River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-01-28

had his own stenographer take his
speeches, as he liked to see them in cold
type just as he made them. 1t helped
him in self-criticism.
@They seemed to like the speech, Mise
Wilson," he said. laughing in a self
satisfied way What did you think OF
it?"
The girl turned her serious face and
clear gray eyes toward him, and after
moments hesitation, replied:
II think it was very clever and
very eloquent and very convincing
speech, Mr.. Melbourne, but would
have had my right hand cut off beforel
would have delivered it.
Melbourne paused in the removal OF
his gloves, and looked a trife puzzled
and amused.
"Why?" he asked Surely your clear
head has not become tangled by these
ranters"
mo, it isn't that" she replied, land |
cannot argue it with you, of course. But
was thinking of those poor settlers
who have gone out into that wilderness
and of all the toll and hardsnips 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 starve
and suffer and endure. And they are so
much older now and 1t means the same
hard life for the younger generation and
the one following that fear. And the
1T sniff
much"
Her eyes had grown softer and softer
as she progressed and they were bright
with tears as she stopped, her voice
trailing off 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
What do you know about these peo-
pie, Miss Wilson," he asked.
CT 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
| noyance would steal into it.
The months sped by. The Bracken
| bill 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 IL
promised to be 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 presidents. His stenog-
rapher wrote and rewrote the various
paragraphs over and over again. Once
! in awhile as he glanced at her grave face
and calm eyes doubt would possess his
mind. but he would dismiss it and
plunge into the work harder than ever.
| At last the brief was finished and Mel
bourne asked Miss Wilson to read it
| to hin. It was a habit of his to have
her do this while he sat with closed eyes
and triad to pick vulnerable point. He
could not find the suggestion of flaw in
this one.
"Well Miss Wilson," he said, Il
| call that worl: of art. l can't see how
they can get away from those PROPOSE
tons. do your"
"No sir, do not" she replied, land
| it certainly is work of art. But
would rather that my brother. or my
father, were 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 a mo-
ment, then rose abruptly and went out,
saying:
81 am going out of town for few days
maybe two weeks. Put the brief in
the safe. ! will be back in time to file
it."
1t was fully two weeks before he re-
turned When he did he asked Miss
Wilson to bring him the brief in the
Bracken case. It 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 in
surprise.
II have been out there among those
people" he said, regarding her intently.
"And l have resigned as counsel in this
case. 1 have learned many things I
never dreamed of in the past two weeks.
Among them that l need conscience
and heart to balance what few brains
Providence gave me. And have learned
that that conscience and that heart
which l need is personified in you. |
need you, Miss Wilson-Clara will you
help me place my life and my motives on
higher plane?"
The world was scarcely less surprised
at Robert Melbourne's resignation from
the Bracken law case than at his mar
riage to his stenographer But Mel
bourne had many other surprises in
store for the world.
Mirror-Writing.
In recent case of mirror-writing a
boy of seven or eight wrote unusually
we'll, but in this singular reversed style,
and some months later, after acquiring
the normal method of writing, would re-
turn to his original style on becoming
fatigued DR.. c. d. Jones, of Boston.