The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-05-10

skipping swine herding, however
coupled with neglect on my part to
emulate the squirrel and lay up a
few nuts for winter, found me upon
the approach of April 1st, and the
beginning of my three long months of
no-pay labor for the state, with moth
ing in the least approXimating a
plethoric roll. But I somehow man
aged to survive those three months;
! but when they came to an end, 1
found that 1 would get no pay until
another month had passed, as the
| state doesn't pay in advance. When
pay day for me finally did arrive,
however, 1 found L needed Justice
Valentines 80. X" my voucher,
and that he was away on his vaca-
ton and L didn't know where he was
at. Times sure were hard for the
subscriber then for a few days.
When L began working in the SUI
preme court, the judges chambers"
the court room, the clerks office, the
state library, stairway to the floor
above, a passageway, and the toilet
room for the state house, were all on
the south side of the ground floor of
what Is now the east wing of the
capitol-then the whole state house.
The judges chambers" was only one
room, which the three justices used
in common. 1t had but two windows
lone by Chief Justice Horizons desk,
the other by Justice Valentines. JUS
tice Brewer, the Junior member of
the court, had a desk up against the
west wall, and depended for light on
what sifted past his colleagues, eked
out by a dinky little gas jet and the
spark of his cigar. He did fairly
we'll there, however, for he was soon
called thence and became, you know,
one of the men higher up.
When the legislature was not in
session, l used committee room on
the third floor-sixty-three (63) steps
up there; went up 'em thirteen (13)
but when it was in session. L was a
living moving picture of A Man With
out a Country-no place to lay my
head, as it were. Soon, however, the
work on the building advanced suffi-
GENTLY to permit each justice to have
a room all by himself, and their stem
ographers were given quarters also.
Another thing, and mighty nice for
a Stenographer unwise enough to be
without a bunch of mazuma when
taking supreme court job at that
time-each stenographer was permit
ted to purchase-and pay fora nice
new typewriter for his use in labor
ing for the state.
Hard for Justice Valentine to Dictate
Judge Valentine had always done
his own writing, SO debating to a stem
ographer was about as laborious to
him as saving wood, but he soon got
SO he could do tolerably we'll; but if
he was real particular about a SEN
tence or clause, he would sometimes
have me read it over and over to
him, and sometimes write it out on a
slip of paper, so that he could see it.
He had more faith in his eye than in
his ear, and never let thing go until
it looked right to him. Writing, too,
was great labor for him, as he was
What horSeman would call a con
verted PAGER if I may be allowed the
expression-that is, he was a left
handed man who wrote with his right
hand; and as convincing proof as 1
ever needed that he was not entirely
at home" in so doing, was the fact
that he frequently changed his pen to
his left hand when he required more
ink. One day he remarked about the
time it took him to write a short
note, when I laughingly said, you
could save some little time, judge, if
you would dip your pen with the hand
you write with He looked surprised,
and said, why, don't I do so ?" When
1 said, Not always, judge" he added,
We'll, well, I never knew that" A
short time after, he again started to
dip his pen with his left hand, when
called his attention to it, and he
laughed and said, That's sol I guess
will have to admit it now
The only time I can recall when 1
ever saw Judge Valentine positively
angry and intensely Disguised, was
once after I had been at home i'll for
couple of days, and the papers re-
ported me as critically indisposed and
chap made personal application for
my job, in case 1 went over the divide.
The judge said he told him that he
hadn't heard that 1 was in very bad
shape; that he would make no ap-
pointment of my successor until after
my death; and that chap waiting
around for dead mems shoes would
stand little chance of getting the po-
sition, anyhow.
When 1 started in with Judge VAL
entine, he suggested that it would be
a good thing for me to remember to
side 1 strolled into the state library
one day a couple of months later, to
swap a lot of fish stories with Libra
rian Dennis and Major Ben Simpson, |
but found Dennis busy with a book |
agent and the major showing a pic
ture book to some. young ladies, so I |
got into conversation with a Topeka |
bush a little, he asked me if / knew
anything about the decision in a GER
tain case in which he was attorney, |
and all the time we were talking he /;
was, thoughtlessly, of course, handl- !
ing a golden coin.
When Silver Dollar Looked Big as !
Cheese.
This little episode occurred after |
1 had been laboring for many weeks |
on the no-pay basis, and as my rolf /
was continually on the shrink and a |
silver dollar looked as big as a New
York cheese to me, the CLINT and gilt
ter of that gold piece started envy |
a-cavorting in my system, and 1 said |
to the lawyer, Whats that in your |
hand % to which he relied, "Oh, just