Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-01-03
the position of his desk rendered very diff

''Short, my Lord"
do you appear alone for the plaintiff,
Mr.. Short?" asked the Judge, with en-
phasiS.
Eyes, my Lord: do" answered James.
and as he said it every pair of eyes in that
crowded assembly fixed themselves upon
him, and a sort of audible smile seemed to
run round the court. The thing not I'M
naturally struck the professional mind as
ludicrous and without precedent.
'And who appears for the defendants"
81 understand, my lord, y said the learned
Attorney-General, that all my learned
friends on these two benches appear, to-
gether with myself, for one or other of the
defendants, or are watching the case in the
interest of legatees"
Here decided litter interrupted him.
II may add that the interests involved
in this case are very large indeed, which
accounts for the number of counsel con-
nected in one way or other with the de-
Tense"
'Quite so, Mr. Attorney" said the
Judge; "but, really, the forces seem a lit
tie out OF proportion. OF course the mat
ter is not one in which the Court can in
terfere"
''If your Lordship will allow me-" said
James, 1.-The only reason that the plaintiff
is so poorly Represented is that t funds
to brief other counsel were, I understand
not forthcoming. I am; however, well
verSed in the case, and, with your Lord
ships permission, will do my best with ii"
VERY well, Mr.. Short, +" said the learned
Judge looking at him almost with pity:
Estate your case"
James. in the midst of a silence that
could be felt. unfoided his pleadings, and,
as he did SO for the first time, a Siclxenin
sense Of nervousness took hold of him and
made him tremble, and of a sudden, hb
mind became dark. Most of us have I'M
dergone this sensation at one time or an
other, with less cause than had poo1
James. There he was, put up almost for
the first time in his life. to conduct, sin.
gle-handed, most important case, upon
which it was scarcely too much to say the
interest OF the entire country was concen-
trated. Nor was this all Opposed to him
We're about twenty counsel, all of them
men of experience and including in their
ranks some of the most famous leaders in
England; and, what was more, the court
was denseIy crowded with scores of men
of his own profession every one of whom
was, he felt, regarding him with curiosity
not unmiXed with pity. Then, there was
the tremendous responsibility which lit
terally seemed to crush him, though he
had never quite realized it before.
MAY it please your Lordship," he be-
gan; and then, as I have said, his mind
became a CHASTITY blank, in which dim
and formless ideas fitted vaguely to and
fro
There was a pause-a painful pause.
''Read your pleadings aloud" whispered
a barrister who was sitting next him, and
realized his plight.
This was an idea. One can read plead
ings when one cannot collect ones ideas to
speak. 1t is not usual to do So The coun-
sci in a cause states the substance of the
pleatlings, leaving the Court to refer tc
them if it thinks necessary. But still
there was nothing absolutely wrong about
it; so he snatched at the papers, and
promptly began:
90 The plaintiff is the sole and uni
versal legatee 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 executed
on, or subsequent to, the ed day of DE.
cember, 1885"
Here the learned Judge lifted his eye
broWs in remonStrance, and cleared his
throat preparatory to interfering; but ap-
parently thought better of it, for he took
up blue pencil and made a note of the
date of the will.
"QI.(' went on James. "On the 21st
day of May, 1886, probate of an alleged
will of the said Jonathan MeeSOn was
granted to the defendants, the said will
bearing date the 10th Of November, 1885.
The plaintiff claims
90 That the Court shall revoke pro-
bate of the said alleged will of the said
Jonathan Meeson, bearing date the 10th
day of November, 1885, granted to the de-
PENDANTS on the Dist day of May, 1886.
"(2.) A grant OF letters OF administra-
ton to the plaintiff with the will executed
on or Subsequent to the I'D day OF Decem-
Der, 1885, annexed.
'(Signed) JAMES SHORT"
"May it please your Lordship," James
began, again feeling dimly that he had
read enough pleadings, ''the defendants
have fled an answer pleading that the
will of the 22d of December was not duly
executed in accordance with the ia ute,
and that the testator did not X ow and
approve its contents and an amend Il an
swer pleading that the said alleged will,
if executed, was obtained by the undue in
fiuence of Augusta Smithers'-and once
more his nervousness overcame him, and
he pulled up with jerk.
Then came another pause even more
dreadful than the first.
The Judge took another note, as slowly
as he could, and once more cleared his
throat; but poor James could not 60 on.
He could only wish that he might then
and there expire, rather than face the
hideous humiliation of such failure. But
he would have failed, for his very brain
was whirling like that of drunken man,
had it not been for an occurrence that
caused him forever after to bless the name
of Fiddlestick, O. c., as the name of an
eminent counsel is not often blessed in
this ungrateful world. For Fiddlestick,
O. c., who, it will be remembered, was
one Of the leaders for the defendants, had
been watching his unfortunate antagonist,
till, realizing how sorry was his plight, a
sense of pity filed 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 access OF frantic terror, or perhaps
he may have been sorry to think that
Young man should lose such an unrivaled
opportunity Of making name. Anyhow,
he did noble act AS it happened, he
was sitting at the right-hand corner Of the
queens counsel seats, and piled up on the
desk before him as a tremendous mass
of law reports which his clerk had ar
ranged there, containing cases to which it
might become necessary to refer. Now,
in the presence of these law reports, Mr..
Fiddlestick, in the goodness of his heart,
saw On opportunity Of creating diversion
and he created it with vengeance. Fcf
throwing his weight suddenly forward as
though by accident, or in a movement OF
l. -