Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1888-04-21
CHAPTER XVII.
A LEGAL DISTINCTION.

| A LEGAL DISTINCTION.
| "Ah, Mr.. Breton yes, yes, was sure you
would come"
| The lawyer pulled two chairs together near
his Office table John T. Giddings had
changed great deal since the time when he
undertook to engineer the corporation
scheme Apparently he was going down hill
| very fast, without brakes. His eyes wore
| CLASSY look, as if he had just walked from
| drunken sleep. The smooth roundness of his
cheeks was gone, his lower jaw was strongly
marked, and his nose seemed drawn out and
| sharpened to give the effect of a bird of prey.
| Philip glanced significantly about the room.
| The lawyer followed his eyes and laughed.
Changed some, aren't we-all lack of
money Actually, you have no idea how $40
even would Turkish this old table and polish
| this floor Times amt as they were, MIR. Bre-
ton, in the old days, when l used to get fat fees
out of men like your father. Nice man, your
| father But and he leered meaningly at
| his visitor, ''when we do get chance for n
| loHar tell you we jump at it," He tipped
| back his chair against his half filed book
shelves and peered Familiarity into Philips
stern face. 'Why, look at those dirty fell
| lows back by the door Time was | wouldn't
notice a client unless he wore white collar
| and cuffs. But now for business. ] suppose
| you were little astonished to get my let
| terg'
| ~ should prefer not to have listeners re-
| marked Philip, coldly.
''Oh, well, / will finish with these fellows
first, then / thought you might be inn
patient
''Not at all, sir"
| The lawyers clothes were threadbare and
L loI fbe hat hat ha
| indoors and out, well slouched over his eyes,
was torn in the crown. Philip compared
| MIN with his shabby looking callers, and
| could not see but the clients looked as well as
| their patron. But at every sign of poverty
| and degradation his heart sank lower and
| lower, for the man must be reckless and
/ hungry as a man eating shark. If it lay in
| his power to rack the life out of victim
\ the man could have no restraint of character
| or decency to hold back his hand Could
| there be anything he knew about Bertha's
| past, that terrible gap Philip had not tried
| TO look into2 He dared not think. Impatient!
/ he dreaded the moment when the lawyer
| should serd away his soiled clients. Philip
started each time he half turned as if to come
back But when Giddings closed the dooS
| after the poor wretches which was not until
| little roll Of bills had passed from their
| hands to his, and came back TO his seat, the
| young mill owner did not seem to observe
him until the lawyer said:
| II have filled out a complaint but have
not signed it yet"
| Philip looked at him blankly. "What is a
| complaint"
"Well, my dear sir, man of your position
| might pass a lifetime and never know.
| Ahem 1t is "A form of procedure that is
| generally understood to be applicable only to
| the poor When q wretch has committed a
burglary, for instance, some friend Of justice,
as l for example, goes before magistrate
and makes certain charges. Then the poor
| devil is arrested, dragged before the court
| and tried. -
oven, sir, what are your complaints to
me!n
The lawyer smiled "Strictly, nothing,
unless you identify yourself with woman
calling herself Bertha Breton.n He paused
to notice the effect of his words
my wife, gasped Philip. "Oh, for Gods
sake, speak quickp
you have been lately marriedP
| "a week ago.
"The woman you have married has hus-
band already BY remarrying as she has
done she has committed felony by our
laws. Some rather inaccurately call her
crime bigamy A state prison offense, /
suppose you know-I mean for her. The law
| of our state does not touch you"
''But she told me she was free to marry"
How far or his voice sounded. Was it he,
indeed, in low attorneys Office, discussing
his wife, whether she were felon or no. 1t
was like horrible dream; too horrible to be
anything but dream but he could not
| awake from it,
"No doubt she thought So" said the law
| yer, charitably; "but let me show youn He
opened drawer in front of him, and took
out long paper. Isn't 1t odd, women have
no notion Of folding a legal document cor.
rectly. Did you ever notice itgn
mo, never noticed it, answered Philip,
mechanically He felt as If he were standing
still, while the world was flying from under
his feet
This is the marriage certificate 1t is
I proper in form, you win see.n
Yes;it seemed correct Berthas name was
there, and Curran's They seemed TO leap
out Of the parchment as he read. And there
were two witnesses He rubbed his eyes
"Thomas Bailes"-that was the name Of tho
servant he had turned away. Yes:it was