The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-09-19
JUSTICE AND DUTY,
sx ALICE CHEEVER.
wright. 1903, by American Press Asso-
cfation.j

to he admitted to his presence. Final
" the door opened, and she was told
to go in.
.sYou see. Judge, I'm here again.
eyes. you are here again"
"I have lust come back from visiting
nv boy. He told me to thank you for
vour kindness to me-"
az suppose he will be kind to you
himself when he gets out. He gave
Won terrible blow when he permitted
himself to fall into bad company and
got into the penitentiary."
.They fooled the poor boy, judge;
indeed they did When they put him
ON watch before they robbed the house
they told him they were only going for
a watermelon
The judge made no comment on this
statement.
"He's earning time" continued the
woman, by good behavior. If he
keeps it up-and he will-he'H have
wear and half off his term. But
even that'll leave him three years and
half yet to serve. It's as hard on
me as it is Oh him. l have trouble to
pay my rent and keep body and soul
together now my health has broken
down. If he were free he could work
for me. I wish the officers of the law
| could find some way of stopping crime
without visiting the punishment on
the women and children, and my boy,
too, the victim Of foul play"
II wish so, too,' replied the judge.
with something akin to a sigh,
Have you got a son, judgeY'
81 have. ard about your boys age"
'Do you remember how it was when
he was born-helpless little thing!--i
| how your heart warmed to him, and
how when he began to walk and to
talk you watched every movement,
caught every word, and how as he
grew older you were delighted with
his smart sayings. just as if no other
child said such things; how yon
watched him grow up to be-
Eyes, yes, l understand what you
mean and sympathize with you with all
my heart. | would have liked to save
your boy. but the evidence was against
/ him, and the jury convicted him. 1t
was my duty to sentence him. Come
in here. say. a month from today. and
! I'll give you another chance to see
him, or, rather, I'll confer with the
warden and let yon know the date.
You must go now. l have to be in
court soon and have lot to do before
the opening"
THANK you. judge; here is S1.55 left
over that l didn't use from the money
you gave me for my trip"
But the judge waved her away the
door closed behind her, and sheg went
to her desolate home weighed down
with the remembrance of those long
months that must elapse before the
law would cease to punish her through
her boy And yet the least of that
punishment was that deprived of the
support of her own son. strong man
of twenty-five. she must earn her own
living. 1t was the pain that her lad
die" was convict in stripes with
shaved head that hurt her most.
A month dragged by. Her rent was
coming due, and there was no money
with which to pay it. One morning
the old woman received a note asking
her to call at the judges office at II
O'clock noon. She went there and was
given a seat in the anteroom There
she waited fer half au hour Then an
attendant opened the door to the
judges private room and told her TO
go in. The judge was turning over the
sheets of a legal document and did
not indicate that he was aware of her
presence. She sat down denurely and
waited Presently the Judge turned
the last sheet and looked up at her
Pm here again. judge" she said.
yes" said the Judge, taking out his
watch. You're here again, but this
time at my call. Twelve O'Clock, !
wrote you, l believe, and it is now
nearly 1. I'm sorry to have kept you
waiting, but there's been a delay.
Let me see. told you''-he hesitated
I-''when you left me the last time that
he paused again
You would send me word when the
warden considered it best for me to
see my boy again."
''The warden? Did l say the ward
en-? l should have said-but never
mind"
The judge seemed confused. He put
his SpectacleS on his desk and when
he tried to find them again failed to
do so. He took up papers only to
throw them down again Then he
went to the door that led to his ante
room. opened it and said something in
a low voice to an attendant Going
back to his desk he took out his watch
again and said incoherent nothings to
the old woman. Then suddenly a door
leading to a corridor opened and a
young man entered. The old woman
looked at him dazed and cried feebly:
Il.