Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-01-08

ed arrows of scorn and denunclatlon,
The first duty devolving upon every stu
dent there, who vas but a citizen in
embryo, was his duty to his state. The
obligation to deliver up the guilty par
ty, to be whipped of justice, no matter
how lea or dear the culprit might be
personally, was held up for grave con-
sideration.
Pushing his iron gray locks impa-
tiently back, that he might the better
sweep that row of youthful upturned
faces, the old lawyer exhorted them
with impressive solemnity to perform
their duty on this occasion, even
though it demanded the iron resolution
of a Brutus.
The sound Of stertorous breathing
from the front form caught Mrs. Fitz-
williams alert attention. She telegraph
ed Mrs, Maginnis with her fan:
"Look at himP'
Mrs. Maginnis looked at Strong Mar
tin. His aspect Of composed attention
had been unanimously broken up. He
had turned sidewise on the bench, and
the fixed gaze which he had at first
planted on Lawyer Seephar's face was
now rowing restlessly among the tops Of
the cedars that tapped the window
frames with their dark fingers. From
an ivory wilderness, that had lent a fine
touch Of intellectually to his features,
his complexion had turned to a crimson
bordering Oh purplish. Occasional move
ments Of a long, nervous hand to his
necktie suggested physical discomfort in
that region. His handkerchief went Of
ten to his brow. Mrs. Maginnis tele-
graphed Mrs. Fitzwilliams with her
eyes:
"Did you ever see guilt more plainly
revealed"
But Lawyer Seephar's ringing voice
imperatively demanded undivided at
tention:
"In conclusion, young gentlemen, I
have this to say: I make no apology for
addressing you on the law Of testimony.
You know well what directed my choice
Of subjects this morning. A crime has
been committed, and some of you know
by whom. If the knowledge could be
traced home to you, you would, by the
law Of your state, be liable to imprison-
ment for failure to testify. AS it is, I
leave it to your w consciences. That
you cannot elude. And if it succeeds in
convincing you that it is your duty as
men of honor to shield Il guilty man
and permit suspicion to rest on a score
or two of innocent ones, all l have to
say is that it is a miserable, paltry, ly-
ing conscience that will stand you in
poor stead when you leave the shelter
ing arms of your alma mater and 60 out
to an inevitable hand to hand struggle
with the power Of evil lying in wait for
you in the world"
The like of it had never been seen or
heard in the old red brick church before.
The June zephyrs, astray from the fields
Of ripening corn, foated in at the open
windows and lifted the old mans long
hair from his heated brow, then wan
dered off to play at hide and seek in the
artificial flowers Of a girls hat. The
hooking birds were singing the very
fullest throated sonatas out there in
their cedar branch swings. With folded
arms the college boys gazed unmoved at
the old mar eloquent.
Side by side Adrien Strong and
Strong Martin sat on the front form.
Adrien, aristocrat from the smallest
wave Of his light tawny hair to the tips
Of his faultless boots; Strong, broad
%shouldered, massive, suggestive of a
fine piece of sculpture rather than Il
crude, struggling lad, bitterly conscious
already that he was to run his race
heavily handicapped.
Adrien's clear, frank eyes never left
the lawyers face once. In point Of fact,
not one Of the students had followed
the harangue with more pointed inter
est and unbroken composure. He never
once unlocked his placidly folded arms.
- -:.-~- ...v .-.o 1.-., l;a.. - =. -:
kept nands We're. rest1uIly planted
against the blue serge sleeves Of his
coat. Occasionally, with a light toss of
his head he threw back a wind blown
wisp of fair hair.
When Strong Martin had shifted his
position, he had turned his back par
TALLY on Adrien. They never once look
ed at or spoke to each other.
As through a yelling fog he saw the
lawyer finally step backward to a table
and lift a glass of water to his lips. The
great speech was at an end. The plain
tive band up in the choir loft struck in
to Nearer, My God, to Thee" There
was a rustic Of women's garments and
a movement Of the crowd toward the
door. Adrien Strong had risen with the
crowd and stretched his long legs DELHI
erately. Strong Martin alone remained
seated.
"After all, the mystery is as great a
mystery as it was before old Seephar's
flow of oratory," Adrien said, with a
light laugh, laying his hand on Strong's
shoulder. 1.-THE only effect it has pro-
duced on me is to render me ferociously
hungry. Going out to dinner, Strong?'
d dinner! No."
He was on his feet now, looking
slightly down into the delicate, boyish
face before him.
"Is that all that Lawyer Seephar's
speech has done for you, Adrien? Made
you hungry" =.
"All. Positively all. This whole in
fernal row is disgusting. If gentlemen's
sons are to be harangued like field
hands, the college doors had much bet
ter be closed.
A soft flush had come into his cheeks,
his eyes-no longer resting OH Strong's
face, but busted in a search for Ole par
ticular girls hat among the many fiut
tering within range Of his ~vision-burn-
ed angrily.
"Of course one Of the negroes is tho
guilty party"
He tnf1,ed toward the door ahruntly.