Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-10-28

shat he loved should take her heart in
great part from him and yield it to an
ether. He often felt with he impetuous
kisses on his lips, and other childlike
exhibitions of wild kind of fondness,
that he never could bear it. So he de-
layed acting upon the judges sugges-
| ton, and time ran on with Maun
studying at home under the tutelage of
her father and a lady from the East
| Once or twice thereafter John Earl
ing saw her cantering her white pony
over the swelling slopes, and for days
| the pretty picture fingered in his mind.
As the autumn fell away into the
| winter after the coming home of Maun
the old lawyer seemed fresher hearted
and resumed his curious conversations
with John Earling. Upon one of these
occasions when in the midst of an in
| tricate demonstration with his eyes
fixed intently upon his eager auditor,
something in the matter under dissec-
ton seemed suddenly to suggest pre-
viously considered gu estion, for he
stopped short and said:
What was the reason you wasn't
satisfied in Joe1s store?"
'.Why, SIR replied the young man,
with some surprise, you may remen1-
Der when | came TO you [ intimated
that things were not pleasant to me at
Mr.. Whitney's; besides, [ wished to
enter the law, you know.
WAS it for the reason that things
did not 60 as honestly as you liked at
Whitney 50"
Frankly. sir, that was the CASE
do you expect to follow the law
! honestly?'
Il do, in the finest sense of the
| term"
The old attorney spit in slow.
, time in his life, beat his pencil on the
| table by which he was sitting for a
moment. looked at the youth much as
| if he doubted his sanity or was sadly
disappointed in his shrewdness, and
said: .'Snum me! if l ever heard of
such a thing"
why, SIR" SAID John Earring, with
smile, Il was not aware that such a
statement contained any thing surpris-
ing. Isn't it possibIe?"
"Why, no, boy. thunder and light
min, no! Why. we're all set of ras-
Gals, didn't you know it?h The old
| man struck the table in the earnestness
| of his accusation
80 no, no. said John Earring.
| quickly, Il beg your pardon, but your
| estimate must certainly be defective.
There is no nobler occupation than the
! law, as l conceive it. Think of the
| fineness of it; it gives justice, rights
wrong, protects the innocent, shields
| the helpless, and broods over us like
| the silent atmosphere, here and there
| polluted, but nevertheless, sweet, be-
neticent, and not to be lived without
1t can not be that men are not or can
not be as honest in the conveyance of
| this supreme principle as the handler
of coarser, commoner things"
The old man crossed his arms on the
| table before him, leaned forward over
them, shook his head compassionately
and groaned. ''Why, boy" he broke
out, don't you know that the whole
system is to defeat and lam each other
| about with?"
John Earling smiled. but said, in his
open, fearless way: That's not my con-
| ception of it. 1t may be used more
| commonly than | am aware of as
hurtful weapon, but that is not its le-
| gitimate purpose. 1t appeals to me as
a thing not so much to beat and break
| with as to help and heal. Its province
may often be to restrain, but that need
| not make it cruel; it may convey
merited punishment, but it is something
else than law when made savage in
strument of torture. In its whole
| scope, aim and intent l can see no
germinal reason why the man who
| handles it should not be honest, and,
| indeed, the more upright from contact
with it.
The old attorney looked at him side
wise from where he sat. Young
man." he said, ''under your doctrine
of the law where do you think you will
come out?"
John Earring smiled again. II ex-
pect to come out an honest man. I
have heard it intimated that no out
| come is of finer kind than that"
"You don't 60 in to win then?'
"Yes, sir, when in the line of JUS
| tice; otherwise l would not care to-"
Suppose man comes to you who
| is guilty and offers you money to de-
fend him, what would you do in such
| a case?'
..If satisfied that he was guilty l
would not under any circumstances
touch his money or his case"
The old man sighed. well, then,
suppose the man caused you to believe
/ him innocent, and when the evidence
was given in court you should become
| convinced that he was guilty, | sup
pose you would simply help the other
fellows get a verdict"
Z" l should certainly not make an APP
peal before the jury in the guilty per-
sons defense. Why. sir" and John
Earring got up and walked about in
his sad. passionate way, lit should not
be lawyers business to defeat the
| law. 1t is absurd, nay, more than
| that, it is criminal! How can a man
respect himself or hold himself
blameless, who. by shrewdncss,
| chicanery, eloquence, or by any other
use of his best or meanest gifts, sue
ceeds in restraining the law, which
through him should be helped to sue
cessful operation, and thus turn loose
| again thief or murderer to prey
| upon his fellows? By what light shall
man look into the eyes of his own
conscience and seem worthy of its APP
| prevail who succeeds in beating back
one who is trying to get justice, or
fastens a wrong upon one who is at
tempting to throw it off? In my opin-
ion no consideration of dollars and
cents can make it right. nor should any
tenderness for name, fame, friends or
prospects persuade man from putting
his foot squarely upon it.
The old lawyer shook his head.
.'You'1 sop us up! wipe us out!" he
laughed. why, there would soon be
l. e L l.