Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1904-06-02

HdlullB NndL courage ana honesty
govern the votes cast and that the great
est good 10 the greatest number and the
onward progress Of the race should not
be halted BY timidity, sentimentality
and demagogy.
The speech was a triumph Of oratory
and of human reason, and Melbourne
left the capitol with the plaudits Of his
fellows and conscious that he had won
tremendous triumph.
He entered his Office with a feeling Of
citation such as be. seldom had ex-
/ perienced. He always maintained what
be termed an "ofice" in connection with
his bachelor apartments His steno-
grapher was already rafting of the
speech on the typewriter He always
had HIS own stenographer take his
speeches, as he liked to see them In cold
type just as he made them. II helped
him in self-criticism.
They seemed 10 like the speech. Miss
Wilson" he said, laughing in self
satisfied way. What did you think Of
it?"
The girl turned her serious face and
clear gray eyes toward him, and after a
moments hesitation, replied.
Il think IL was a very clever and
very eloquent and a very convincing
speech, Mr.. Melbourne, but | would
have had my right hand cut of before |
would have delivered 4"
Melbourne paused in the removal OF
bis gloves, and looked a trifie puzzled
and amused.
'Why?" be asked Surely your clear
head has not become tangled by these
ranters."
"No. II isn't that, she replied, 'and I
cannot argue 1t with you, Of course. But
was thinking of those poor settlers
who have gone out into that wilderness
and Of all the toll and hardships they
have gone through, and now Uncle Sam
is to tell them as he told the Indians,
Move on. And they must go out and
find other bad lands that nobody else
wants and start over again and starye
land suffer and endure. And they are so
much older now and It means the same
hard life for the younger generation and
| the one following that ! fear. And the
women and children have suffered so
much
/ Her eyes had grown softer and softer
as she progressed and they were bright
with tears as she stopped, her voice
TRAILING Of into something between
whisper and a sob at the last. Mel
bourne's face was serious and the
amused expression had been swallowed
up by the puzzled
oWhat do you know about these peo-
Die. Miss Wilson," he asked.
81 lived among them once, she
said as she turned TO the machine and
began to rattle the keys.
Melbourne passed into his inner ONCE,
sat down at his desk and went to work
AT his papers. His face was still serious
and every now and then a look OF an
noyance would steal into 1t.
The months sped by. The Bracken
bin became a law and was attacked by
an attorney representing the settlers.
The irrigation corporation retained
Robert Melbourne as chief counsel, as
sisted by the ablest lawyers in the coun-
try The matter was rushed into the
supreme court to ascertain the con-
stitutionality OF the provisions OF the
law that deprived the settlers OF their
claim TO the land they held. Melbourne
took a great interest in the case as II
promised to be a famous one, and
victory would give him wide prestige.
He worked hard and diligently on the
brief and ransacked the law books night
and day for precedents. His stenog-
rainier wrote and rewrote the various
paragraphs over and over again. once
| in awhile as he glanced at her grave face
and calm eyes a doubt would possess his
mind but he would dismiss 1t and
plunge into the work harder than ever.
At last the brief was finished and Mel
bourne asked Miss Wilson to read II
N him. II was a habit Of his to have
her do this while he sat with closed eyes
and tried to pick vulnerable point he
could not find the suggestion OF iiaw In
this one
"Weu. Miss Wilson" he said, I
call that a worl. of art | can't see how
they can get away from those PROPOSE
tions, do your"
"No sir. do not" she replied. "and
Il certainly is a work Of art. But |
would rather that my brother, or my
father, we're in their graves than that
they should do that thing-even with
all the fame it would bring them"
He looked at her intently for mo-
ment, then rose abruptly and went out,
/ saying
lam going out of town for a few days
maybe two weeks. Put the brief IN
the safe. | will be back in time to file
IL"
II was fully two weeks before he re-
turned. When he did he asked Miss
Wilson to bring him the brief in the
Rracken case. II was in the late fall
and fire was burning in the open crate.
He glanced the brief through and tossed
It into the blaze,
The girl started and looked at him IL
surprise.
| su hava baen out there among those