Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-06-12

sight of land to a starving, shipwrecke6
! man, and yet when the sun was up its
genial rays failed to dispense the shad-
ows in his heart; he found that it ached
as well by day as by night.
l. After breakfast Mr.. Reddinp called
| to see him.
"Well, this is pretty howdy-do!" he
exclaimed, in CHEEKY voice, as the iron
door changed to after him. 1.-The sher-
if rode out to Kings plantation last
night to tell me thenews, but I couldn't
get back till this mornin'. He's bent
on gettin' you out o. this if he can"
II am awfully sorry to have to call on
you in such a disagreeable natter" re-
turned Ronald.
Redding thoughtfully pinched his
nose between his thumb and forefinger.
| "Ratcliff told me the particulars" he
said, frowning little. There is no use
cryin' over split milk-or split blood,
either. This case will give you a chance
to practice a little on your own hook.
The main thing is to keep stiff upper
lip and take cheerful VIEW
II am afraid | take detected view Of
it," said Ronald. you will find me
hopeless sort of client. feel so awfully
knocked out over taking human life
that even the prospect of being publicly
| justified does rot brighten my her
lion"
II can sympathize with you, my boy"
the voice of the lawyer softened and
he pinched his nose again. II once told
you-or rather I limited at great sor-
row in my life-a big drawback to my
energies, we'll" Redding broke off and
waved his hand, as he sometimes did
when expression failed him.
81 remember you limited at some dis
agreeable occurrence; but as you were
| unmarried"
"My trouble didn't wear petticoats,"
interrupted the lawyer, forcing little
smile, and as he went on his face grew
| more serious than it had ever appeared
to Ronald. 1T took place right down
thar in front of the courthouse door
| just after the close of the war. never
pass in or out of the building without
stepping over mis- body. People don't
| mention it to me now; l sometimes
wish they would rank it with other
events in my career; it's their DANCED
silence that hurts.
Men him was candidates for the leg
! islature; it was sort of duel. 1 was
ready for Uncertainty was loaded for
bear; had three revolvers an AK
handle. proved, without much trou-
hle hat hn ,,t,11aI = s..
A Teller come to my counsel an said he
!, would swear lie Roy had said he was
goin' to kill me on sight. His testi-
" mony cleared me, sbut the same skunk
i come to me after it was all over an
wanted ten dollars. Icant forget the
/ hell in his eye. knew he had sperinred
himself, but I was afraid tosrefuse him
| the money. Then thar was the young
widow. It left her as pore as Jobs
turkey. She let me supply her an the
boy, that had his daddy's eyes, with the
tnecessaries of life, an then she began
| to make eyes at me. Somehow took
! a fool notion that ought to marry er,
an the thought weighed on me till
nearly got off my nut. Jest about then
Judge Bates began to see whar the
wind was BLOWN her bangs an said
one day: 'Looky heer, Reddin', let that
slide-it never will mend mattersa bit;
you'll always feel as if you killed i'm
to get his wife She married another
fellow. Oh, yes" Redding broke off
with deep drawn breath, II know all
about it, an that's why I didn't sleep
much last night. The worst feature
in yore case is the evidence Thad Will
liams threatens to give. AS far as I
know, his oath would be valid. Do you
think that the dead man told him you
attacked him frst?"
IF he did he was out of his mind"
answered Ronald; II think Thad Will
liams told me that to brighten me-"
"But Ratcliff says you actually heard
the two talking together just before
| sgd died"
| Ronald nodded. "That is fact, I
was not near enough, however, to over
! hear what was said"
Redding unused moment and then
he looked up suddenly
II must see him at once, my boy, be-
fore the prosecution gets i'm to commit
'imself to Their side. shall try to show
| up the consequences of perjury in a
strong light, and brighten him off o.
that line. He's a good natured sort of
Teller if you strike him right. I never
shall forget" (Redding seemed bent
on cheering up his friend) "Thad was
captured about five years ago as a
moonshiner, an Jim Lowe, who was in
the employ O. the government, an no
better n Thad, started with i'm to At
lanta for trial. They made a sort Of
picnic of it an got drunk together, an
postponed their trip till that night.
They was waitin' in the office of the
hotel to ketch train, an Jim had gone
in to his supper, leavin' Thad smokin' at
the stove. Then amongst us we got up
a joke on Jim an went to his prisoner
an told i'm if he wanted to, he could
git away as easy as shellin' peas. But
Thad shook his head an helt out his
hands to the fire. Men Lowe is sorter
chums,' he said, AN if you will have
| the truth, I never have had much of a
i II