The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-07-13
THE RIGHT BOWER.

4
| sion.
Hall dozen lawyers, fresh from their
studies, and just admitted to t Q bar,
were listening to his advice. The old
ijurist had bottle OF wine at his elbow,
and was in communicative mood.
Young men," he said, ''wha ever may
be your strait, never take case before
a jury, or before any court, unless you
have your riaht bower for bead"
II the reader surmises from this that
the old Judge was lond of euchre, he
will not have surmised amiss.
The young men looked at him inquir
ingly.
81 mean," he added, "that you shall
never advocate cause into the work OF
which you can not enter with clear
conscience. You shall never accept a
client whose cause you do not believe TO
be just"
"Can that rule be always adhered to ~
asked one OF the listeners.
sit cam" answered burlington, en-
lphatically. "It is lawyers ii. m rock
OF foundation, and the only sure point Of
departure to the respect and confidence
of his lellows."
"Have you always followed that rule,
Judge"
IL was never tempted from it but
story, if you would like 10 hear it,"
OF course they would like to; and hav-
ing laid aside his pipe, the old man com.
menced:
zone day was waited upon by man
who gave his name as LaUan Sariurt.
He was OF middle age, well-dressed, and
at first sight appeared to be gentle.
man but the illusion was dispelled wnen
approaching business. He was hard
and unieeling, and naturally villain.
Success in speculation had saved him
from being thief or highwayman.
heard of him as a heavy dealer in the up
river lands. lie asked me IL l was will.
ing to undertake a job which would call
me to Shireton. l told him L was open
10 anything legitimate which would
pay"
"Mr. Lurlington." said he, tapping me
with cuarse familiarity upon tue arm,
II want to secure your services; you
must not be engaged OH the other SIDE"
IL told him II ne would explain to me
the case might be better able to give
INN an answer" He bit an enormous
quld o! tobacco from black plug, aud
having got it into shape between his
laws he went on with his story.
"Ihe case is one OF ejgctment. An
elderly man, named Philip Acton, had
!
was nearly thousand acres OF land,
with opportunities for developing i'm
mense Water-poWer, and ere many Years
LHat land would be worth more than a
million dollars. AT present, upon the
estate and claiming it as son OF The de-
ceased, was Il man calling himself VIM.
AcLon."
',But," said Sarfurt, she is moi legiti-
mate child at all. His mother was Betsy
rotwood, at one time girl in Actoms
employ. Acton, l know, was never
married. He brought the boy up and
educated him, and now the fellow thinks
he will step into his protectors shoes.
can prove that l am tue only living
relative Of Philip Acton. He was IN
uncle--rny mothers Droth9r-and to a
difficulty i'll proving my title. 1 can
brlng the witness to your hana."
'he told me he would give me five
hundred dollars if | would Undertake
the case, and an additional thousand il
[ gained, That was a big fee-far more
than l had then made in all my Plead
ing. 1t was tempting. And yet l saw
that 1t was not perfectly cIear-nUt en-
tirely honest. The probability was that
tthis William Acton was Philips child !;
and it was not impossible that Phillip
had married Betsy Iotwood. 1t struck
me that Laban Sariurt was villain.
and that he fancied that lie had young
Acton so far in his power that he coulu
| eject him from the title. But what had
particularly to do with that? If ac-
cepted chent must serve him. had
no business but to serve his interest.
finally told Mr.. Sarfurt that l would
think the matter over. / should proba-
bly, have business in Shireton during The
session Of the court, and would call on
him there and examine more lully. l
1 could not take his retainer until l had
lfurther light"
| "But," said he, "wilI you promise not
to take up tor the other sider'
II told him l would do nothing with
Tout further consultation with him"
BECAUSE" he added, 'If you are for
lime am sure TO win. Acton can't find
lawyer that can hold candle to you,
l know them all"
mo matter whether l believed him or
not, did not feel fiattered. s-s...
"Two weeks later | received letter
from Sariurt, promising me $1,000 ii
/ won.
"The $4,000 was strong argument
Was not law really game of chance, III
Which the strongest hanu and longest
purse must win? l told myself yes
Yes-and l sat down and wrote a reply
Saying that would take the case. Bui
did not mail it at once. That night
Ipul it under my pillow, ana slept ovel
llt; and on the following morning / threw
it into the fire. L would not make UP my
mind until l had seen other parties
until had been on the grounds. And |
) wrote to Laban Sarfurt to wait.
"pwo weeks later l harnessed nv
lihorse to the wagon, and will
my wife and child started for Shireton
L had been married Two years, and oui
little babe, girl, was year old, oui
) pride, our pet and our darling. Snireton
was u distance OF about thirty miles
We had been having RAINY weather fol
"a " eek or SO, and it had now cleared of
bright and beautiful. We stopped anu
Hook dinner ata wayside inn, luur miles
Ibeyond which was stream which must
|, be torded. The innkeeper told me thai
, the stream was somewhat swollen IRON
the late rains. but mat ii my horse was
!. trusty there could be no danger.
"Arrfved at the stream, the Wampa
tuck river, found the water indeed
/ risen, and the current strong, but saw
i that others had recently gone over, and
resolved to venture. knew my horse
: and had faith in him. My wife was anx
ious, but she trusted my judgment. A
third of he way the water was over the
hub OF the wheels. A little more and il