The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1885-12-10
Eyes, ten acres. 1t isn't any less than

that
"No sr-oh, excuse me, gentlemen. |
should say, no. say no."
But You mean yes, eh ?" said Lawyer
Clattcrce nsinuatingly "Qute common
weakness with young ladies of your age,
have heard my own grandmother say.
Now. was all this ten acre field between
YOU and these men when they were fight
ing p
"A bout all Of it, YES
'GOu were sitting on the porch of
your house at one side of the field. and
they were fighting close to the line fence
! on the other side ~
'Nes"
And yet" said Lawyer Ulatteree,
rising to her feet and transfxing as it
We're, the witness with just the daintest
| forehnger with its rosy tip clouded with
a gloom of ink, land yet-look at the
| iury-you say you saw the fight distinct
| ly, from the time Mr.. Bluegrass was
struck from the load of hay and Knocked
to the ground by a rock hurled by this
ruffian Whiteman You say you clear
! ly and distinctly saw this fight, and even
| recognized the men and heard their
voices across a ten acre field You
! swear to this =
II do,' said the witness firmly, but
looking a little surprised
Lawyer Catteree looked intenty at
| the jury a moment and then at the
court, and then back at the jury agajn
"That will do, she said, and SAT dr wn,
victory shining on her Clear, hopeful
| brow.
Well, when she went before the iuN
| with her case. Lawyer Clatteree made, it
| turn on that ten acre field. She Gesclibed
| the Witness 50 stricken in years thai she
could not-the jury had seen that-teIl
her own age: she dWclt upon the liinita-
tons OF human vision and when she
had fully established the greatest range
OF The naked e5e, she described this ten
| acre Iield stretching out between tie
witness and the battle she profeSscd to
have seen; she dwelt upon the rolling
green sward, its undulatng waves Of
emerald; the bllowv fields of golden
grain, dmped By the breath of the IDLE
summer wind; the wind d-sWept hiN. its
rocky feet kissed by the wandering brook
that sang to the clustering aders on
its way to the distant sea- the forest
Of solemn oak and whispering elm. lift
clouds that stopped TO bless them; and
even dragged Ill winding country road,
lying hot and dusty in the July sun, with
the loaded wans creaking along its far
reaching perspective, and when she had
woven The landscape Of a house into her
picture of Miss Virginia Nonsuch's ten
acre moving lot, she wanted tie jury to
lay their hands on their hearts and hold
them there While they formulated a ver-
diet that would set the cold seal of Judi
clal condemnation upon the evidence of
any living human being who would
swear that he or she could not only see
people across the Widcspreadng land
scape, but could even hear their voices
and actually affect to recognize them.
The prosecuting attorney il wretched
snlpe OF pettitogger, who was brought
up on farm and knew more about buck
wheat than he did about Blackstone,
talked about five minutes, the iurors.
who were all farmers, went grinnng cut
INTO the jury room and came back in
about five or ten minutes With a verdict
tor the complainant; Bluegrass was fined
Tor treSpass, found guilty Of assault and
battery, and had to pay for the dog, and
The sun that rose in cloudless splendor
and all the balmy warmth of midsummer
on Clatteree and Bluegrass that morn, !
went down in a cloudy west and a frosty
sky. 1t was a cold day when the jury
came in.
In Lawyer Clatterees cosy little office,
Webster Bluegrass stood, dejectedlv
tumbling over an Old leather wallet, rath-
er gaunt in condition, while his attorney. |
in hnr A., IL,
out her bill for legal services, which was
as robust as the roses were faint. Two
hundred and fifty dollars.
Webster Bluegrass looked at the bill
as she handed it to him, and let the ank
wallet fall to the floor. A moments op-
presslve silence and he said
"Well, Miss Clatteree, don't say that
it's any more'n's right and fair, but-but |
! guess you'll have to take the farm Gor
it." And he added hopefully, with Just a
cherry ghost Of a smile twisting the cor
ners OF his mouth:
"Theres sixteen ten-acre pieces on it, |
Miss Matte"
And Lawyer Clatteree rose to her feet
and walked over to him and took the bill |
away freln him; she receipted it with a
W0ndrOusy tremulous signature for such |
a calm, self possessed LAWYER as Attorney |
Cldtteree, and when she laid it back in |
his big brown hand the little ink STAINED |
fingers still kept hold OF it and the big
brown hand shut them beth cut of sight
and Lawyer CIatteree never had another
case in court; never.
! passed fortnight Oh the Bluegrass
farm last SUMNER used to 90 to school
with Web-and the second evening was
there an angular looking woman drove
up to the door and asked for Matte
''Oh, its jimmy Nhiteman." said Mrs
Bluegrass, when delivered the message
and described the visitor ''They Join
farms with US, and she's just the dearest,
sweetest old maid of a married woman"
And there she was, sitting in the phuton,
hugging the angular female, and eoaXing
her to stay to supper.
"lndecd, dear, can't tonight" repli-
cd Mrs. Nhiteman. ''I'm expecting
friends Of Jared's from town. and must
hurry right away. It's getting late, and
it, q long way across q tcn-acre field you
know
1t sounded like a slap, but saw it
was a kiss, and Matte laughed as she
saw the angular female drive away TO an
Old farm house that fronted ours.
''Do YOU know she said, turning to
NE, ''rhis house of ours is built on bat
tlefield? +? This ten acre piece used to be-
long to jimmy before she was Mrs. White
man, and one time Web and Jared"
But just then Web came in. Burdette
in Detroit Free Press.