The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-10-21

the court was ucnSclN crONOfu With score
Of men of his own profession. every on,
Of whom was, he felt, regarding him Will
curiosity not unmiXed with pity. Then
there was the tremendous responsibility
which literally seemed 10 crush him
though he had never quite realized il be
fore.
May il please your Iordshir," he be.
gan; and then, as | have said. his mind
became a ghastly blank, in which dim and
formless ideas fitted vaguely TO and fro.
There was o pause-a painful pause.
Read your pleadmgs nlond whispered
a barrister who was sitting next him. and
realized his plight
This was an idea. Ono c.n read plead
ings when one cannot collect ones ideas
10 speak. Ii is not usual 10 do so. The
counsel in cause states the substance Of
the pleadings. leaving the court TO refer
to them if lac thinks necessary But still
there was nothing absolutely wrong about
it; so he snatched at the papers and
promptly began:
Il The plaintiff is the sole and univer
sal legatec under the true last will Of
Jonathan Meeson. deceased. late of Pom
padour Hall, in the county of Warwick,
who died on the 23d Of December, 1885,
| the said will being undated, but duly ex-
ecuted on, or subsequent to, the 22d day
| Of December, 1885"
Here the learned judge lifted his eye.
4 brows in renonstrancc. and cleared his
throat preparatory to interfering; but APP
parently thought better Of it, for he took
up blue pencil and made q note of the
date Of the will
I'll went on James. "On the 2lst
day of May, 1856, probate of an alleged
will Of the said Jonathan Meeson was
granted to the defendants, the said will
bearing date the 10th day Of November,
1880. The plaintiff claims:
Il. That the court shall revoke probate
Of the said alleged will Of The said Jonathan
Meeson, bearing date the 10th day of
November, 1895, granted 10 the defend
ants on the 2lst day of May, 1856
-. A grant Of letters Of administration
TO the plaintiff with the will executed ON
or subsequent to the 22d day Of Deem
Der, 1885, annexed. Signed
JAMES SHORT"
May it please your lordship, James
began, again feeling dimly that he had
read enough plesdings, the defendants
have filed an answer pleading that the
will Of the 22d of December was not duly
executed in accordance with the statute,
and that the testator did not know and
approve its contents. and an amended an
swer pleading that the said alleged will,
if executed. was obtained by the undue /
influence Of Augusta Smithcrs and once /
more his nervousness oycrcamc him, and |
he pulled up with a jerk.
dreadful than the first
The Judge took another note, as slowly /
as he could and cleared lis throat. but /
poor James could not go on. He could /
only wish that lie might then and there
expire. rather than face the hideous hu-
initiation Of such failure. But he would
have failed, for his very brain was whirl-
ing like that Of a drunken man. had il not
been for an occurrence that caused him
forever after TO bless tho name of Fiddle
stick, q. c.. ms the name Of an eminent
counsel is not often blessed I'm this UNI
grateful world. For Fiddlcstick, q C.,
who. IL will be- remembered. was one of
tho leaders for the defendants, had been
watching his unfortunate antagonist, till,
realizing how sorry was his plight, "A sense
of pity filled his learned breast Perhaps
he may have remembered some occasion.
in the dim and distant corner Of the past.
when he had suffered from q similar ox-
cess Of frantic terror. or perhaps he may
have been sorry TO think that young man
should lose such an unrvalcd opp0rtu-
nifty Of making name Anyhow lie did
a noble act As it happened be was sit
ting nc the right hand corner Of the
queen counsel seats and piled Up on the
desk before him was q tremendous mass
Of law reports which lis clcrl. had ar.
ranged there. containing cases 10 which it
might become necessary To refer Now,
in the presence Of these law reports,
Mr.. Fiddlestick, in the goodness Of his
heart, saw an opportunity of creating
diversion, and ne created it with a Ven
geancc For, throwing his weight sud .
denly forward rs though by accident, or
Or in o movement Of impotence he
brought his bent arm against the pile
with such force that he sent every book,
and there must have been more than
twenty Of them, over the edge Of the
desk right on the head and shoulders Of
his choleric client, Mn Addison, who was ;
sitting Immediately beneath, on the So
icitor's bench
Down went the books with crash and
/ bang, and carried away by their weight,
Town went Mr.. Addison On to his nose
lmong them contingency that Fiddle. /
iticll, Q. c.. by the way, had not forcseen.
or he had overlooked the fact OF his eli {
nt's vicinity
The judge made On awful face. and
hen, realizing the ludicrous nature Of :
he scene, IS features rel,xcd into a
mile. He bounded.up off the floor, books {
Tipping off his back in every direction, ,
nd, holding his nose (which was injured)
With one hand, came skipping right at his
earned adviser.
you did il on purpose" he almost
houted, quite forgetting where he was
Just lot Ire get at him; III have hirwig
H." And then, without waiting FOR any
moro, the entire audience burst out into
roar Of laughter. which, however un- {
eemly. was perfectly reasonable during
which Fddlestick could be seen apollo.
.izing in dumb show, with bland smile
Ipon his cOUntenance, while Mr.. News :
nd Mr. Roscoc between them dragged
he outraged Addison to his seat and 5
,roffered him handkerchiefs to wipe his y
deciding nose.
James saw the whole thing. and. for