The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-12

walked back to his seat and sat down; then
he looked over at the witness expectantly.
The latter said. in a most matter-of-fact
way:
Yes, sir; he did"
The physical and linguistic contortions of
Larry's lawyer and the fact that the states
attorney, who happened to be in the room,
walked over to the stenographer and told
him to make a transcript of that have
nothing to do with the present story. Sucn
matters do not end trials, and it was the
next day before this hearing was finished
and a verdict rendered for the railroad
company. OF course, there was motion
for a new trial formally entered. and this
kept the case alive, at any rate.
Mr.. Shack,ett, how in the world did you
find out about it?' the company's attorney
could not help asking. when they were
alone after the sensational session of court.
'Oh, 1 didn't" laughed Shacklett. with
his warm smile, which aad in it just trace
of the analytical geometry that one of his
friends once remarked 81 saw he was
lying; that ass must have paid him to do
that, and the only question was how much
That disgrace to the bar wasn't paying
that about thirty was the price of that fell
low on the stand. Since he tried to buy me-
late yesterday afternoon, and was busy all
morning to-day. the cuss must have done
it last evening. / just ran a cold bluff on
my system of play, and it won.''
The pendulum started by Larry's COW,
coming down on another sweep, knocked
Larry off his mental balance and started
Shacklett off on a tangent, both at once
Shacklett in his little room upstairs in
the hotel writing to his wife when, with a
light knock, more apologize than other
wise, Larry entered. Shacklett laid down
his pen and motioned the visitor to a seat
Larry began, in a voice so free from the
anger which Shacklett had learned to ex-
pect on such occasions. that the general
counsel listened patiently to the telling of
his tale of tribulation.
He had been able to make both ends meet.
he said. as long as he could work and had
the cow to give milk for the children But
since the COW was killed and he could not
work he had been living on money bor-
rowed from some kind friends on the
strength of his lawsuit Now there was
nothing ahead but the poorhouse for them
all, and that meant separation little later
from the two boys and three girls Shack
lett was listening across the table as Larry
went on:
Now, Misther Shacklett, OF want We to
know that Ord nawthin' at all to do wild
that dirty loiyer buyin' that man to shwear
to lie. Ofm an honest man, Misther
Shacklett an if OF didn't think the road
ought to pay me for KILN me COW an
shmashin' me leg Oh wouldn't ask 1t for a
clint. But We how tits yerseIf, now. an
whin Oh saw how We could look into a
mans very sowl like we did into that liars
on the witness shtand, says Oh to meself.
OF says, Oi'll go to Mr.. Shacklett an LET
i'm see that OF mustn't have the money to
kape the children wild, now that Oh can't
wurrk an haven't amy COW. Ye won yer
suit all roight, but Oh came to ask We.
Misther Shacklett. if We wouldn't pay me
the money anyway. Av coorse Oh don't
want twinty thousand dollars but two
thousand dollarsd bring me in a hundred
and sixty dollars year at 5 per cint.. an
OF could live on that wild the children"
Shacklett did not feel like smiling. He
was looking at Larry all the time the lat
ter was speaking and wishing that he could
make him present OF the money without
prejudice to the road. But that il could
not be done after the bungling of Larrv,s
lawyer he saw at once He did not try to
make Larry understand the intrica cies of
the matter, but in a very kind tone told
him that it was impossible without allow
ing the lawyer to annoy the company for
years 70 come.
But we mustn't" said Larry. in the same
monotone. I'VE see, Oi mustn't have the
money or We can't live-at Taste togither
an OF won't live apart from the children.
And Larry fumbled the buttons on his coat
with his fingers. at first spasmodically and
then bunglingly. "Ye mustn't, Misther
Shacklett-" and at the last word the xen-
eral counsel was looking into the barrel of
a 44-caliber revolver
Shacklett did not think OF the sins he had
committed during forty-odd years. nor did
he think of calling for help. The latter
would have been worse than useless, and
the former happens only in fiction when a
man faces death. Shacklett simply noted
the great similarity in the conditions to
that twenty years before when he was a
committee clerk at Springfield and the Chi
cago gambler had undertaken to win the
Jackpot with blue-steel card having six
spots in the cylinder. That, too. was in a
little room in a hotel. across a table much
like this, and Shackiett noticed that this
was the same make of revolver as the other
one he had looked into. All this went
through his mind like kaleidoscope run
ming away. but the case could not be met
In the same way because there was another
kind of man behind the gun this time
Shacklett, without shade of hesitation,
| assumed an air Of succumbing to the inevi-