New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1878-11-20
CHAPTER III.

to mine, pouring forth burning words, he was
feeling for something at his side, his knife,
no doupt, which he hsbitually wore, sailor
fashion. hanging from his waist. A glance,
however, showed me that the knife was not
there. Gown, too, had arrived at the same
conclusion. The knife had been there few
minutes before--it must have fallen on the
grass. We were both searching the ground
with our eyes. and felt sure that if Gown
could get hold of it before me that stood
good chance of deadly wound. We held each
other by hand, ready to wrestle for posses
sion of the weapon.
'Bo' jour, pere Gown! Now you will make
me alittle boat. See, pere Gown, here is your
knife. you have dropped it.'
IL was Oracle, who had picked the knife
from the grass and placed it in GOWNS olsen
gagged hand; Oracle who had come up behind
us unseen.
Gown snatched the knife from her; saw it
CLEAN in the air. Then he threw it far from
him into the hedge.
"This time spare thee for the child's sake,
but have not done with thee. miserable cow
ard savage! assassin"
And he limped off to his cottage, turning
back every now and then to repeat the triplet
OF epithets.
Halo! What the dickens is the matter?"
1t was the Professor, who, it seems, had &C.
companied Oracle up the cour, and who, not
SO nimble as the child, had been distanceed
! in the ascent.
"He has some cause to abuse me; have
cut open his foot with my scythe."
| "In a fracas ?"
Something of the kind"
| "By Jove' cried the Professor, "what an
awkward thing, and in this country, where per-
sonal violence is punished without respect of
persons. I'll show YOU the section in the Penal
| code !"
"Ihad no intention to hurt him.
That will be judged by the attending cir
| CnmStancpS IF there has hann Ol1arra1
high words, you will find that justice will
hardly take the most lenient view. But even
Involuntary wounding is punished with i'm
prisonment."
drove into town and went to the office of
| the principal huissier, an official who COM
bined the functions of usEer and bailitf of the
local court, collects debts and bills, and re-
| covers them ii necessary, by legal process,
is the auctioneer, valuer and factotum III all
affairs of judgment or execution. 1t was bet
ter to take the bull by the horns, and get
the first word in the ear of justice Besides,
the huissier and were already in friendly
relations, as had bought furniture of his
sales and had done other business with him.
The huissier listened with grave face to
my story He had nothing to do with Grim
inal cases himself, they rested with the po-
lice; but clearly was in amess urged the
provocation had received, Kindred from
cutting the grass in the cour had paid for.
! "As far as that went'' remarked the huis-
sier, "the man was probably right. The
cour attached to a house was generally re-
served for pastures only; The man was only
defending the rights of his proprietare."
! "a likely thing, when he has just come out
OF prison for wounding him."
"Ah! is that SOP" said the huissier, bright
ening up. "ln that case, accompany me, if
you please, to the gretiier, and we will ar
range the affair"
! 1t now appeared that Gown, luckily for me,
was on the official black books. Only lately
out of prison and reputed dangerous char
| acter, 1t was hardly likely he would venture
to the gendarmeric, or be listened to if he
went there. A man with evil reputation
who might be expected some day to commit
a desperate crime.
| Bring process against him, them" sug-
| geated the huissieur.
| 'Yes, bring process" echoed the greffier,
a stout, jovial.]ookipg man. The preliminary
process IS termed q "~oncliation.' I trusted
that Gown would consider it conciliatory, but
feared otherwise
However, nothing happened till the day
audience. when presented myself at court
supported by the goodly person Of the profes
sor. &
"Otez vos .chapeaux," cried the huissier, and
the little Judge entered in state in his robes
with the Calvinistc.looking velvet cap and
the stout gr9ffier behind him with the book.
Barton ct GOWN" drawled the gref1ier,
popping his head out of the door.
The Judge heard both stories, and then, eye.
ing Gown, severely, told him that he had
very bad opinion OF him, and that he would
not advise him to come before the court too
often. Butin the meantime he had left his
cour to Monsieur Anglais and received the
money. Had he paid his rent to his pro-
prietor?
Gown admitted that he had not No, not
for more than a year. Not since the dispute
they had together when the proprietor ran
against the DOint of his knife
Ah!n said the Judge, shaking his head
sagely, what did say?' And then he an
nounced his decision briskly. "Let the
Monsieur Anglais take GOWNS cour and house
Gown to haye month in which to remove
his furniture, and then to make himself scarce,
and betake himself to neighborhood where |
well known"
i A verdict that dissatisties both plaintiff and
5immutable principles Of justice. They were
there, no doubt, these principles, although we
could not see them.
But my foot!' cried Gown.
Served you right for putting it in the, way
of scythe.''
81 aAnd the areas of rent-why should / nav
them % Iargued.
Consider what might have happened from
your want of care and jud gment.' $
We left the court at the same moment
. "And this is coLciliationn murmured
Gown gave me one sidelong glance fnll of
malice: Were we reconciled? 1t hardly
seemed SO.
CHAPTER III.
My new proprietor seemed quite satisfied
with the decision of the court, as well he
might be Intact like every one else, he had
been afraid of Gown. Even when the latter
wassin prison he dared not to evict him. But
now il was q different thing altogether. | /
was the animal selected to bell the cat.
WI, Whatever steps were taken to evict Gown,