Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-12-20

take your advice"
| Mr. Short fairly bounded out of his chair
in exultation. and then, struck by another
thought, sank back into it again.
my dear Meeson," he said, II am sorry
1 cannot hear you.n
| '.Eh!' said Eustace; what do you
mean?"
4 mean that you are not accompanied
! by a solicitor; and it is not the etiquette
/ of the profession to which I belong to see
E client unaccompanied by a solicitor"
ooh, hang the etiquette of the profess
| sion"
my dear AIeeson, if you came to me rs
a friend I should be happy to give you any
| legal information in my power, and I fat
/ ter myself that know something of mat
tiers connected with probate But you
yourself have said that you come as a
| client. and in that case the personal rela-
! tionship sinks into the background and is
superseded by the official relationship.
| Under these circumstances it is evident
that the etiquette of the nrofession inter
venes, which overmastering force compels
me to point out to you how improper and
! contrary to precedent it would be for me
| to listen to you without the presence of a
properly qualified solicitor"
|
| idea that you were so particular; I thought
that perhaps you would be glad of the
| job''
"Certainly-certainly In the present
state of my practice" as he glanced at the
solitary brief, Il should be the last to
wish to turn away work Let me suggest
! that you should go and consult my brother
John in the Poultry. 1 believe business
Sc,-- /, I'll oh l, T
| think it probable that you will find him
| disengaged. Indeed, dare say that may
| go SO far as to make an appointment for
him here-let US say in an hours time.
Stopl will consult my clerk"
| 'Dickr'
| The infant appeared.
81 believe that I have no appointment
for this morning?"
mo, sir,'' said Dick, with twinkle in
| his eye. zone moment, sir; [ will consult
the book" and he vanished to return
presently with the information that Mr..
| Shorts time was not under any contribu-
tons that day.
very good" said Mr. Short; ''then
make an entry of an appointment with
| Mr.. John Short and Mr. Meeson at two
precisely
Yes, sir" said Dick, departing to the
unaccustOmed task.
AS soon as Eustace had departed from
Tweedledum to Tweedledee, or in other
words, from James, barrister, to John,
| solicitor, Dick was again summoned and
| babe to go to a certain Mr.. Thomson on
! the next floor. Mr.. Thomson had an eX-
cellent library, which had come to him by
will. On the strength of this bequest he
had become a barrister-at-law, and the
| object Of Dicks visit was to request the
loan Of the eighth volume of the statutes
revised, containing the Wills act of 1 Vic,
cap. %, ''Brown on Probate" ''Dixon on
Probate - and ''Powles on Brown to the
study of which valuable books Mr.. James
! Short devoted himself earnestly while
! awaiting his clients return
! Meanwhile, Eustace had made his way
| in a tWopenny bus to one of those busy
| courts in the city where Mr. John Short
| practiced as a solicitor. Mr.. Shorts office
was, Eustace discovered by referring to a
notice board, on the seventh floor of one
| of the tallest houses he had ever seen.
i However, up he went with stout heart,
| and after some five minutes of a struggle,
that reminded him forcibly of climbing
| the ladders of a Cornish mine, he arrived
at little door right at the very top of the
| house, on which was painted, mfr. John
| Short, Solicitor" Eustace knocked, and
the door was opened by small boy, SO
| like the small boy he had seen at Mr..
| James Shorts chambers at the Temple
| that he fairly started. Afterward the
mystery was explained. Like their mas
tiers. the two small boys were brothers.
Mr.. John Short was within, and Eus-
| ~ 10 II ~
| all appearances he was consulting volu-
.minous mass of correspondence written on
large sheets of brief paper; but when he
| looked at it closely, it seemed to Eustace
that the edges of the paper were very yell
low, and that the ink was much faded.
This, however, was not to be wondered at,
seeing that Mr.. John Short had taken
them over with the other fixtures o. the
office.
| CHAPTER XvI.-sHORT ON LEGAL ETIQUETTE.
"Well, Meeson, what is it? Have you
come to ask me to lunch?" asked Mr.. John
Short do you know I actually thought
that you might have been client?"
"Well. by Jove, old fellow! and SO I am, u
answered Eustace. II have been to your
brother and he has sent me on to you, be
cause he says that it is not the etiquette OF
! the profession to see client unless a so
| licitor is present, so he has referred me to
you.''
Perfectly Independently right of my
brother James, Meeson. Considering how
small are his opportunities of becoming
cognizant with the practice of his PROBES
sion, it is extraordinary how well he is
acquainted with its theory. And now
what is the point?"
WELL do you know, Short, as the point
is rather long one, and that your brother
said that he would expect us at two pre-
| cisely, think that we had better take the
bus back to the Temple, when [ can tel
the yarn to both of you at once"
VERY we'll I do not, as general rule,
like leaving my office at this time of day,
as it is apt to put clients to inconvenience,
especially such of them as come from a
distance. But l will make an exception
for you Meeson. William" he went on
to the counterpart of the Pump-court in
FAINT, eff anyone calls to see me, will you
be so good as to tell them that 1 am en-
gagged in an important conference at the
chambers of Mr.. Short in Pump-court,
but that hope to be back by haf-past
| three"
eyes, SIR" said William, as he shut the
| door behind them: certainly, sir.' And
then, having replaced the musty docu-
ments upon the shelf, whence they could
be fetched down with difficulty on the
slightest sign of client, that ingenious
youth, with singular confidence that no
body would be Inconvenience thereby,
put notice on the door to the effect that
he would be back Immediately, and adj
journed to indulge in the passionately ex-
| hilarating game of "chuck farthing' with
IL