Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-03-09
HER ONB ERROR.
OR
TIE FISHERMAN'S BRIDE
CHAPTER xxx. SEA
OR
DOVE AND SERPENT.

view, WHICH nldQ6 IUS6ll Qulb6 6NIdSuO
to his audience, by whom he was al
ready tolerably well known in way
or another, and by whom he was not,
apparently, regarded with any too
friendly eye, as more than one NUT
tered imprecatlon testified. $50.
Poor little beggar! he might have
let her off"
"a cripple like as she is"
"And bein' as it's first hoffence."
"Greedy old warmint!"
"Hard old william" and so forth.
1t was remarkable that not one
appeared to entertain any doubts as
to the truth of the accusation made
against the child, whose scared and
fearful countenance and trembling
voice appeared to be all ascribed to
the fact Of her being new to the bust
ness.
'sShe amt half up to it, y muttered
one illfavored fellow, without one eye,
and that OF oblique vision.
Shame to send such a one, " growl-
ed a voice equally harsh and disson-
ant. though it was a woman's. "Here
comes the mother; then she'll face 1t
out"
''That her mother!'
There was a considerable cOmmOtlOn
when Nelly made her entry into the
court, and her fainting was at first
regarded as a complete stroke
OF policy, exciting even an
emotion of envy among those who
felt that, on a like emergency, they
could hardly have come up to such an
effective demonstration. But Nature
ho,.eoiE ctpnI1Clxy o196 I1n-
came quickly too apparent to be mis-
taken by the eyes OF the delnorallsed
witnesses Of the mothers agony; and
as they closed around her, and heard
her incoherent lamentations and
rt-breaking EXPLANATIONS, a feeling
of unmiXed pity soon took possession
of the better thinking part Of the rab-
BILE, mingled inthe others with q SEN
sation Of contempt for the weakness
that should "make arrow about such a
bit of Job that, after all, couldn't
be above a month or so, with the Re
formatory at the end, and, as like as
not, let her off all together with a eau
ton, bein' like as you may say
cripple"
Hi, but Jaffers says it do look
black; it S q out-and-out duffer, and
no mistake, and there's gang as has
been dom deal ringing the changes
down there lately" a
"Silence in the COURT"
The child.was speaking; her trem-
bling tones failed to make themselves
heard, though the police court was re-
duced to an unusual state OF quiet,
with the exception Of such shutting Of
feet and swinging of doors as are in
evitable
The magistrate directed that the
little girl should be raised in the dock,
above which her little head was hardly
visible, and the woman who stood by
her lifted her upon her knee leaning
against the partition herself, and at
the same time with one hand removing
the child S bonnet, and smoothing back
the tumbled tresseS, SO that the pale,
innocent little face was distinctly seen.
Accustomed as the presiding gentleman
was to see all sorts OF countenances
brought before him, many strangely
believed by the evidence other guilt,
he could not help being struck by the
wistful, earnest gaze Of the childish
little face that seemed Of itself to Ut
ter an appeal against the position to
which it had been brought, and the
good magistrate unconsciously was
moved to listen to the explanation
which the girl profered of the way in
which she had become possessed ofthe
half-crown that had brought her into
trouble
This was simple enough in itself, yet,
to those. astute. ears which listened, it
might be either the artless statement
OF q truthfulehild, orthe well-concoct-
ed tale of q practised deceiver, trading
upon infancy and apparent innocence.
They were more accustomed to deal
with the latter possibility, and it can
scarcely be set down to the blame Of
men so placed that they involuntarily
adopt the worst aspect of human dis
positions.
The half-croWn had been given her
so the child's story went-by an old
gentleman who cameto see her moth
er one evening, to ask her for the ring;
yes, it was mothers ring-the old gen
tleman took it away, though-mother
gave it to him, but she cried after
wards; she said it was his ring. No,
he did not give mother any money, he
put that on the table for herself.
Mother put it away, and SAID it was
to be saved to buy her shoes, but that
morning there was no other money in
the house, and mother was so i'll.
Here the poor child's lips trembled,
and she gave sob but she did not
cry-she was too frightened for that,
and it was as well; the magistrate was
hardened by the continual dropping
of water in that box. Tears had no
influence, or rather a prejudicial one,
with him.
Ida went on to say that she had
prevailed on her mother to let her
take the half-crown and get some bread
for their breakfast, though not till
her mother had endeavored to dress
herself to go, but had failed in the at
tempt. through weakness.
Then came the question since the
mother had been so averse to letting
her child out alone, why had she gone
/ L l. l.