Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1872-01-05

| peIltelltIdTys lUOO SOluS W lue lidCe
of trial. But once inside the door, and
once in sight of Small, who was more
to him than God, or rather, more to
him than the devil-for the devil was
Walters God, or, perhaps, l should
say, Walters God was a devil-once
in sight of Small, he refused to move
an inch farther. And Bud, after all
his perseverance, was about to give up
in sheer despair.
Fortunately, just at that moment
| Small's desire to relieve himself from
| the faint of suspicion and to crush
Ralph as completely as possible, made
him OvershOOt the mark by asking
| that Walter be called to the stand, as
| we have before recounted. He knew
that he had no tool to supple as the
cOwardly Walter. In the very Ian
guage of the request, he had given
Walter an intimation of what he wan
ted him to swear to. Walter listened
to Smalls words as to his doom. He
felt that he should die of indecision.
The perdition of q man of his stamp
is to have to make up his mind. Such
men generally fall back on some one
Gore positive, and take their resOlu-
tions ready-made. But here Walter
must decide for himself. For the con-
stable was already calling his name;
the court, the spectators, and, most
of all, DIR. Small, were waiting for
him. He moved forward mechanical
ly through the dense crowd, Bud fol-
lowing part of the way to whisper,
'Tell the truth or go to penitentiary."
Walter shook and shivered at this.
The witness with difficulty held up
his:hand long enough to be sworn.
"Please tell the court" said Bron-
son, :" whether you know anything CT
the whereabouts of DIR. Small on the
night of the robbery at Peter Schroe-
der's."
Small had detected Walters agita-
tiOn, and, taking alarm, had edged his
way around so as to stand full in
Walters sight, and there, with keen,
magnetic eye on the weak Orbs of the
young man, he was able to assume his
old position, and sway the fellow ab-
sOlutely.
"On the night of the robbery "
Walters voice was weak, but he SEEM
ed to be reading his answer out of
SmaIlas eyes" on the night of the
robbery DIR. Small came home be-
fore" here the witness stopped
and shook and shivered again. For
Bud, detecting the effect of Small's
gaze, had pushed his great hulk in
front of Small, and had fastened his
ewes on Walter with look that said,
"Tell the truth or go to penitentia-
ry."
II can't, I can't. o God! what
shall l do?n the witness exclaimed,
answering the look of Bud. For it
seemed to him that Bud had spoken.
To the people and the court this agi-
tatiOn was ineXplicable. Squire Haw-
kins's wig got awry, his glass eye
turned in toward his nose, and he had
great difficulty in keeping his teeth
from falling out. The excitement be-
came painfully intense. Ralph was
on his feet, looking at the witness, and
feeling that somehow Bud and DIR.
Small-his good angel and his demon
were playing an awful game, of
which he was the stake. The crowd
swayed to and fro, but remained ut
terly silent, waiting to hear the least
whisper from the witness, who stood
trembling a moment with his hands
over his face, and then tainted.
mThe fainting of a person in crowd
is signal for everybody else to make
fools of themselves. There was a rush
toward the fainting man, there was a
cry for water. Everybody asked every
body else to open the window, and
everybody wished everybody else to
stand back and give him air. But no.
body stood back. The only perfectly
cool man in the room was Small.
With a quiet air of professional au-
thority he pushed forward and felt the
patients pulse, remarking to the court
that he thought it was sudden at
tack of lever with delirium. When
Walter revived, DR.. Small would
have removed him, but Ralph insisted
that his testimony should be heard.
Under p-etense of watching his pa.
tient, Small kept close to him. And
Walter began the same old story about
DR.. Small's having arrived at the Of
flee before eleven O'Clock, when Bud
came up behind the doctor and fas-
tened his eyes on the witness with the
same significant look, and Walter,
with visions of the penitentiary before
him, halted, stammered, and seemed
about to faint again.
"If the court please, !" said Bronson,
"this witness is evidently intimida-
ted by that stout young man" pointing
to Bud. 81 have seen him twice in
terrupt witness's testimony by casting
threatening looks at him. L trust the
court will have him removed from the
court room."
After few moments consultation,
during which Squire Hawkins Eeld
his wig in place with one hand and al
ternately adjusted his eye and his spec
tacles with the other, the magistrates,
who were utterly bewildered by the
turn things were taking, decided that
it could no do harm, and that it was
best to try the experiment OF removing
Bud. Perhaps Johnson would then
be able to get through with his testi-
mony. The constable therefore asked
Bud if he would please leave the room.
Bud cast one last look at the witness
and walked out like a captive bear.
Ralph stood watching the receding
form of Bud. The emergency had
made him as cool rs Small ever was.
Bud stopped at the door, where he
was completely out of sight of the
witness, concealed by the excited spec
tators, who stood on the benches to
see what was going on in front.
1.-THE witness will please proceed"
said Bronson.
of the court please ''-it was
Ralph who spoke-"I believe l have
as much at stake in this trial as any
one. That witness is evidently in
timidated. But not by Mr.. Means.
l ask that DIR. Small be removed out
of sight of the witness"
"A most extraordinary request, tru-
Iy." This was what Small's bland
countenance said; he did not open his
lips.
q It's no more than fair" said
Squire Hawkins, adjusting his wig,
that the witness be relieved of every
thing that anybody might think af-
fccts his voracity in this matter"
DR.. Small, giving Walter one friend
Iy, appealing look, moved back by the
door, and stood alongside Bud, as
meek, quiet, and disinterested as any
man in the house.
"The witness will now proceed with