Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1913-10-30
! NOTABLE SHORT STORY BY AFAMOUS WRITER

$50 NoV -
tesday, and then he vas arrested and
nov / hear that he has been in prison.
God help me. l can never forget this day.
your honor; but / ask you not to send
him to prison again."
And if | do not, ma'amr how then?
Will YOU let bygones be bygones and hip
him 10 live this down."
BY this time the Indifferent ~lOungers
i'll the court room. the lawyers, the re-
porters, and the witnesses in other cases,
had gathered near the desk, scenting
something unusual in the air. Especial
~ the newspaper men. They had a warm
spot in their hearts for Magistrate Dwy-
er. Moreover. he often threw formal
routine and be- k laws overheard, and
thus furnished stories" dear to the re-
porters. Still. they did not think that
Dwyer would release the prisoner. The
outcry of the pure r5litics" crowd would
be too formidable. Everybody looked GU
riously at Mrs. McGinnis. She was sill
ent for at least half a minute, and then
slowly said:
II hope I'd do my duty, judge, your
honor-but this is a sore disgrace
".Another one with duty spillin' out
av their person, bedad" cried Dwyer.
humping his fist on the desk. Lets see
how much av it the prisoner has. Nc
Ginnis, me man, / sposc We tried to reg
lister illegally purely from a sinse OF
duty"
The prisoner looked wanly at the mag
~istrate and falteringly said, Yes, judge.
your honor
A gale of laughter swept through the
court room. But Magistrate DIVERS an
CRY glance and bull-like roaring abruptly
checked it.
BE the powers McGinnis. / can give
your sinse of duty what's comm to it.
thin. DC We plead guilty or not guilty."
Il am guilty, judge, your honor
Thin. McGinnis,' said the magistrate,
taking up the papers in the next case.
iii have to say to YOU
Judge, your hOnOr!" cried the prison
or, suddenly, in a voice which brought
Dryers angry eyes to him in wonder.
please don't send me away yet! Will
you let me tell YOU how this happened
Judge YOUR honOr-fOr Gods sake?"
Dwyer dropped the bundle of papers.
"Sav on. MsGinnis,'' he said: but
make it short. Officer, / can see, if We
can't. that Mrs. McGinhis looks wake
give her a chair and step lively. too.
Proceed. McGinniS. me man"
The prisoner moistened his parched
lips with his tongue. and then, clasping
his cap in his trembling dngerS. he said:
Il was Is years old judge, your II nor.
when | stole the set of fuJs from my boss.
/ had no father nor mother living and
I don't deny hat / was goin' to the
devil as fast as / could. And | stole the
furs ne day to get money to go on the
way | wa going. An | was caught, and
the Judge he wouldn't give me another
chance. no more would me employer. But
they sent me to Jail, and | was there for
two years. it nearly drove me ~crazy-and
the bars Of the cell last night brought
it all back, and
He had TO stop. for his breath was
gagged.
Il came back to New York. your honor.
| knew people here. and the town looked
good to me. even when the people in my
block either would have nothing to do
with me or called me "Furs McGinnis.'
But / got odd ! bs and went on. and by
and by the people began to forget the
old mark against me. Judge. | lived
straight as Il string as the sergeant has
told. But. judge. YOUR honor, il the pco-
pie forget. ! didn't, and ] was never
much of a nan after getting out of the
prison. Fl + long time / had no friends
at all. for | swOre | would not drink
again: and ] could not join the clubs and
political associations, for | was not a cit
izen any more. SO / lived around the
E5dging houses for a good many years.
and then l found a boarding house. That
was when | got me steady job as team
ster with Mister Beekman-"
Here the magistrate interrupted: II
see the Hon. Mr. Reekman i'm the court
room. Danny how did We find McGinnis,
as a teamster?"
HE was all right. but / want to say
your honor, now that i have the chance,
McGinnis was not It'd by me to register
an as soon as | heard Of what he was up
to ] fired him on the spot"
"Oh, We did. did We. Danny? Politician
all over. aren't We? Have a sinse of duty.
too, | misdOubt. All right, Danny-go on
McGinnis-"
We'll in the boarding house II met
r"lia Shaw-that's now Mrs. McGinnis.