Evening star., 1896-07-25
PART I.

L.
] was asked one morning by my legal
rreceptors Potter & Patterson, to help
prepare for trial law suit they had
brought against the Children's Industrial
Home. / was not yet old enough to be
admitted to the bar. having barely passed
my twentieth birthday, but 1 had assisted
Mr. Patterson in the trial of number OF
important causes ard was thoroughly conf
petent 10 look up and digest authorities
as we'll as to seek out and examine wit
ntsses before trial. 1 knew how to col
Iect salient facts and brief leading au-
1horities, and / locked forward eagerly TO
the day when could open a case, as max
Ing the first argument is called with my
preceptor and friend sitting by, making
ready for the closing speech. Lawyer Pat
tersen had already warned me with
laugh against opening a case so wide
that he could not close it," But l fairly
Eched for the chance. i didn't see much
of interest ahead, however, in this suit
of William II. Peckham anu Wife against
the Children's Industrial Home 1t was d
fine May morning, ana L could not help
thinking that ISaak Walto1's gentle lore
more to my taste just teen than Sir
William BlaCkstohe's.
Of course, Mr. Patterson had i general
idea of the facts Cn which our bill IN
equity, the tirst paper i'll such proceed
irg, was based, for AIR Potter had talked
them with him before drawing the
pleadiniss. Mr. Potter always drew our
pleddInSS. Mr.. Patterson said an advocate
who was sure of mis- peadinss had his case
half won. But he thought IT just as well
that l should call on Mr.. and Mrs. Peck
ham that morning and make careful notes
of tine facts and dates which he would have
TO depend on them to prove under oath.
1 found them on the perch of the hand
some villa Mr. Pechaam hGd taken the
spring before. / was struck by the mourn
graceful melancholy of her voice and ges-
lures. i suppose the near approach of the
date when the sad story of her life would
have to be told IN public a the county
seat, fifteen miles away, had opened the
old wounds. And when i remembered that
the object of this very suit, in whose prep
aration i was now assisting, was TO compel
the managers of the ChildreE's Industrial
Home to reveal to Mrs. Peckham the fate
of her baby boy, committed to their charge
ty a false friend nearly twerty years be-
fore, realized suddenly how gentle l ought
to be in my treatment of painful a sub
ject.
Mr. Peckham was a handsome man of
military bearing and diSnified manners.
He came to meet ME as I walked up the
lawn and shook his head when L explain
ed my employers Instructions. II suppose
1t can't be helped he said. but l am ex-
ceedingly sorry that Mrs. Peckham must
be harassed in this way. She has seemed
to me unusually depressed in spirits of
late" The lady herself showed no hesita-
ton when her husband. leaning over the
back of her long porch chair. explained
what i had come for.
Il will tell you as best ! can" she said.
slowly, of this great grief OF my life"
Her eyes sought those OF her husband,
who sat by her side. holding her hand with
that delicate tenderness which is a hus-
bands highest compliment TO mis- wife. She
read encouragement in thcrn and went on:
II had been living happily in the town of
P for nearly two years. when my first