The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1876-08-24

and that smoking should not on an.
account be permitted in the room des
tined for the reception of clients. Il
accordance with these virtuous resolves
we were Tor l should rather say we ha'
been) always to be found by half-pas
nine, each seated in the rigidest of arm
chairs, wearing the blacklist of frock
coats and the %stiffest of sh~irt-collars, at
tentively perusing ponderous law books
and making copious notes with the as
sistancc of II gigantic pewter inkstand
polished to a positively dazzling bright
ness. But this halcyon state of affair
was too good to last. We had screwe,
up virtuous resolves to too cxtrem,
a tension. and they had gradually SUM
down again. Who was the first to Civ
way is a moot point. My own idea i
that all would have gone well had no
Armitage insidiously suggested our al
lowing ourselves just one cigarette ate,
breakfast; while he will have it that th,
thin end Of the wedge was introduced
by my surreptitiously reading IN occa
sional French novel under cover o
"COke on Littleton." However thi!
may be, we had speedily fallen ava,
from nj original high standard. No
having been troubled with that franti,
rush of clients which we had originally
expected, we had become much les,
particular in our habits. The larg,
law books were left unopened, the houi
of breakfast had become gradually Later
and later, and short pipes and tweed
jackets had become the order of the
day until luncheon, and sometimes, !
fear, even till dinner-time. In our earlier
days we had made it u point of honor
that one OIL the other of us should al.
ways remain in chambers, SO as to be
ready for any thing that might turn up,
but now we made nothing of putting up
the delusive notice, Return in five
minutes" and departing together fol
the rest of the day. In order, however,
to keep up the pleasant fiction hat we
still expected to have clients some day,
we had made n bet. Each of us had
backed himself for Is to get the first
brief, with the proviso that (f ever the
bet should be decidedly the winner was
to stand n dinner to the loser, in order
to commemorate the event. Imagine
our emotion, therefore, when, on the
morning of my story, soon after 10, 6
heavy step wa heard to ascend the stair.
case and pause at our door; and when
Blobbs (who had been, according to his
usual habit, settling a little difficulty
with the Grimmer boy upon the land.
ing) rushed in, and in a hoarse whisper
said, frantic with excitement:
"a gentleman for Mister Browne
And he've got a bundle o. papers"
must say that Armitagc's behavior
did him credit. My landing the first
prize must naturally have been n dis,
appointment to him; but in the mos
magnanimous way he exclaimed:
"Good for you, old man! Go in and
win. I'll hook it into the next room
and leave the coast clear for you"
And he bolted accordingly into hi,
bedroom. would have given much
to have been able to assume n more dig,
nilied attire, and to straighten thing,
generally, before the entrance of my
client, but it was out OF the question
| had only just time enough to pitch the
end of my cigar into the fire, open on,
of the big %law-books upside down, Il,
| afterwards discovered), and to com
pose my features into the most pro-
fessional expression compatible with {;
flannel jacket and carpet slippers, wher
the visitor entered. He was q short,
puffy little man, middle-aged, and of 8
good-naturedly unintellectual east Of
countenance. He a shabby white
hat and greasy black gloves, and hi,
trousers were shorter and his umbrella
fatter than is generally considered de
sirable in those articles; but, notwith
standing, there was an air of snug re
spectability about him, and the bundl,
Of papers, tied with red tape, which h,
carried, had an eminently business
like appearance. lie began:
al must apologize for disturbing YOU
at this early hour, Mr.. Browne" Che
was evidently no a high-class practi
tioner) "but the fact is, l have com,
to beg your assistance in a very urgent
case"
tried to look as If very urgent cases
were matters of the most ordinary oc,
currence in my professional experience
"Ah," said, "quite SO. Take q seat
| Mr.. -"
"Ward, sir; Gibbins & Ward, O.
High Street, Bloomsbury. You hav,
heard the name, / dare say. Gibbins i.
dead-bas been dead some years, il
fact; but we keep up the old name, you
know"
l didn't know in the least. | hat
never, to my knowledge, heard of Glib
bins Il Ward, but it would not do TO al,
NIT the fact. Not to know Gibbins Z
Ward would clearly be to argue mysel,
unknown. l took my cue accordingly
"Oh, yes; Gibbins q Ward, n mos
eminent firm! l am delighted to hav,
the pleasure of making your acquaint
ance, Mr.. Ward"
"You are very kind, sir. Well, sir
as l was saying, or rather as | was abou
to say, l have become connected with
case, a very peculiar case indeed, {
most peculiar case; and hearing of 20,
from my old friend, Mr.. Virgins,
thought that, though I'm a stranger t,
you myself, l might venture to call ant
ask you to assist me in it,"
"Dear me-" l thought, "whoeve
would have thought of old Virgins, M,
hair-dresser, sending me a %client!'
And on the principle that n good turf