Evening star., 1914-02-10
THE EVENING STORY.
The Case of Katie Reed.
BY M. j. REYNOLDS.


1t was Miss Leighton who went to
). court with Katie Reed that last day to
hear the decision. Miss Anne Leighton
of the Plum Hill Settlement had been
instrumental in bringing the damage suit
for the Reed girl against the Cramer
Company in the first place. Then she
had been called to the Pacific coast to
spend tile winter with an invalid sister,
and had only Just returned But she had
Kept track Of the ease in all its bearings
and was more excited than Katie herself
when she accompanied her To court that
morning Katie Reed knew only that she
had had hand .t "f. and that the
), judge would sa: Aot day whether she
was 10 have nae4t e. ike on, or was to
be given nothing slad become an object
OF charity. Miss I-eisnton SAW this, and
in addition she saw Il long procession
ot men. women and children. dependent
OIL their two hands TO make Il living.
minus an arm. = hand OF finger left
under the knife blade of some machine,
and all affected ny this decision.
Anne was aStonished TO see Robert
at the table around which the lawyers
clustered as thick as bees, inside the
rallied space i'll the center of the court
room lie nat met Ner at IHe tram ldle
the night before. and they had had an
shouf together. But there had been too
much to talk OF tor either to inquire
the others plans for the next day. and
-tliey had separated merely with an ap-
pointment for this evening.
Robert dalstyue was also surprised
40 see his iiaucee, as She came in with the
1ittle Reed girl; and told her as much
In tn" glance which he permitted
himself across the courtroom Neither
knew what the other was there for: but
Anne dweIt stdmirnsIy for a moment on
his clean, handsome high-bred face
which already. though he was so young,
contained that look of power which pre-
sstsed 4 coming ruler OF men
Although she wutiid have married him
igithin a few months after she became
engaged TO him. still Anne was proud Of
Ethe fact that he had held steadfastly to
sthe determination not to marry until his
tincome was what he considered reason
lably commensurate with hers
I .tu these things ran through her mind
In the moment or TWO before she fixed her
sat1ention on the court proceedings. She
was proud of Robert. She regarded him
as 4 splendid example OF the highest
-Amercan type. and she was slad that it
WAS Anne looked about her with a
slit,le curiosity She had neser been in
SInis home of tht, higher tribunal before
ialthough her seif-;mrosed duties had
fakrn her into various lower courts She
1te walls, stately Greek goddesses SYM
FbolizJng justice and the reign OF law. She
f1ctei the softened light that fell through
fhe richly stained windows, the huShed
atmosphere OF respect that seemed to
6erv.de the place; the names of great
Eurisfs inscribed on the windows OF the
fdoTne-MarsnaN. Legare and others; the
ornatcly carved screen of rare wood that
rose behind hte judges bench. and seated
before II those hve men in black robes,
silver haired, some of them; grave. al
most solemn. all Of them. as beftted the
judges of a nigh tribunal of great state
Il was impressive. almost too impressive.
Anne felt like very small atom brought
in contact with vast machine. a mighty.
organized system set in operation by a
sovereign people for its own protection
and defense. She got q new sense of the
power and InmenSity OF civilization.
She forgot these things as the judge
began to read his decision. The lower
court had awarded Kate Reed 5000
damages for the loss of her right hand.
The accident had been directly due 10
which required a guard upon the particu-
lar machine which the girl tended, and
her livelihood was dependent upon her
earnings The statute had been secured,
after great exertions. by a combination
of settlement workers and trade union
lists, and this was the first case which
had come to trial under il. The company
had appealed the case and now the high
history of the matter in technical Ian
guage. Anne bent every faculty to catch
the full significance of the learned judges
remarks.
He admitted the direct violation of the
statute by the employer. But. he claimed,
the girls constitutional freedom of con-
tract was affected by the law He quoted
the constitutions of the state and the
United States to show that the property
rights of citizens Wee protected by the
fundamental law of the land. The right
to labor was property right. he said.
and any statute depriving the laborer of
that God-given right was in direct viola
ton OF the quoted articles of the state
and federal constitutions. The freedom of
contract was a right gained by labor
through long and painful processes in the
lays since all labor was slave or serf; a
sacred right. not TO be lightly meddled
itn by statute
The constitutional freedom of con-
raet Of the girl llftie Reed gave her