The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1873-02-13
From Hearth and Home.l
The Hoosier School Master
by EDWARD EGGLEsTON.
CHAPTER NXIN.
THE TRIAL.

Il
THE TRIAL
The '.pr0secuting attorney for SC
the States attorney is called la Indi
anal had been sent for the night before
Ralph refused all legal help. 1t was
not wise 20 reject council, but all his
blood was up. aud he declared that be
would not be cleared BY legal quibbles.
Ii his innocencs were not inasie evi
dent to every body. he would rather
not b acquitted on preliminary ex.
animation. He would 90 over to the
circuit court and have the matter
sifted to tile bottom. But be would
have been pleased had his uncle offer
ed him counsel. though he would have
declined it. He would have felt better
to have had : letter from home SOME
what different from the one be received
from his Aunt Matilda by the hand oi
the prosecuting attorney. 1t was not
very encouraging or very sympathetic,
though it was very characteristic.
dear Ralph:
This is what have always been
afraid Of. | warned you faith fully the
las, time saw sou. My skirts are
clear Of your blood. can not consent
for your uncle to appear - your coun-
sci or to go your bail. You know how
much it would injure him In the
Sdr :Sa ssii isst ssst r.. %y f dssr epSsw ;
FOR the sake Of your poor mother, dead
We never shall know what the rest
Of that letter was. Whenever Aunt
Matilda got to Ralph's poor, dead
mother In her conversation, Ralph
ran out Of the house. Aud now that
his poor, dead mother was again made
to do service in his aunt's pious rheto-
ric, he landed the letter on the hot
Goals before him, aud watched 1t van
ish into smoke with grim satisfac-
ton.
Ralph was little afraid Of . mob.
But Clifty was better than Fiat Greek.
AMI Squire Ha0kins, with all his
faults, loved justice, and had pro-
found respect for the majesty of the
law, and profound respect for his
own majesty when sitting ss court
representing the law. Whatever ma
neuveers he might resort to in business
affairs IN order to avoid conflict with
his lawless neighbors, he was courage
~s>A 90 1,l
Squire was the better part Of him.
With the cooperation of the constable,
he had organized posse of men who
could be depended on to enforce the
law against q mob,
BY the time the trial opened in the
large school. house in Ciifty at eleven
O'Clock, all the surrounding country
had emptied its population into Clifty,
aud all Flat Creek was on hand ready
to testify to something. Those who
knew the least appeared to know the
most. aud were prodigal of their sig
nificant winks aud mods. Mrs. Means
had always suspected him. She seed
some mighty suspicious things about
him from the word go. She'd allers
had her doubts whether he was list
the thing, aud ef her ole inan had axed
her, liker-n not he never'd . been
hired. She'd seed things with her
own livin' eyes that beat all she ever
seed IN all her born days. And Pete
Jones said he'd alters knowed ther
warn't no good in sech . feller.
Couldn't stay abed when he got there.
And Granny Sanders said, Laws
sakes! nobody'd ever a-found him out
If it hadn't been fer her. Didn't she
go all over the neigh b borhood a-warnin'
people? Fer her part, she seed straight
through that piece Of goods. He was
fond Of the gals, too! Nothing was 60
great crime in her eyes Ms to be fond
of the gals.
The constable paid un inviting tribute
to William the Conqueror by crying
Squire Hawkins court open with his
Oyez! or, as he said it, 20 yes" and
the Squire asked Squire Underwood,
who came in at that minute, to sit
with him. From the start, 1t WIS evil
dent to Ralph that the prosecuting
attorney had been thoroughly posted
by Small. though, looking at that
worthy's face, one would have thought
him the most disinterested and philo-
sophicAl spectator In the courtroom.
Bronson, the prosecutor, was
young man, and this was his 6rst case
since his election. He wss very am
bilious to Distinguish himself, very
anxious to hAve Flat Greek influence
on his SIDE IN poiitics; ana, conse-
quently, he was very determined to
send Ralph Hartsook to State prison.
justly or unjustly, by fair means or
foul. To his professional eyes this
was not question Of right and wrong,
not question Of life aud death to such
. man rs Ralph. It was George H.
Bronson's opportunity to distinguish
bimself. And 20, with many know.
ing and confident mods and hints, aud
with much difference to the two
squires, he opened the case, effscting
great indignation At Ralph's wicked
ness, and sttering Deiphic hints about
striped pants and shaven head, and
the grating Of psison-doors 1t Jefrer-