Saint Mary's beacon., 1899-10-12
ssfsrs The Bar.

less there's less noise. Next case. -
'Begorra ! the isdge 10 crisp q
pie-crust this mornin' whispered
O'Flynn TO . brother officer.
You'd better keep yer eye ont,
me man. advised the other, so7
he'll be after you. This 10 Jour
case he's callin',
O'Flynn, Q strapping, red-head-
ed fellow Who filled ont his brass-
buttoned blue coat to perfection.
removed his helmet and hastened
forward. A man was already stand
ing before the bar.
The sharp-voiced, spectacled po-
lice judge, with whom ii was eyi-
dent things had recently gone
wrong glanced from the papers
the clerk had handed him to the
prisoner. And, used as he was to
the misery and sin of humanity.
the picture before him startled
even his lethargic soul. He leaned
forward and glared down upon the
man before the bar.
The prisoner was O small.sized
man at best but now his garments
hung upon his emaciated body in
ugly folds. His face was drawn,
the cheeks hollow, and the eyes
sunken. Starvation, despair, the
depths of hopeless misery we're de-
picted on his countenance. The
judge waited . moment before he
spoke.
What's the matter with him p
he asked.
Larceny is the charge began
the clerk.
Whats the matter with him
not what has he done p repeated
the Judge impatiently.
O'Flynn looked commiseratingly
down upon the man before the bar.
'Plaze yer honor he said. sOi'm
thinkin' he nades ter say 'howdy'
ter square male
'Sothe mans starving r demand-
cd the judge.
Sure. he looks it, said the off,
Ger. Here's the man he stole from
he brought him in.'
A busting, nervous little man
of rotund form aud comfortable ap-
pearance, came hastily forward.
yes, y'r honor, I caught him.
he said, With something like pride
in his voice. Il have bread left at
nv store door every morning by
baker, an / saw this fellow take
loaf ont Of the box, Y'r honor, with
my own eyes. An here's the loaf
He brought the bread ia ques-
ton out from beneath his coat and
waved it triumphantly. The loaf
was broken ct one end.
what idthat p asked the Judge,
slowly, pointing to the broken
place.
'Oh, he got that to eat before /
caught him., declared the little
man.
The judge looked at the officer.
Sure. y'r honor, said the officer.
looking with disgust upon the store.
keeper, 'all | know is that he driv
the poor chap-ahem the prison
er-over onto my bate with his
hands tied behind him.
The judge turned brusquely to
the man before the bar.
Tell Jour story he commanded.
But what 10 the use Of repeating
the details /? Such stories are 30
miserably commonplace. With q
voice hoarse with hunger, broken
with emotion, he told of the loss of
work, fruitless despairing search
for another position, the fretful
wife, the starving children. Then
q man had taken him to distant
part Of the city to get . job early
that mornings early as four
o'clock. The shop was not open
and the friend went away for his
breakfast. He had no breakfast.
He had no place to 20 for it. He'd
had no breakfast the day before
and not much to eat any time dur
ing the day--or the previous day,
or day before that; and
ANY corroborative evidence |? in.
terrupted the judge, glaring at the
satisfied storekeeper.
'WhY-why, / saw him take il,
Y'r honor. stammered the complain
ant.
Anybody else see him ?
'WhY-I-doa't know
Did you see him, officer r