Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1891-04-04
Mr.. NecSoD' 5 VIII,
By H. RIDER HAGGARD

a. 50 poorly represented is that the funds
10 orlef other counsel were understand
not forthcoming. | am, however we'll
Eersed In the case, and, with your lord.
81 snip permission, will do my best with
Very well, Mr.. Short, said the learned
Judge looking at him almost with nitv.
state your case" F'''
James in the midst of a silence that
oI i S 3e ieIt, 9nfolded his pleadings, and,
% no uiu 80 Ior the hrst time, sickeninr
SCI oolL'o vi nervousness took hold of him
and made him tremble, and. of q sndda-1
MS mind became dark Most of ms boTo.
undergone this sensation at one time ~
another, with less cause than had
poor James. There he was. mt nm oil
most for the first time in his life 10 con
uuct' single handed, a most imnortant
case upon which, it was scarcely too mucb
10 say the interest of the entire country
was concentrated. Nor was this all On.
posed to him were about twenty counsel
al OF them men of experience. and inclnd'
ing IN their ranks some of the most famons
leaders In England; and, what was more
the court was densely 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
lIere was the tremendous responsibility
Whlch literally seemed to crush him
though he had never quite realized If he,
fore ~ w.
May it please your lordship." he he.
gam and then, as | have said. his mind
became a CHASTITY blank, in which dim and
Ior1nless ideas fitted vaguely to and fro.
mere was pause-a painful pause.
head your pleadings aloud" whispered
barrlster who was sitting next him. and
realized his plight.
inns was an idea. One can read plead
lngs when one cannot collect ones ideas
to speak. 1t is not usual to do so The
counsel IN cause states the substance of
the pleadlngs, leaving the court to refer
TO them If he thinks necessary But still
there was nothing absolutely wrong about
IL; SO he snatched at the papers and
promptly began:
Il The plaintiff is the sole and univer
sal 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 ex
ecuted on, or subsequent to, the 22d dav
OF December, 1885,
Here the learned Judge lifted his eve.
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
I'll, went on James. ION 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 day of November,
1855. The plaintiff claims:
q. That the court shall revoke probate
- 2lNaC lo11S i
Meeson, bearing date the 10th day of
November, 1885, granted to the defend
ants on the 21st day of May, 1886
''2. grant of letters of administration
to the plaintiff with the will executed on
or subsequent to the 22d 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, 1.-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 Smithers" and once
more his nervousness overcame him, and
u0 puII6u up Will d jerk.
Then came another pause even more
dreadful than the first.
The Judge took another note, as slowly
as he could. and cleared his throat; but
poor James could not go on He could
only wish that he might then and there
expire, rather than face the hideous hui
initiation of such failure But he would
have failed for his very brain was whirl-
ing like that of a drunken man, had it not
been for an occurrence that caused him
forever after to bless the name of Fiddle
stick, O. c., as the name of an eminent
counsel is not often blessed in this IN
grateful world. For Fiddlestick, Q. 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 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 a similar ex
cess of frantic terror, or perhaps he may
have been sorry to think that young man
should lose such an unrivaled opportu-
nitv of making name. Anyhow, he did
noble act As it happened, he was sit
ting at the right hand corner of the
oueen's counsel seats. and piled up on the
desk before him was a tremendous mass
of law reports which his clerk had ar
ranged there, containing cases 60 which 1t
might become necessary to refer. NOW,
in fine presence of these law reports,
Mr.. Fiddlestick, in the goodness OF his
heart. saw an opportunity OF creating
diversion, and he created it with ven
geance For, throwing his weight sud
denly forward as though by accident, or
mr. in n movement of impatience, he
brought his bent arm against the pile
11itb snch 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, Mr.. Addison VINO was
sitting Immediately beneath on the So
icitor's bench. al, onos1, ord
49,, and carried away by their weight
q ooll ., ,,' 1t Mr.. Addison on to his nose
oDo,o 4bem-a contingency that Fiddle
STICK o G.. by the way, had not toreseen'
CO.. ho bod overlooked the fact of his ell
ents vicinity. =, tooo ond
tban realizing the ludicrous nature OF
tbo scone his features relaxed III" "
sr1ilo He bounded up off the floor ooohS
sIinning off his back in every direction,
and LoIdinp his nose (Which was IN ureu 81:
With one hand, came skipping right at MS
'e' nVo, q" Aid # on purposer' he almost
sbon+od mite forgetting where ne was
1sinet let me get at him, III nave Hl9 N.S
oifp And then. without waiting lor any
mono Tho entire audience burst OUT ilro
a roor If laughter, which, however ui
saemiv was perfectly reasonable, our lIa
which Eyd6lestick could be seen aPoiH