The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1907-04-25

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in lawyer now. and all the boys and
girls Of our acquaintance go to him
wita their troubles. Yell see him
with murder case to try before long
as sure as ye're not worth yer salt!
But expect ye can still call him by
his name Of Joe. all the same"
1t was bleak and meager little Of
6ce into which Mr.. Fear ushered him
self to offer his amends The cracked
plaster Of the walls was bare. save for
dust There were no shelves The fat
brown volumes. most Of them fairly
new. were piled In regular columns
upon a cheap pine table. There was
but one window. small panel and
shadefess. An inner door Of this sad
chamber stood half ajar. permitting
the visitor unreserved acquaintance
with the domestic economy Of the ten
ant, for it disclosed q second room.
smaller than the office and dependent
upon the window Of the latter for air
and light. Behind a canvas camp cot.
dimly visible in the obscurity Of the
inner apartment. stood a small gas
stove surmounted by stewpan. from
which projected the handle Of big
tin spoon. so that it needed no ghost
from the dead to whisper that Joseph
Louden. attorney at law. did his own
cooking. Indeed. he looked 1T!
Upon the threshold Of the second
room reposed small. worn. light
brown scrub brush Of q dog. so cosmo-
politan In ancestry that his species was
almost as understandable as the cast
iron dogs Of the Pike mansion. he
greeted Mr. Fear Hospitality. having
been so lately an offcast Of the streets
himself that his adoption had taught
him to lose only his Old tremors. not
his hopefulness. At the same time Joe
rose quickly from the deal table. where
he had been working. with one hand In
his hair. the other splattering ink from
a bad pen.
Good for you. Happy" he cried
cheerfully. Il hoped you'd come to
see me today. I've been thinking about
job for you"
~ don't want job. nohow" said
Mr.. Fear. going to the door. Il don't
want to work. There's plenty ways fer
me to git along without that. But I'll
say one thing more. Don't you worry
about gittin' law practice. Mike says
you're goin' to git all you want. and if
there amt no other way. why. rev
of us'll 60 out and make some fer ye!"
These prophecies and promises. over
which Joe chuckled at first, with bis
head cooked to one side. grew very
soon, to his amazement, to wear SUI
pernatural similarity to actual fulfill
ment His friends brought him their
own friends such as had sinned against
the laws Of Canaan. those under the
ban of the sheriff. those who had
struck in anger, those who had stolen
at night. those who owed and could
not pay. those who lived by the dice.
and to his other titles to notoriety was
added That Of defender Of the poor
and wicked. He found his hands full.
especially after winning bis first I'm
portant case, on which occasion Ca
naan thought the jury mad and was In
dignant with the puzzled Judge. who
could not see just how 1t had happened.
Joe did not stop at that. He kept on
winning cases. clearing the innocentand
tightening the burdens Of the guilty.
He became the most dangerous at
torney for the defense In Canaan. His
honorable brethren, accepting the pop
ular view Of him, held him in personal
contempt, but feared him profession
ally. for be proved that he knew more
law than they thought existed. Nor
could any trick him. failing which
many tempers were lost. but never
Joe's. His practice was not all crtmi-
nal, as shown by the peevish outburst
Of the eminent Buckalew (the squire's
nephew, esteemed the foremost lawyer
IN Canaan), Before long there won't
be any use trying to foreclose mort
gage or collect note unless this shy
ster gets himself in jail"
The wrath Of Judge Martin Pike was
august-thS:e was a kind Of sublimity
In its immenseness-on day when 1t
befell that the shyster stood betwixt
him and money.
That was a monstrous task-to stand
between these two and separate them.
to hold back the hand Of Martin Pike
from what 1t had reached out to grasp.
It was In the matter Of some tax titles
which the magnate had acquired. and
In court Joe treated the case with such
horrifying simplicity that 1t seemed al
most credible that the great man had
counted upon the ignorance and be-
sottedness Of Joe's client. a hard drink
ing, disreputable old farmer. to get his
land away from him without paying
for 1t. Now. as every one knew such
thing to be ludicrously impossible. 1t
was at once noIsed abroad in Canaan
that Joe had helped 10 swindle Judge
Pike out of large sum OF money-it
was notorious that the shyster could
bamboozle court and jury with his
tricks. and 1t was felt that Joe Lou