The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-10-10
" Unto Me.O

HVO ehcJ 6ii
"A'l but the fellow with the red hair,
cir. Has made heap o. trouble at the
station, he has. He's a hard case, sir, he
is. ~ took three men and Express team
to hold him last night when he was
brought in. There, here he comes. All
hight now, SIR"
IL was early in the forenoon, and the
police court was filling rapidly with an
Idle. curious crowd who took possession
of the rows of benches provided for spec
tators on each side of the room. The
man who had just spoken was standing
upon raised platform within a small
pen. In one corner, the fl ,or Of which was
sunk several feet lower than that of the
courtroom. In this square pen twenty or
thirty wretched.looking men and women
were crowded together, waiting, some sui
lenly. some hopefully, for their trial be-
fore the jndee, who leaned back in his
chair or psced up and down behind the
long desk, now and then giving keen
glance in The direction of the prisoners
below. Silence was called, the lookerson
eettled into their seats, the young lawyers
inside the bar covered natural nervous
meas with an appearance 1T intense indif-
ference; the clerk shnfi d bundle of
papers in his hand. adjusted his glasses,
and, turning toward the prisoners dock,
began TO call their names, one by one,
asking each the same monotonous ques-
tiona, and pronouncng sentence as if he
were selling tin clippers at auction.
A. length he read the name Michael
Non 'mara" No one answered.
"McNamara ~ he called again, sharply.
At the same time the ffi,er in charge of
the pen spoke. with a stern gesture {:
"Here, you fellow with the red hair !
sten up and answer TO your namel'
The man looked at him through his
tangled hair, with bewildered expression
in his eves.
"What's that ?" he asked. hoarsely.
"Come up and answer to your name.
Be quick now, will Won ?"
The prisoner looked about him again,
vacantlv then. obeving the gesture, rather
than the words. of the cfficer, stumbled,
with lond clatter, pthe wooden steps.
"Don't look at me. Look at the judge"
The fellow with The red hair fixed his
dull geza on the clerk, who, in high kew,
and without the slightest expression in his
voice. rspidlv repeated the words:
"You're ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
are-vou.guilty-or-not.guilty? ?"
The man growled an inarticulate an.
aver, which the clerk assumed to be
"Guiltv.', for he instantly went on, az il
completing his first remark, "-you're
sentenced.t' pay-fne-fve-dollars n 'costs-or
stand-committed-thirty- days.'n.the-house
correction"
There was little stir somewhere among
the crowd. two or three spoke at once
and the officer in charge started forward
angrilv as a small girl, with fiery red hair,
bare feet, and long, thin wrists, and hands
looking like brown birds claws, darted tn
the edge of the dock, and commenced
eagerly to climb over. The prisoner Just
sentenced looked at her with at last a
CLEAN of human nature in his face, almost
amounting to tenderness, and was half
turning to meet her. when the officer
seized her by the shoulder roughly to
draw her back. Something flashed in the
prisoners eve, like spark of lightning
Without single word he sprang to her
side, reached over the low partition, and
before any one could stop him, dealt the
officer heavy blow straight between the
eyes, telling him like log to the flor
In moment, all was in confusion. Two
or three men seized the fellow with red
hair, and slipped hand-cuffs upon his
wrists; but he seemed satisfied with what
he had done, and made no resistance.
"Thirty days MORE" said the Judge
dryly. "Take him away. Clerk, cal
the next name"
Quiet being restored, the business Of
the court went on. A few looked about
for the child who had caused the scene
but she was nowhere to be found.
Two hours later, dsmal-looking
closely covered wagon was backed up t.
the rear door of the court house, and, one
after the other, the prisoners filed into it
the door closing behind the last with ar
ugly click. As it started away at lively
trot, small, barefooted figure disengaget
itself from the crowd which had collected
and battered eff after the wagon. 1t wal
the same girl who had behaved so badly
in court. For while she kept up bravel,
with the team, now running into passer
by, now splashing through mud ant
water, now uttering little cry as sh,
trod on a sharp rock in her haste, Away
keeping her eyes fixed ON the little graf
ing in the top of that cruel, clicking door
At last, however, her breath came faster
she held her hand upon her side, and RAJ
heavily. Then for the first time sh
called out to the driver.
Misther she cried, will yer shtol
mint for me 2" But the streets wer
roughly paved, and the driver was chat
ting and laughing with friend upon tn
seat beside him.
"Misther" she called again, dashint
her long red hair out of her eyes, anC
painting 80 hard that she could hardl
speak. ats me father ye have there
Will yez let me on wild YEP"
But the driver only whipped up his Of
horse, who perhaps could understan
that tired cry better than he, aud wa
therefore tagging a little; and they wen
on faster than ever.
Still the faithful little figure followed
now falling farther and farther behind.
"Will ytz let me onto-the shtep-sure T.
kape shtill an" She had been lookin
90 eagerly that she did not see the uneve
spot in the sidewalk, where the brick
had sunk. In another instant her ankl
turned, and she fell in ragged heal
When she had scrambled to her fee
again, the prison wagon was nowhere t
be seen. 1t had turned corner, an
was by this time utterly beyond reach.
The despair in the child's pinched fac
wsa Ditiful to see. She turned ava