The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1898-04-16
few well.chosen words. She owned

few well-chosen words. She owned
to q 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 starched
and laundered for this public exhi'
bition, who "seen it DONE" as he as
serted from the stand.
At this point Doris received poke
in her back-Farmer Watt was lean
ing over her chair.
"Here comes your pint" he whis'
pered. "Watch out, you can trip him
up by them creased boots Of his. He's
skeered into what he's sayin' now.
You can skeer him t'other side. You
won't have many witnesses to bother
with-there was only mo and the COW
left-which last party can't appear.
Ha, hal" laughed Farmer Watt. "Just
you keep them purity ears we'll cooked,
and we'll beat 'em yet"
He gave her little friendly pat on
tho shoulder, as he subsidized, which
filled her with suppressed fury, and
reused faint litter from sode corner
Of the room. Doris caught the sound,
and her soul was sore with indig9a-
ton; but the plaintiffs lawyer was
closing his side Of the argum INT, and
hurting his sentences straight into the
jury box, with the true aim Of long
practice. Doris felt her ground slip
ping from under her; all her cleverly.
planned defenses were swept away by
this mastery eloquence. What could
she say-how could she refute those
solid points which he was driving in
with all his strength? Once the jury
laughed, to "a man; even the judge
smiled at some droll allusion-there
was an art in provoking laughter. She
would never be able to do that; she
could only go through her speech,
stolidly, and thank her stars when the
ordeal was over.
When Doris rose there fell hush
over the room. She may not have
known it-this fair, slim girl-but her
presence alone sent telling thunder
bolt into the jury box. It was their
first public tussle with woman, and
they were making ready for the fray;
but the sight Of her standing there, 50
pretty and so earnest, touched a
chord in their flinty hearts, and scored
one in her favor.
The family, over in the corner, was
visibly agitated. Doris would not
look that way; she faced the judge,
and brought her mind sternly to bear
upon the subject. She had declined
to cross-examine the plaintiffs wit
nesses, preferring to score them well,
in her speech, and so when Farmer
Watt had given his broad and humor-
GUS view of the tragedy, it remained
only for her to provide the j1ry with
the last threads Of the narrative.
But the mind is peculiar, most
cratic bit of mechanism, and Doris,
who filled all the little recesses of
hers with such persistent care and
energy, began suddenly to gpope in
the dark, and not to find what she
wanted. She ransacked the corridors
Of her brain, only the echoes Knocked
her-there was q huge undefnable
void. Thought was no more, NOM
DRY was vanished, words seemed mere
ly chaotic mumbling. What was
the meaning of it all? What was she
doing in this crowded room, facing
this strange assemblage? She must
go, she could not stay here; but she
was rooted to the spot, her limbs
were deprived of motion; she tried to
speak, but her tongue seemed para
lyzed; she passed her hand over her
eyes-she must do something, but
she could not see, a great mist rolled
between her and all that outer life
a horrible, swirling, engulfng mist; q
frightened gasp, little cry, q pa
thetic stretching out Of small hands,
and-she burst into tears!
Of course, after that, all was emo
ton. The family, in CONSERVATION,
clustered round and hid tho attorney
at-law from public view. The Judge
briefly summed up the case and hand
ed it over to the jury, and the court
took recess.
E'orno an Watt cIor~o a Il go, II 1o