, 1889-12-17
a U DAY IN elJr.
The Judge Plays n jews Harp and Respects
n Man of Influence. |

y rs OF inuuenco-
The gala dresses are not a little
startling. Here Is a dignitied old gem
tleman arrayed in a second hand tu-
mic of a marine, in much the same
plight as to buttons as its owner as to
teeth; rear him stands a fine young
village policeman, whose official gray
ity is not enhanced by the swallow
tailed coat of a niger minstrel; while
the background is taken up by a bevy OF
village maidens clad in gorgeous vel
vet pinafores, who are Cycling after
the name Of their white sisters until
they are fixed by the stern gray eye of
the chief policeman, which turns
their expression into one OF that pre-
ternatural solemnity they veal in
church.
The court house, a native building
carpeted with mats, is now packed
with natives, sitting crosslegged, only
asmall place being reserved in front of
the table for the accused and witness
es. The magistrate takes his seat, and
his scribe, sitting on the floor at his
side, prepares his writing materials to
record the sentences. The dignity
with which the old gentleman adjusts
his shirt collar and clears his throat is
a little married when he produces from
his bosom what should have been a
pair of pince-nez, seeing that it was Sc
cured by a string round his neck, but
it is in fact a Jews harp. With the
soft notes of this instrument the man
Of law is wont TO beguile the tedium of
a dull case. But, although the spec
tacle of Lord Coleridge gravely per
forming on the Jews harp in court
would at least excite surprise in Eng
land, it provokes no smile here.
The first case is called on. Reiterated
calls for Samuela and Timothe produce
two meek faced youths of 10 and 10,
who, sitting tailor fashion before the
table, are charged with fowl stealing.
They plead mot guilty" and the own.
er of the fowls being sworn deposes
that, having been awakened at night
by the voice of afavorite hen in angry
remonstrance, he ran out of his house,
and after a hot chase captured the ac-
cused red handed in two senses, for
they were p%lucking his hen while still
alive. Quite unmoved by this tragic
tale;5 Vatureba seems to listen only to
the melancholy notes of his Jews harp;
but the witness is a chief and a man
Of influence withal, and a period of
awed silence follows his accusation,
broken only by a subdued twanging
from the bench.
But Vatureba's eyes are bright and
piercing, and they have been fixed for
some minutes On the wretched prison
ers. He has not yet opened his lips
during the case, and as the Jews harp
is not capable of much expression, it Is
with some interest we await the sem
tence. Suddenly the music ceases, the
instrument is Withdrawn from the
mouth, the oracle is about to speak.
Alasl he utters but two words, ''Vula,
tolu" (three months, and there peals
out a Indignantly triumphant strain
from the Jews harp. But the prosecu-
tor starts up with a protest. One OF
the accused is his nephew, he ex-
plains, and he only wished a light
sentence to be imposed. Three months
for one fowl is so severe; besides, if he
has three months, he must go to the
central Jail and not work out his sem
tence in his W district. Again
there is silence, and the Jews harp has
changed from triumph into thought
full melancholy. AT length it is with
drawn and the oracle speaks again:
"Bogi tolu" three days).-Cornhill
Magazine.