Evening journal., 1909-01-12
OUT
OF COURT
[orlginail


been prepared for him by his large
Ftaff of assistants. 1t was necessary
that he should have every detail care
fully placed before him. His position
might be compared to that Of rail-
road train running on automatic
switches. Anything wrong in a me-
chanical detail may wreck the train;
anything wrong In Mr.. Timberton's
data might wreck his case.
1t was natural, then, that he should
exact great care from his assistants.
Any one Of them failing to keep him,
as it were, running on the right track
was instantly discharged. But they
had all been with him long while and
had become so used to their duties that
there never was nut or bolt OF the Of
fee machinery misplaced.
Mr.. Timberton was one morning in
court attending to a divorce case. He
did not take divorce cases as a rule,
but in this one his client was very
rich and his fee was to be enormous.
Both the husband and wife were in
court. Mr.. Timberton always instruct
ed his clients to blind obedience to his
methods, and whatever he did or said
in the courtroom was to be accepted
without question as a part Of his
who had prepared the present case for
him, was IN court and sat beside his
chief with a bundle Of papers before
him. Mr.. Pinkey was a lean man OF
twenty-seven who looked anywhere
from thirty to fifty. Mr. Timberton
was addressing the court.
'It is stated in the plea" he said,
that this woman has rendered the
mans life a burden. We shall show
how she neglected her home, turned
her children over to nurses and spent
her time among the fashionable multi
millionaires who are the money power
OF this republican country and would
gladly, If they could, turn it over to
monarch Of their own choosing. AT
evening. when her hardworking hus-
band came TO his home. what did he
find? A wife to meet him at the door
with smile Of welcome and connu-
bial lxissG No. She was either driving
in the park or losing his hard earned
money in some palace where our com
mercial aristocracy gamble at the game
Of bridge"
That Mr.. Pinkey feared something
had gone wrong with the Office posting
system was evident from the fact that
he dived into the papers before him.
pulled out one and hastily examined It,
''There IS nothing" continued the
speaker, $50 beautiful as the home.
The good book tells us that our Maker
created man In bis own image. And
what is the family but a miniature Of
the immortal father and his mortal
children? when a woman
Mr.. Timberton was interrupted by
a pull at his coat sleeve. He paid no
attention TO it. In few moments he
was interrupted by another pull
Glancing down angrily, he saw Mr..
Pinkey looking up at him with dismay,
holding a paper for his chief to see
and pointing with his finger to a GER
tain place. The learned lawyer saw at
once that he had made q mistake. His
assistant had not made it. He had
made It himself He had been retain
ed by the wife whom he was holding
up as a violator Of domestic comfort.
II there is one faculty that goes to
make up greatness it is resource. Mr..
Timberton took time only TO abuse his
assistant IN a whisper for not before
calling his attention to his error; then
he turned serene and faced the court
I'm these days of legal chlcanery,'
he went on, 1T behooves one inrusted
with a clients interests to forestall
those tricky methods that are resorted
to by unscrupulous attorneys. l have
preferred to state the case against my
client myself What / have told you
about this much abused, long suffering
woman win be told by her husbands
attorney. But how will II be told? BY
placing even a worse construction than
/ have placed on It, He Will put upor
her the popular obliquy of riches. Who
owned these millions but the man who
is suing one whom I shall show by
competent Witnesses to be virtuous
a domestic wife and mother? You Will
be told of the iniquity Of bridge whist
but you will not be told that my client
does not know the game. You will
: have the sacredness Of the family held
up before you. but instead OF being
told that the breach has been made In
this case by this pronlgate man whose
sins cry out against him they viii bt
laid at the door of his faithful WIFE"
At this juncture the husband cast q
glance at his wife, and at the same
moment the wife cast a glance at the
husband. Her lips broke into a smile
which was reflected on his. They were
wealthy young couple who had
found the bridge between romance and
! married life quite as difficult to pass al
most couples. If not more so. Mr.. Tim
berton saw both smiles, and his rare
genius found still another field.
= MY experience" he continued, 'in
, this case. your honor. before it came
to trial convinced me that II was one
to be settled out Of court. In conduct
ing it have adopted the reductio al
absurdum argument, which IN English
means reducing to an absurdity
have shown both the plaintiff and the
} defendant how shallow are the rea.
sons that may be brought forth on
either side. have given those of my
distinguished opponent as well as my