Times-promoter., 1907-10-25

the collar, the short black coat, al
ways double breasted; the eyelids
sooty, one cheek always bulged, the
forehead speckled. the lips cracked,
horrible teeth and the affectatlon Of
possessing secret information upon all
matters OF the universe, above all. the
instinct of finding the shortest way to
any scene of official interest to the
policeman, fireman or ambulance sur
geon-a singular being, not profession
ally criminal, tough histrionically
rather than really, full of its own
argot of brag, hysterical when crossed,
timid through great ignorance and
therefore dangerous. 1t furnishes not
the leaders, but the mass of mobs, and
it springs up at times Of crisis from
heaven knows where. You might have
driven through all the streets Of Ca
naan a week before the trial and have
seen four or five such fellows, but
from the day Of its beginning the
square was full of them, dingy shuttle
cocks batted up into view by the Toe
sin.
They kept the air whirring with their
noise. The news of that sitting which
had caused the squire, Flitcroft and
Peter Bradbury to risk the courts dis
pleasure was greeted outside with loud
and vehement disfavor, and when, at
noon, the jurymen were marshaled
out to cross the yard to the National
House for dinner large crowd fol-
lowed and surrounded them until they
reached the doors Of the hotel. Don't
let Lawyer Louden bamboozle you"
Hang himr Tar and feathers fer
We eff we don't hang himv' These were
the mildest threats, and Joe Louden,
watching from an upper window of
the courthouse, observed with trou-
bled eye how certain of the jury shrank
from the pressure of the throng, how
the cheeks of others showed sudden
pallor. Sometimes ''public sentiment"
has done evil things to those who have
not shared it, and Joe knew how rare
thing Is jury which dares to stand
square against a town like Canaan
aroused.
The end of that afternoons session
saw another point marked for the de-
fense. Joe had put the defendant ON
the stand, and the little man had prov
ed an excellent witness. During his
life be had been many things-many
things dlsreputable; high standards
were not brightly illumined for him in
the beginning Of the night march
which his life had been. He had been
tramp, afterward petty gambler,
but his great motive had finally come
to be the intention to do what Joe told
him to do--that, and to keep Claudine
as straight as he could. In measure
these were the two things that had
brought him to the pass in which he
now stood, his loyalty to Joe and his
resentment of whatever tampered with
Claudine's straightness. He was sub
missiye to the consequences; he was
still loyal And now Joe asked him
to tell "just what happened" and
Happy Obeyed with crystal clearness.
Throughout the long, tricky cross ex-
animation he continued to tell "just
what happened" with plaintive truth
fulness not to be initiated, and through
out 1t Joe guarded him from pitfalls
(for lawyers in their search after truth
are compelled by the exigencies Of
their profession to make pitfalls even
for the honesty and gave him, by vari-
Gus devices, time to remember, though
not to think, and made the words
"come right" in his mouth, SO that be-
fore the sitting was over disquieting
rumor ran through the waiting crowd In
the corridors, across the square and
over the town that the case was sure
ly going "Louden's way" This was
also the opinion of a looker-on in
Canaan-a ferret faced counselor Of
corporations who called to consulta-
ton with the eminent Buckalew (neph-
ew of the squire), had afterward spent
an hour in his company at the trial.
ITS going that young fellow Louden's
way" said the stranger. You say
he's shyster, but
"Well," admitted Buckalew, with
some reluctance. II don't mean that
exactly. I've got an old uncle who
seems lately to think he's great
man"
"pll take your uncle's word for It,"
returned the other, smiling. II think
he'll go pretty far"
They had come to the fight Of steps
which descended to the yard, and the
visitor, looking down upon the angry
crowd, added, IF they don't kill him!"
Joe himself was anxious concerning
no such matter. He shook hands with
Happy at the end Of the sitting. bid
ding him be Of good cheer, and when
the little man had marched away un-