Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1877-04-25
The Judges Story.

The Judge knocked the ashes from
his cigar, and rose with an emphatic
"hem." All the others drew a long
breath. and brought their chairs down
from their tilted positions. Graham
had been telling story to while away
the long hours of the Christmas night
and Graham was a magnificent story
teller.
Your turn, Judge" said Graham,
with slight laugh, the flush slowly
dying out of his face.
Best Graham's if you can," said
Fenner. rubbing his hands together
with great glee.
You don II know the Judge, Fen
ner," said Williams. ''He used TO equal
Mr.. Midshipman Easy in the number
of his adventures, and his grace in re-
lating them
The young lawyer, whose soubriquet
of Esyudge" had been bestowed upon
him If the early days of his college life
from his superannuated gravity and
his seRtentidus way of deciding ques-
lions that bored him, drew back chair
with flourish, and then pushed it to-
ward the fire and sat down
"I'll tell you what II Is, boys, you
needn't think I'm going 20 be beat by
Graham. have a story TO tel which
is Just as good as his, but then ii may
lose something in the telling. Since
we parted five years ago. | have inter-
viewed Blackstone, Chitty, and others
'of that ilk., and good deal of the ro-
nance has faded out in that way, you
perceive. But then as we agreed to
meet in five years and compare expert
ence, il was merely TO have something
10 tell. so did my best to have an ad-
venture Hem,
perhaps you all remember what my
college days were. You do? Humph
Then it will save me the trouble of tell
ing you, though have studied ups fine
bit of pathos about them. However, 1t
don't matter much: let it go now. One
fact, though, | must speak of, and that
Is the financial condition of your pres
ent orator in those college days. 4
never said anything about it then, be-
cause was deal too proud; but 10
tell you the truth, boys, II required
some screwing and some pretty close
calculations 10 make my allowance
cover NV modest wants. L remember L
used 10 be a little envious OF Fenner
and Graham when i saw them scatter
ing money round with such lavish
hand. and /. with my fine natural aoii-
tiles. good looks, and extraordinary
stock of common sense" and the Judge
straiohtensd himself back, and laughed
in his rare, genial way, without nnish-
ing the sentence.
However, TO pass over that, and
eor,,e 10 the time when we left college,
with young honors upon us. Weren I
we nroud of our diplomas though:
Bows, | want you 10 tell me truly
whether YOU took your sheepskin out
of lis case after the first six months
Haven't seen mine since two weeks
after commencement, murlhureu
Graham. :,
"Don't know where mine is" said
Feuper. and the others intimated that
their experience entirely coincided with
his.
.sThat's lust it, boys" pursued the
judge. q tried TO get situation by ex-
hibfting that imposing document, but
after good many trials and as many
funomious failures put the pious fraud
syay and left off being college grad
uate. went in on my merits then, re-
solved TO win or perish in the attempt.
II seemed as if | would have 10 accept
the latter alternate. | had neither
money nor friends. and there were
plenty of young men with wealth and
position. ready TO fill every vacancy.
/ was pretty hard up for money. you
know. and il was about this time L fell
tn with Steve Ranald. who was in about
fhe same condition with respect to
funds. | believe none of You ever saw
him. did you? | wish you had known
him. He was half French, and that
accounts for some peculiar traits in his
character. A magnificent looking iel-
low. with a certain kind of fascination
about him that you could not resist L
could not. know. He led me into all
kinds of scrapes that | never would
have thought of going into. and II was
impossible to blame him. He had sueh
a merry. liSht-hearted way with hlm
when he chose, that took me quite py
storm.
..Well. as said, our condition was
about the same financially, so We joined
together and rented room in very
cheap but respectable neighborhood.
We Kent bachelors hall there very COM
fortablv for a while. while i hunted
emnlovment, and he compounded Won
derfui French dishes out Of nothing
81 suppose in my search OF employ
menr- i had started out with some vague
idea of becoming minister TO some for
eign power. or postmaster-generai, or
something of that kind. My aspirations
after declining for several weeks, like a
decreasing series of geometrlcaI pro,
gressionsSthe bete noir of my boyhoou
lat last pointed to an ordinary clerA-
shin in some mercantile establishment
as happiness beyond comparison. Even
here / was doomed 10 disappointment,
snd then | gave up the struggle ha1
apent my last dollar that morning. All
dav I had walked from street to street,
from square to square. My limbs were
nv brain was in whirl. knew one
man whom my father had befrlended
wears ago. in the days Of his prosperity
when the man was in great distress.
since then fortunes wheel had turned,
and nv father had died in poverty,
while Mr.. Laclede was one ofthe money
kings of the city. Can you understand
whv would moi, go to him until every
other reso,,rce had failed? Even then