The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1885-12-10

iork, oio you nave on yonr spectacles p
don't wear glaees." said the wit
ness, shortly.
Ans Answer my question, . replied the re
Objected to, but allowed by the Court
when the witness tri1naphantly answered
"no," with q joyous sleam in her eve.
that made everybody laugh except tn,
counsel for the defsnce.
Mislaid them, probably, and in tn,
excitement of the moment didn't motto,
their absence Now, Miss Nonsuch-
look at me, witness, and don't frighter
the jury by smiling q tthem-tell the Jury
If you please, how large was the fielc
across which Mr.. Bluegrass was driving
at the time this Whiteman made attacl
on him ?''
Mr.. Whiteman didn't attack him Al
all. He only defended"
Don't put words into my mouth, wit
ness. What was the size of that field :
The one where Mr. Bluegrass defended
has life against the brutal assault of q
oowardly rufiian ss
There amt no such field on my
farm"
This comes of mislaying your specta-
cles, witness. But forgetfulness is a trai,
of the aged. Now, what is the size OF
this field where the fight took place ?"
It's ten-acre moving lot"
Yes, ten acres. 1t isn't any less than
that
No, sir-oh, excuse me gentlemen.
l should say, no. l say no.
But you mean yes, eh ?" said Lawyer
Clatteree insinuatingly; "quite com
mon weakness with young ladies of your
age, have heard my own grandmother
say. Now, was all this ten acre field be-
tween you and these men when they were
fighting ?"
about all of it, yes"
You 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 %
eyes"
"And yet" said Lawyer Clatteree, ris-
ing to her feet and transfxng, as it were,
the witness with just the daintiest fore
finger with its rosy tip clouded with a
gloom of ink, "and yet-look at the jury
you say you saw this fight distinctly,
from the time Mr.. Bluegrass was struck
from the load of hay and knocked to the
ground by rock hurled by this ruffian
Whiteman You say you clearly and
distinctly saw this fight, and even recog-
nized the men and heard their voices
across ten-acre field? You swear to
this 20
81 do" said the witness firmly, but
looking little surprised.
Lawyer Clatteree looked intently at
the jury moment and then at the court,
and then back at the jury again.
"That will do" she said and sat down,
victory shining on her clear hopeful
brow.
Well, when she went before the jury
with her case, Lawyer Clatteree made it
turn on that ten-acre field. She described
the witness, 80 stricken in years that she
could not-the jury had seen that-tell
her own age; she dwelt upon the limita-
tions of human vision; of all the known
established the gre greatest iange OF tie fhlalik max:
ed eve, she described this ten-acre field
stretching ont between the witness and
the battle she professed to have seen she
dwelt upon the rolling green sward, its
undulating waves of emerald the billowy
fields of the golden grain, dimpled by the
breath of the idle summer wind the wind
swept hill, its rocky feet kissed by the
wandering brook that sang to the cluster
ing alders on its way to the distant sea;
the forest of solemn oak and whispering
elm, lifting their swaylng heads to kiss
the tleecy clouds that stopped to bless
them; and even dragged in winding
country road, lying hot and dusty in the
July sun, with the loaded wains creaking
along its far-reaching perspective, and
when she had woven the landscape of
whole country, including little dove cot
of dollhouse, into her picture of Miss
Virginia Nonsuch's ten-acre moving lot,
she wanted the jury to lay their hands on
their hearts and hold them there while
they formulated a verdict that would set
the cold seal OF judicial condemnation
upon the evidence of any living human
being who would swear that he or she
could not only see people across this
wide-spreading landscape, but could even
hear their voices and actually affect to
recognize them.
The prosecuting attorney, a wretched
snipe Of a petifogger who was brought
up on farm and knew more about buck
wheat than he did about Blackstone,
talked about five minutes; the jurors who
were all farmers, went grinding out into
the jury room and came back IN about
five or ten minutes with verdict for the
complainant; Bluegrass was fined for
trespass, found guilty Of assault and bat
terry, 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 frosty sky.
1t was q cold day when the jury came in.
In Lawyer Clatteree's cozy little Office,
Webster Bluegrass stood, dejectedly fumb-
ling over an old leather wallet, rather
gaunt in condition, while his attorney,
the roses in her face a trife faded, made
out her bill for legal services, which was
as robust as the roses were faint. Two
hundred and fifty dollars.
Webster Bluegrass looked ut the bill as
she handed it to him, and let the lank
wallet fall to the floor. A nome is op-
pressive silence and he said:
"Well, Miss Clattcree, don't say that
it's any more'n's right and fair, but-but
Il guess you'll have to take the farm for
it," And he added hopefully, with just
cherry ghost ola smile and twisting the
corners OF his mouth:
0There's sixteen ten-acre pieces on it.