Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-05-16
A &" LYAR" WANTED.
- Is the lyar in %

Is the lyar in p
We all looked up from our desks and
gaZed upon the questloner, who stood
in the open doorway of the otlice-the
law office of Drudge & Skinnem-
where | had been for nearly two years
"reading law" The eve that
looked up were four in number. They
were the junior member of the firm;
Mr.. Slocum, client; Jack Wallace,
the clerk, and myself.
Mr.. Slocum had, for the last half
hour, been buzzing his attorneys ear
with a long and questionable state
ment of his business affairs, with ref
erence to making out case of volun-
tary bankruptcy, from which he might
emerge little better than he went III.
Jack was busy drafting letter to
some nonresident client, explaining
the delay in the litigation of said
clients interests; while | was drawing
up an affidavit for "change of venue
in case in which affidavit stated that
the Judge was prejudiced, etc.
Thus the very occupations that three
of us were about, and the profession of
the fourth, made the interrogation A." Is
the lyar in? take upon itself, to each
of us, a particularly home character.
To be called a liar is, by common
consent, deemed to be All insult prop
erly answered only by a blow. Yet
let the exasperating idea knock at the
door of conscience in the shape of a
mild, innocent interrogation point, it
will scarcely obtain from anyone of us
3 rude a reception. 1t is nay convic-
ton that almost anyone not Phar-
isee, having the portal of his room sud-
denly thrown open, and The question,
" Is the lyar in?" injected upon his
meditations, will feel like hesitating
before he answers "No.' But most
of all am | assured that no beyy of at
torneys and clients invaded by so
ominous an inquirer, will dismiss him
with a negative till pretty thorough
canvass of the party has been made.
AS for myself, in this case, as
glanced down at the unfinished affida-
Wit before me, felt like responding,
" Present. My private opinion is
had been there that every one else in
Cnc room lelI lne same way.
The questioner was a country-look-
ing chap of middle age, and evidently
a German, or, as we used to call the
Highlander in those days, and with
no intentional disrespect, either, a
Dutchman."
You know the story about the dar-
Key who called his dog "Trumps ~
" Come here, Trumps. Nice fellow,
Trumps" Then turning to by
why | calls dat dorg Trumps?' " No,
| can't imagine "Kase OATS his
name. Yah. Yah" Well, that is
the reason we called the Germans
Observation-Disclosures we supposed that
was their name.
The questioner, as | said, was a
German. He wanted a lawyer, and
Iyar' was as near as his tongue could
get to il. And to the minds OF most
people, | suppose, that was plenty
near enough.
SO you want liar, do you?' says
>@lnnem, looking quizzically around
The room at each Of us. THAT must
mean you, Slocum." he continued,
turning to his client.
>lOcum turned red in the face, but
parted the home-thrust by saving
mat, though he did not claim that
truth would die with him, he thought
he had not got to that pass yet when
ne should be selected out of nest OF
LAWYERS when a liar was wanted.
Then Skinnem concluded that it was
one of " the b0ys''-as he used to cal
Jack and me-that WAS wanted. H
sad that he would certify, when We
mad finished the jobs before US, to ou
qualifications to till the bill
In the meantime our Dutchman'
slowed signs Of excitement and i'm
Patience. He said he "must have 4;
lyaT straight quick out. Der lya
must 90 NIT him in der sleigh anC
aEIye like the deuce to Pretzelburg.
fTe,zelburg was a German settlement