The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-04-21

stove surnlonnte1 by n stewpan, from
which projected the handle OF n big
Tin spoon. 70 thai II needed no ghost
from the dead 10 whisper that Joseph
Louden. attorney nj law, did his own
cooking, Indeed. be looked Il!
Upon The tAFeshol1 Of the Eecohd
room rcppeed small worn. light
brown scrub brush 0f n dog. 80 cosme
polltan In ancestry tbat bis species was
almost M Understandable as the cast
Iron dogs 0f tie I'lks mansion. lie
greeted Mr.. Fear hospitality, having
been 40 lately an offcnsi Of the streets
himself that bis adoption Ind taught
him 10 lose only his old tremors. not
his hopefupess. AZ the same time Joe
rose qnlckl, from the deal table. whore
be had been working. with one hand IN
his hair, Tho other splatterlng Ink from
q bad pen, q
Good for you. Happy" he cried
checrfully. II hoped you'd come 10
see me today. I've been thinking about
Job for you"
II don't want job. noh0w'" shid
Mr.. Fear. sling to the door. II don't
want TO work. There's plenty ways fer
me TO ri, along without that But III
any one thing more Don't you worry
about gittin' law practice Mike says
you're goin' 10 git all you want. aud II
there amt no other way. why, few
OF us'll 10 out aud make some fer YET
These prophecies and promises, over
which Joe chucRled at first, with hts
head cooked 10 one side. grew very
soon, 20 bis amnzement, 10 wear sn
pernatural similarity 10 actual fuiill.
mcut, His friends brought hun their
own friends such Us had slnned against
the laws ot Canaan. those under the
ban OF the sheriff. those who had
struck In anger. those who had stolen
ut night. those vino owed and could
not pay. tbose who lived by tho dice
and 10 his other titles 10 notpTlcty was
added that OF defender Of the p5or
aud wicked, lie found his hands full.
especially after winning bis first I'm.
portant case, OH which occasion ca
naan thought the jury mad and was In.
dlgnant with the puzzled judge. who
could not see Jus, how II 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
iorncy for the defense In Canaan. His
honorable brethren, accepting tho pop.
ular view ot him. held him Ia personal
contempt. but feared him profession.
ally. Tor be proved that he knew more
law than they thought existed. Nor
could any trick him, falling which
many tempers were lost. but never
Joes His practice was not all criml'
nal. as shown by the peevlsh outburst
OF the eminent Buckalew (the squIre's
nephew. esteemed the foremost lawyer
In Canaan. Before long there won't
be Rny use trying to foreclose mort
gage or collect a note unless this shy
ster gets himself In tailw
The wrath of Judge Martin Pike was
august was kind Of subllmlty
In Its immenseness--on d day when II
befell that the shyster stood betwlxt
him and money.
That was monstrous task--to stand
between these two and separate them,
10 hold back the hand OF Martin Pike
from what II had reached out TO grasp,
Il was In the matter Of some tax titles
which the magnate had acquired. and
In court Joe treated the case with such
horrifylng simplicity that II seemed al
most credible that the great man had
counted upon the ignorance and be-
sottedness Of Joe's client, a hard drink
Ing, dlareputahle old farmer, TO get his
land away from him without paying
for II. Now, as every one knew such
a thing 10 be ludcrously impossible, II
was at once nolsed abroad In Canaan
that Joe had helped to swlndle Judge
Pike out Of large sum of money--lt
was notorious TINT the shyster could
bamboozle court and jury with his
tricks, and II was felt that Joe Lou
den was getting into very deep wa
ters indeed. This was serious II
the young man did not look out he
might find himself In the penltentlary,
Joe did not move into a larger Of.
tice; he remained In the little room
with It's one window and Its fine
view Of the jail. His clients were
nearly all poor, and many Of hia Gees
quite literally nominal. Tatters ana
rags came up the narrow stairway 70
his door--tatters and rags and pitlful
IinerIes; the bleared. the sodden, the
and rouged, the furtlve ana
wary, some In rags, some In tags ana
some-the sorrlest-ln velvet gowns,
With these, the distressed, the wrons-
loers the drunken, the dirty and tlic
very poor, his work lay and his days |
and nights were spent,
When Joe went about the streets hs
was made to feel his condition by the
elaborate avoidance, yet furtive at
Ientlon, of every respectable person l!r
met, and when he came home to his
small rooms and shut the door beh,u0 |
him he was as one who has Eelb
Kissed and shamed in public and runs |
10 bury his hot face In his pillow, l,e
petted his mongrel extravagantly (vcU