faint he was obliged to &C
and lie down. The woman ran for doctor
When she returned, the piteous believing oil
the tortured and dying cattle fell on her ears
The thrilling thought quickly struck her, was
her husband possibly in the burning ruins
Had he ventured beyond his strength again
and fallen a helpless victim?
"'Oh, my husband! my husband!'"
"Did he answer 7" inquired Charley, with
anxious face
'Was he in the fire ?; asked David.
''There was no reply" continued Mr.. Smith,
'save from the cracking timbers and means OF
the doomed animals. Presently she heard the
voice OF her only son among the flames.
".llelp help = he cried.
The mothers heart Was ready to break.
She fastened to rescue her darling boy"
did she save him ?" asked Edward.
20, hope she didn't get burned herself,
said Frank.
please tell us, sir, whether they were
burned to DEATH" pleaded Grant.
well" resumed Mr.. Smith, " the poor
deacon died of his wounds"
"Too bad, said Henry. :" He was brave
man."
And his son was badly burned
30, awful - exclaimed Isaac
And theswidow's clothes caught fire. but,
luckily, one Of the neighbors There were none
living very near) arrived at the scene of de
structlon just In season to extinguish the
flames"
"GoOd good - exclaimed James.
He threw the buffalo robe in the wagon
over her, | suppose
" You are right" said Mr.. Smith. "And
he released one of the best horses
WAS he burned at all ?" asked Karl.
"Oniy little scOrched," said Mr.. Smith
And so the narrator went on until he had
depicted the consequences in detail Of the sad
event. Then.he. paused. His audience were
slent-their sympathies had been deeply
touched. Each one seemed silently plying
the poor afflicted family. But one boy sat un-
moved through the whole story, and said moth
ing. And now that the narrative was finished,
and pause had come, he deliberately looked
into MIR. Smiths face in q straightforward
manner, and asked Did he hit the owl?'
This was the youth that stuck to the point,
and the one that the lawyer selected from the
twelve. The story had simply been manu-
featured for effect.