The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-12-25

hands either for that matter, your honor.
atd you must admit that this ribbon ia
enough to contradict anyasuoh character as
the prisoner has trIedito set up in this
court 3D.
Eyes. that is so, Mar-Ii mean Miss At
t~orney." and the court proceeds to a fresh
examination of the main point in evidence.
"Smells most villainously of stale CIGARS. l
should say. But see here, Mary" the
| Judge goes on excitedly, "see here, there's
a great old mud stain right across she
PALM"
'Oh, gracious. Jack. does it not set Won
! thinking of Sir Walter Raleigh and the
cloak he threw in the mud for Queen Bess
to put her foot on? Perhaps Uncle Rosie
once assisted some younQ lady on hose
back. and--oh. Jack, 1 have it, he did it so
clumsily that she never spoke to him
again. That's the very glove he must
have worn that day. Poor Uncle Rosie"
"Pshawn' SAYS Jack. more likely he
stayed too long at the CLUB one OF his
bachelor nights and the sidewalk came up
and-but come. sir. what explanation have
yon to give of this?"
In the excitement OF their merry hndin-
age, both Mary and Jack had for a moment
or two 70 gotten Uncle Rose and now.w when
they turned their eager, laughing faces to-
wards his chair. they were surprised to find
that all the bantering light had died out
of his eyes and that his face was full of
sorrowful memories. Quick as thought
Mary was on her knees beside him with q
plea for forgiveness. but u was with a
to sit down near him and linking his hand
in his niece's began. yu
ut 10 a sad Story, children. a sad story
for Christmas evening. but " happened on
a Christmas day, and in this world joy and
sorrow are never very far apart. Fifteen
years ago last night, my dear" no went on.
turning his eyes which had been gazing
dreamily into the fire upon his niece, inf
teen years ago. Christmas eve j. was and l
had been dining with dear old Tom and
you were in those days, like your pictu 9
in my study. all great big eyes and
bib and fills and fuckers" A
movement from the direction of Jacks
chair seems to donate intense interest at
this juncture. "How time does fly! re-
member there was u little fellow there,
! , even younger than yourself, some neigh
boris child | imagine, and what a fass you
did make about hin to be sure, You called
him your little husband and cried, good
gracious how YOU cried when he would not
kiss you on demand" Ominous silence
from Jacks corner, followed by an inered-
ulous sniff.
"Wsll, az l said, l had had dinner at
Toms, and after u merry evening started
off to walk home. Neither Tom nor l was
very wealthy i'll those days, and q penny
saved was a penny earned. you know. my
j 1Gohs VNe se's S"
night" tho speakers voice again grew
reminiscent. land the Strand was nearly
deserted as Big Ben struck midnight and /
trudged along with my head we'll down to
escape the sting OF the sleet and hail, hug
ging the shops to get the shelter of the
caves. Suddenly. 30 close to my side that
l jumped in alarm, a shsill, piping voice
was shot at me from the recsss OF a door
way. Buy u hevening paper, STRIP it
shrilled, hall the news OF the day.
sI u. .--k -Ask A,- aoAn tt... IA tnE Itt
curiosity turned me around, and it was a
soIrowful sight | saw. A sight, my sweat
niece. that would melt your tender heart 70
tears. A sight TINT has often haunted mi
in my dreams and by my comfortable fire.
aide. A sight that was a foul blot upoI
the boasted civilization of the nineteenth
century. A sight TO mako tender mo Their
in happy homes clutch their babes TO theij
breasts and pray that never. never ma
they come to this. by the pickering ligh