The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1883-01-04

Jog IL over the third or fourth Time. am
leaned back 10 my chair 10 reconsider
Tor about the iwen,ieih.
"a bad case aud ] am sorry for It
Ivs barris,er. young both IN years
and professional standing. and tbs VA
The first brief 81 any Importance had ev
or held. Ny client was an Italian sailor
named Luigi Berini, and the crime o
which be was accused was robbery, ane
| tie pluuder was the lifeleogsavings of |
xoman upwards OF eighty wsrs 81 age
which the poor creature kept hidden u
The thaich Of her little cabin.
The witnesses were the old woman her
self who had been stunned by severe
blow from the perpetntor OF the theft, and
. neighbor. who deposed to having mel
the prisoner in The vicinity Of the cab
in. When BeIini was arrested some days
later . curious foreign coin. identified as
part Of the stolen heard. was found IN
his pocket. This, however. he accounted
for by saying he picked it up on the road.
The weak point in the chain Of evidence
was a scarcely perceptible hesitation on
the part Of one OF the witnesses. She had
at first positively declared that the pris-
oner was the man whom she had seen 60
ing TOW ard old Joan's cabin, and had af'
terward adhered TO this statement with
what appeared to be dogged obstinacy
rather than real conviction.
The prisoner himself positively denied
having been in the neighborhood at all on
the day of the robbery, but unfortunately
could not speak with certainty as to his
whereabouts, be had lately been dis
charged from hospital, scarcely conval-
escent after bad fever; his own ship had
left the port, and he had been rejected by
the captains to whom he had offered him
self as not being sufficiently strong for
sailors work; he had little money left
and therefore took to wandering aimlessly
about the country, intending as soon -
the Columbia returned to ship aboard OF
her again. His mind had been weakened
aud confused by his illness, and although
he knew that for several days preceding
and following that Of the robbery he had
been in part Of the country fully twenty
| miles distant, he could not possibly say
where he had been or to whom he had
spoken OH the day in question. Many in-
oniries had been made, and many persons
had been interviewed who remembered
"the poor foreign chap" but no accurate
information as to dates was forthcoming.
As the testimany OF person who had ex'
tended her hospitality to him, "either OF a
Tuesday or a Thursday, she could not
rightly say which, would not carry much
weight in court Of justice, had to trust
for defence to the cross-examination OF
the Witnesses, whose character for veraci
| ty hoped bya iudicious management oi
the usual forensic weapons to compel them
to annihilate with their own lips. much
regretted this want OF evidence as was
strongly prepossessed in favor OF the pris-
oner; something frank and honest IN hrs
face making 1t difficult for me to believe
him guilty of the cowardly crime oi winch
he was accused Besides, twas, ns have
said, my first important case, and seif'ln'
terest and professional instinct alike
prompted me to desire its successful ISSUE
but Of this / had little hope.
laid aside my brief at length, and went
up to the drawing room, where was greet
ed by my cousin and hostess with some
what petulant reproof for having fingered
so long over those musty law papers.
Alice and ] had been children together
"a big girl and little boy. We had
grown from playfellows into friends, and
since her marriage her house in Carrigar-
want had been my resting place in assize
times. / was at no loss to understand the
cause of her vexation at my tardy appear
ance. She was somewhat Of a matchmak-
er, and having no one but myself on whom
10 exercise her talents, she had devoted
them exclusively to my service. She had
already decided on a suitable wife for me
and was exerting herself to the utmost to
bring abont the marriage. The chosen
Young lady was present, and knew .hat
Alice was much annoyed with me for de
voting my evening TO the brief instead Of
to Dora Lyme The latter was daughter
OF solicitor in good practice, and was
herself very pretty, bright looking grl,
who would, / was compelled to admit, he
a most desirable wife for young, un.
known barristcr.
was thoroughly fond Of Alice, aud she
was my chosen coniidante whenever l
needed one; bnt conld not tell her even
that the true reason which prevented Do
! ra Lynes brown eyes and sweet voice from
making their due impression on me was
Ithe remembrance OF q sweet face seen but
during q three hours .silroad journey p
face Nitii dark gray eFes and thoughtful,
lou,et ca pression, and oi a voice heard at
somewhat rare intervals IN the space OF
time, whose low pitched tonesstill yibrat-
ed in my imagination Alice would have
been too good to laugh at me, but
| felt sure, had she known the state OF the
case, she would have entertained. aud
probably expressed fears tina. over study
had affected my brain-an opinion that
would probably have been shared by all
persons whose Characteristic was common
sense.
Miss Lyme, perceiying that Alice was
vexed with me, and wishing. ] think. 10
show that she did not share the same feel
Ing, called me over TO look at some prints
and photographs which she was eIamin.