The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1891-03-07
ANN BEDE'S DEBT.

j
Outside the fog weighed heavily upon
the shapeless building, effaced the walls
and glued itself to the windows, conceal
ing their frosty Towering.
In the hall itself the air was thick and
sitting 1t slnelled ofsheep skins, peas
ants, eau de vie, and the leaden ventila-
ors in the upper glasses of the skylight
turned slowly and slothfully.
The jurors, too leaned YEARLY against
the backs of their chairs. One of them
had closed his eyes and let his hand fall
inert, lulled to sonnolence by the monot-
onous scratching of the clerks pen.
Another tapped and softly beat the rat
a-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 fiSedly upon the door whence
would issue the culprits in course of
trial, and on whom they waited to pro-
nounce the sentence.
'Is there not still another one?' de-
manded he, presently, of the sleepy look
ing tipstaff at his elbow in hard, re-
sonant voice.
"One," responded the other; ga 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
ticl1led tho lashes of the curious assist
ants. At the same moment ray of
sunlight pierced the shrouding 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 tipstaif child,
rather, scarcely more than on the verge
of maidenhood, and so pretty in her little
furred jacket, embroidered with wreaths
and blossoms and fitting like the skin the
rounded waist, straight and slender as
the stem Of q young palm. Her black
eyes We're lowered to the floor, but her
white brow was clear and unclouded.
"What is it that you have done, my
child?" questioned the president indiffer-
emily.
The girl nervously rearranged her
handkerchief that covered her head,
caught her breath heavily then answered,
signing;
''My affair is sad. M. le 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 i'll the air and change every
thing by its mysterious influence.
The faces of the jurors were no longer
so morose. The portrait of the king, and
farther away still of the Judex Curia,
appeared to make to her from the silent
wall benignant signs, encouraging her
to brayely recount the affair $50 very,
very sad"
But see you, said she, "this writing;
sit will tell you better than can"
Only she had first to seek it; to unclasp
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 Judgment" murmured the presi-
dent, running his eye over the paper, "a
Judgment against Anne Bede, assigned
to begin today a punishment of six
months imprisonment,
The girl nodded sorrowfully; the hand
kerchief, loosened by the movement, fell
from her head, and Il heavy tress of her
long black hair, all unbound, yelled her
features. 1t sought, perhaps, to shield
them from the gaze of the people, for if
she was white as lily while ago, she
was purple with shame at this moment.
1T is week since we received it"
stanmered she in broken voice. "The
court officer brought it himself and eX
planned what it wished to tell us, a.
my poor mother said to Inc: Thou must
go, my child. the law is the law, an
one should not take it rs a pleasantly.
| have come, therefore, to-to begin the
six months"
The president wiped his glasses, then
wiped them again, his cold stern gaze
seeking the faces Of his colleagues, the
windows the floor the great iron stove,
through whose grated door fiery eyes
seemed to sparkle and threateningly re-
gard him
"Ihe law" murmured ho, tho law is
the lawp
And be real anew tho summary before
tAallaek, sWawllnH scratches across
tAn wlta pase, declaring q Anne Ial
condemned a. slK months lmWl 9umtN
81 ptelRuH fIulnn glnds p
Meanwhile Che luadW AtaAltH hat
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