The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-03-19
ANN BEDE's DEBT

The Judges were in their places.
Outside the fog weighed heavily upon
the Shapeless building, eiface the walls
and glued itself to the windows, conceal
ing their frosty Towering.
In The hall itself the air was thick and
sitting. 1t smelled of shecp-skins,
peasants, edd de Uie,, and the leaden
ventilator insthe upper sky-light turned
slowly and slothfully.
Tie jurors, too leaned heavily against
the backs of their chairs. One of them
had closed his eyes, and let his hand fall
inert lulled to sOmnolence by the monOt-
onous scratching of the clerks pen An
other tapped and softly beat the rata
plan with his pencil on the table.
The president pushed his spectacles to
the tip of his nose and mOpped his damp
brow, his stern gray eyes, with glacial
stare bent fixedly upon the door whence
would issue the culpIits in course of
trial and on whom they waited to pro-
nOunce the sentence.
SIS there not still another one?" de
manded he, presently of the sleepy-loOk-
ing tipstaff at his elbow in a hard, reso-
nant voice.
"One,' responded the other; "a
girl"
"Eh bien! bring her in then, said the
president.
The crier called, the door opened, the
girl entered.
A current of fresh air glided in with
her and softly famed the faces and tick
led the lashes of the curious assistants
At the same moment ray of sunlight
pierced the shIouding fog and danced
between the frosty etchings Of the panes
across the dusty walls and furniture Of
the hall of audience.
"A girl had said the tipstaff-a child
rather. scarcely more than on the verge
of maidenhood, and so pretty in her lit
tie fured jacket, embroidered with
wreaths and blossoms and fitting like the
skin the rounded waist, straight and
slender as the stem of young palm.
Her black eyes were lowered to the
floor, but her white brow was clear and
unclOuded.
what is it that you have done, my
child?' questioned the president, in
differently.
The girl nervously rearranged her
handkerchief that covered her head,
caught her breath heavily, then answer
ed signing:
''My affair is sad, NJ. lie President, very
very sad
Her voice. soft and dolorous, went TO
the heart like good music, that, even
when one hears it no longer, seems
still TO vibrate in the air and change
everything by its mysterious influence
The faces of the jurors were no longer
so morose. The portraits Of the king.
and farther away still of the Judex
Curiae. appeared to make TO her from
the silent wall benignant signs, encOur-
aging hOI TO brayely recount the affair
so very, very sad"
"But you See" said she this writing;
it will tell you better than | can"
Only she had first TO seek it; TO I'M
clasp the buttons of her cOrsage and
draw it from her bOsOm-a piece of
cracking parchment, stamped and closed
with the ponderous official seal.
"a judgement murmured the pres
ident. running his eye over the paper,
"a Judgment against Anne Bede, assigned
to-dry to begin a punishment Of six
months imprisonment"
The girl nodded sorrowfully; the hand
kerchief, loosened by a sudden move
ment. fell from her head, and a heavy
tress of her long, black hair, all un-
bound. yelled her features. IL sought,
perhaps. to shield them from the gaze
of the people, for II she was white as a
lily a while ago, she was purple with
shame at this moment
SIT is a week since we received it,"
stammered she in broken voice. "The
court officer brought it himself. and ex-
planned what it wished to tell us, and
NV poor mother said 10 me: Thou
must 90. my child, the law is the law,
and one should not take it as pleasant
ry.' have come, therefore, toto be-
gin the six months"
THO PRESIDENT wiped his glasses, then
wiprd , . again, bis cold, stern gaze
scpkiHg tine faces Of Ibis colleagues, the
N.iadpvt. TIE lo5r, the great iron stove,
tlirUua4 WIS, grated door fiery eyes
seemed 10 sparkle and threateningly re-
gard him.
"The law" murmured he, "the law is