The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-05-03
The Judges Story
BY JULIA v. PHIFER.

The Judge knocked the ashes from his
cigar, aud rose with an emphatic ''hem -
All the others drew long breath, and
brought their chairs down from their
tilted position. Graham had been telling
a story to while away the long hours of
the Christmas night, and Graham was a
magnificent storyteller.
"Your turn, Judge" said Graham with
slight laugh, the flush slowly dying
out of his face.
"Beat Graham's if you can," said
Fenner, rubbing his hands together with
great glee.
'You don't know the Judge, Fenner.'
said Williams. "He used to equal Mr..
Midshipman Easy in the number of
his adventures, and his grace in rela-
ting them"
The young lawyer, whose sobriquet
of Judge" had been bestowed upon him
in the early days of his college life, from
his supernatural gravity and his senten-
tious way of deciding questions that
bored him, drew back chair with a
flourish, and then pushed it toward the
fire again and sat down.
'I'll tell you what it is, boys. you
needn't think Pm goingito be beat by
Graham. I have story to tell which
is just as good as his, but then it may
lose something in the telling. Since we
parted five years ago, l have been inter-
viewing Blackstone, Chitty, and Others
of that ilk,' and good cal 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
ences, it was merel y to have something
to tell, SO I did my best to have an ad-
venture. Hem!
perhaps you all remember what my
college days were. You do2 Humph |!
Then it will save me the trouble of tell
ing you, though had studied up. a fine
bit of pathos about them. However, it
don't matter much, let it 60 now. One
fact, though, l must speak of, and that
is the financial condition of your present
orator in those college days. l never
said anything about it then, because |
was deal too proud; but to tell you the
truth, boys, it required some screwing
and some pretty close calculations to
make my allowance cover my modest
wants. remember used to be not a
little envious of Fenner and Graham
when l saw them scattering money
around with such lavish hand, and l
with my fine natural abilities, good
looks, and extraordinary stock of common
sense" and the Judge Strengthened
himself back, and laughed in his rare,
genial way, without finishing the SEN
tence
"However, to pass over that, and come
to the time when we all left college
with young honors thick upon us
Weren't we proud of our diplomas,
though? Boys l want you to tell me
truly whether you ever took your sheep
skin out of its case after the first six
months p
"Hayent seen mine since two weeks
after commencement" murmured Ora.
ham.
Don't known where mine is,' said
Fenner, and the others intimated that
their experience entirely eoincided with
his.
'That's just it, boys" pursued the
Judge. 81 tried to get a situation by
exhibiting that imposing document, but
after good many trials and as many
ignominous failures, put the pious
fraud away and left off being a college
graduate. Iwent in on my merits then
resolved to win or perish in the attempt
1t seemed that I would have to accept
the latter alternative. 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 it was about this time | fel
in with Steve Ranald, who was in about
the same condition with respect to funds
believe none of you never saw him, die
you? wish you had known him. HI
~ II
some peculiar traits in his character.
magnilicent-looking fellow, with a GER
tain kind of fascination about him thai
you couldn't resist, l couldn't, l know
He led me into all kinds of scrapes thai
J.never would have thought of going in
TO, and it was impossible to blame him
lie had such merry, liz ht hearted way