The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1904-11-28
4 x
The Judges S Son
=. E. RlcH4R9 s GRAVES
81. F1sKFz MrssorH


eriDpie. Year after year lis name va
o. TIE bailots az every election a.
De- was not opposed after tie ars
year
Anotlar nan rad made the rae
against blm The first time lie was
candidate f0r the Office. and il va
sad that hls opponent Id not receir,
q single vote. No other candidate f0l
the place could be found after that
and nobody but 3flcasah Boiear
wanted the Office.
He knows nothing but Justice fb,
strangers used 70 b tod. HE sent
his Own boy 70 Jail oace. and the un-
grateful little wretch ran away from
lone and never came back
The once ~ the justice 0f the peace
was OTef erocery store and his home
was % q quiet street where his wife.
sad faced woman with streaks Of
gray 10 her brown hair. busted her.
self al day With ner household duties.
II was plain that soEAe great sorrow
had befallen hev at some time ii her
life.
There vas 10 trace Of sorrow Oh the
face of the justice of the peace.
especially when le had once turned IL
"a the direction u his home. He had
always said that lie knew right from
wrong and when be stated that any
thing was right nothing on earth could
change him. He was as firm ~
rock. He had been firm the day be
sentenced BIS own son 10 iail. and
thar hrmness was with him stll.
The boy had confended that he was
Innocent Of the charge against him
that be had been fighting In self-de-
fense-but The nrm Old magistrate be-
lleyed the eVldeDce o. other witnesses
and would not listen to him. He had
made ap his mind. and refused 10
change it, The boy threatened that
II his father sent him 70 fail be would
leave home and never return. and the
threat had some bearing On the case.
II was true that be had been a good
boy and gave promise of being a good
man. Even bis stern father was
forced % make that admission when he
argued with himself and tried %
justify his action
IN the Office Of the justice Of the
peace there was an old table filtered
with books and papers. and over an
the dust Of years had settled. When
law suit was tried there. at long
intervals. the dust was brushed away
By the use that was made Of the tables.
but the books and papers were not dis
turbed.
The edges Of the papers were frayed
and ragged. and they were all yellow
with age. Sometimes the pile was
moved little by some one slipping
sheet Of foOlscap out to make a
memorandum. On the table was a
copy Of the revised statutes with one !
Of the covers torn on and many or |
the pages mi-sing. In the corner stood /
the stove. from which the ashes leaked /
the whole year through. In summer It /
was the receptacle for trash. and the /
lower section was always a spittoon
The bench was represented by the /
long table. behind which the Justice /
sat. and in front Of him had been
cleared a small space among the aged,
dust covered papers
Ia the pigeon holes Of the taH case
tat stood against the wall were
papers that human eyes had not seen
for twenty years-parts Of the record
IN forgotten law suits. and unpaid fee
bills Of cases IN which the litigants /
were long since dead. The window
shades were frayed at the lower end
and could not be moved up or down.
When it was desired to keep the sun
light out, newspapers were pinned
across the windows
II was ia the old wall case. among
The papers that bad been touched ana
turned yellow By the hand Of time,
that Micajah Bolean found while
searching one day for lost document
the picture Of a boy He looked at 1t
cnfiously at first. for his sight was
dim and be did not recognize II.
Then De turned 1t toward the light
and pushed bis spectacles up on his
nose
For n moment he stood there I'M
moved. Sustained by the frmness that
bad been bis lifelong pride. some
bodf opened the door as be fen to
ihe floor uttering a hoarse cry. ike
an animal that had been given
death wound. and with the picture
elasped ID his hand
Il was q picture of the boy he had
sent 20 iaii-a bog with laughing blue
eyes and hair that curled about bis
f0rehead
The home in which MicaJah Bolean
ife1 uas great contrast 10 lis
liugy office. Tor il was clean and as
frae from dust as The willing hands OF
lls wifc could make Il. Trees grew
r7nni i and vines covered tte long
lotcA. The street IN iront and the