The Forrest City times., 1898-08-26


 mouth in anticipatory endowment "I oont bear you no i'll will; it were a lair tight between us, and you was the pest man, but blime! guv'nor. you came near to choking me, and that there Hat ring O yours saw the last of my front tooth. Weren't that enoupb for ye, without callin' the bloomin, |, cop?' (0nly he didn't say bloominp T think l could have cracked yer nut in another minute!" he added. reflect lively.
 By this time they had reached the door of the Kings Head; where. inside the private bay, the conversation was continued. Under the genial influence of several pots of -four 'arf," and other pleasant refreshment for the inner man, Bill Briggs completely thawed and soon lost all sense of injury to- wards the man who had been the means of curtailing his joyous liberty for such heightened period.
 MT. Magistrate Peters, the other chief participant in this little episode, lives on the borders of breezy Hempstead Heath. It is his custom to freshen his faculties after the day spent in close. stuffy courts, by twilight stroll be- fore dinner across its pleasant expanse. Not long after the above related incl dents, he was taking this little consti- tutional somewhat later than usual perhaps; it was rather chilly evening. and there were not many people abroad. His eyes were bent thought fully upon the ground, and he strolled slowly, sniffing appreciably the fresh, gorse-scented breeze.
 Suddenly from behind neighboring clumr of bushes dark figure loomed between him and the sky. He gave a start of surprise, and his eye quickly travelled up pair of worn corduroys. until they rested upon the evil, leering countenance of Bill Briggs He noticed that the breeze was no longer reminis- cent of blossoms, and that the expres- sion of MT. Briggs was not rendered the more charming by the loss of a large front tooth. He had not the least difficulty in recognizing his features. Bill paused moment 10 enjoy the evi- dent surprise which his appearance occasioned.
 What are you doing here, my good man.? biandly demanded the magis- trate, the occasion seeming to call for some remark.
 My good man is it." mocked Briggs, in his hoarse tones; "chinged yer ehune, ave yer, old man? How about me bein' violent pusson. and dinger ter sercierty, eh? l ain't fer got the remarks O yours, if you have.'
 MT. Peters recognized the threat ening glitter beneath Briggs lowering beetle brows, and he though it wise to head towards home, but in this harmless intention Briggs did not con cur. The magistrate, however, was not coward; those who sit in iudg- ment upon their fellows are seldom that, whatever other failings may be laid at their door, and he bravely turned upon his assailant with all the judicial dignity which he could mus ter, minus his official surroundings.
 AhC iucotioH iS, ny ludii, Wuat uO you want of me?"
 That's where yer lordship mikes a little mistike," replied Briggs, with a hoarse chuckle; that ain't the ques- tion at all as it happens; Mir. William Briggs is on the bench this time, and Samuel Peters is in the box which you'll wish you wuz in 'arf a minute-and he wants to ask question or two of the prisoner" At this point of the conversation his manner became distinctly more offensive. ''Wot do yer mean, yer crumple e-ficed old inseck, by mixing eggsamples O respectable men wots trying ter pick up honest liv- in? Why carn't ye leave two gents to settle their little diff'runces, or if yer must go givin' O these stunnin' sen tences ter people, why carn't yer do it strite, without lot O bloomin' rot chucked in, eb? It makes me squirm, it do, ter see yer sittin' up there like a cock lookin' down at worm, and talk in ter yer feller creatures as if yer thought yer wuz God Almighty his self"
 Bill was getting warmed up to his work, and every moment Mir. Samuel Peters expected that his feelings would bcome too strong to be expressed in mere words, and that he would receive a coup de grace from the lowering figure above him. He tried to explain to Byiggs that the sentence which he had undergone would not, by many people, have been considered excessive, consid- ering the magnitude of his crime against society, but this seemed only to infiame the passion of his tormen tor.
 Don't yer try fer ter go kiddin me now that it weren't 'eayy sentencel" he roared argumentatively Yer own words wuz that ye wuz goin' to mike a eggsample of me-of me-me-Bill Briggs!" and with this final explosion of wrath, he promptly seized his vic tim by the collar, and began dragging him violently across the heath, talking the while.
 "Offenses against sercierty, is it? Ser cierty indeed. 'oo is sercirty, eb? Mir. Samiwell Peters we'll sly, and sercierty is goin' ter lave a barth, nice clean