The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1898-04-26

for him
II fancy he thinks differently said
Marcia in her slow way.
Doris disdained this little side re-
mark, though her cheeks famed; she
valiantly returned to the question in
hand.
'sIn the name Of the law, the case is
nine" she declared. Zone can't thelp
ones moral convictions, mamma; but
my maiden speech may spoil every
thing. I confess, I'm very badly
scared"
That's the least part" said Jack
sententiously. ''Just get up and fire
away; nobody's going to eat you"
This very wholesome advice Doris
slowed away as q text. She went
bravely to work on the defense, being
materially assisted by the anxious
farmer, who was continually "drop-
PIN" in to make suggestions and ere.
ate new perplexities,
"Look here, Miss Doris, I've got
pint for you," he said one morning in
high glee, ''as purity piece Of legal
reasonin' as you ever seen, an heard
tell. the other sides goin' to use it as
one of their trump cards. It pears
that Jimmy Harroway seen me shoot
that there COW, an he up an says,
the beast hadn't nothin' but her
forelegs, an her head an shoulders in
my pasture. Now what you got to
prove is, in the first place, that Jimmy
is liar. Give him the lie right bold
out in the court. He's kind Of soft
chap; he'd never dare to say mo- to a
! lady. Then you can so on to prove
! that the head is always the biggest
part of any animal-the thinkin,' feel
! in part, you know. You can make
that great, and you eau upset little
Jimmy clean into the ditch. Ha, ha!
T think we'll pull through all right; I
amt afeard," he remarked with con-
descending chuckle, as he went away.
Yet, in spite OF her bold front, Doris
was afraid. She went over and over
the scanty evidence she had in hand,
trying in vain to evolve therefrom some
point which might appeal to the jury;
! but a weeks untiring work forced her
to the sad conviction that there was no
hope for either client or herself. Old
Watt was too unpopular in the neigh
borhood, and she too newly fedged,
to make much impression upon the
/ court; and the loss Of a good COW un-
der such circumstances was such a
serious consideration that it well might
influence the most unprejudiced Juror;
and thus, in the very teeth Of defeat,
! poor Doris arS& Rerself.
When n capseDoris was
consider Sic showed
t6ts N & 7eTy'omlnOus cam Wnen sue
Joined the family at the breakfast /
table. They were all in holiday trim,
for to them ''the case" was a grand !
event, and Doris professional debut
was quite as exciting as her first ball.
But in her secret soul their evident
to be present at the conflict
only added new terrors to the situa-
tion. Still they were most consider
ate, making very little fuss over her,
and allowing her to set forth to the
scene Of action quite alone.
The courthouse was crowded. Not
onlv had the case itself excited unu-
sual interest through the lamentations
Of Widow Barnes and the dogged de-
fance Of Farmer Watt, but Doris her
self was too we'll known in the little
community to escape the general atten-
ton, SO when the case was called, and
she led the way to the space reserved
for the combatants, closely followed
by her beaming client, there was a
n1urmur and O stir, which might have
impressed her ct any other time. As
it was, she merely bowed gravely to
the opposing lawyer and the fat plain
tiff. and began to arrange her papers.
and prepare for battle, with business
like precision. Then she leaaed back
and studied the audience.
The front rows held the town sup:
ply Of lawyers, old fellows, most OF
them. who beamed upon her with
fa:herly interest, and brought pain
fully to her mind the not very distant
days of sugar candy and gingerbread
babies. Even the heavy watch-chain
that Colonel Stokes fingered so pom.
pously, recalled the times when she
had besieged that stately Dghold OF
legal lore, and grabbed the sacred
links with the nreverence Of p7lvl-
legged childhood.
She wondered, while the court was
being called to order and the prelim-
inaries were arranged, if she looked as
ridiculously young as she felt; if she
seemed as unchanged to the people
who were looking at her, as they ap-
peared in her eyes; and then the case
was opened by the plaintiff.
Doris forgot her nervousness for
while as she watched Howard Pey-
toms fine figure, and listened to his |
few well-chosen words. She owned
to a secret admiration for this young
man, his manner was convincing, his |
delivery excellent, and his method Of
handling witnesses Incompatible.
But then, to begin with, his case was
a strong one, the Judge and the jury
were plainly with him, and Mrs.
Barnes's funereal aspect helped him
greatly, indeed, if people had not
known that her widowhood was Of
many years. standing, they might
naturally have concluded that her
weeds were assumed for this occasion
in memory of the defunct COW.
But the strongest evidence was that
of little Jimmy Harroway, all sterched
and laundered for this public exhi-
bition, who "seen it DONE" as he as
4ho c+oD5