Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-02-26
The Daily Story
sINcsoNG PETE-BY CLARISSA MACKIE.
copyrirhten, 1914. by Associated Literary Bureau.

tween her and Edgar that they g..
remain friends. She did not. tbersfs..
hesitate to ask him whether she vara,
better remain for awhile indepenas..
or enter upon a partnership at opcs
Edgar looked at her stupIdlv a.
awhile before replying. She was shos.
to turn away from him disappos,s.s
when he said:
Before tying yourself professior.a.
with any lawyer meet him in cour, I.
his opponent
There was something far dovr :.
the bottom of this advice that anp..,
ed to her. though she could not exse-,.
explain what it was. since she d,dr,.
exactly see how such a situation cous
be brought about. Edgar. who ~.
connected with a corporation havsa.
considerable law business, said 4
would watch for an opportunitys /,
was not long after this that his eom.
pany proceeded by law agaipss
man for a debt. The defendant,
counsel being Mr.. Underwood. Fav.-
Marston secured the appointment J,
his former fiancee as counsel for tbs
company.
Mr.. Underwood was a lawyer-not
jurist, but a practical court layyer-
from the crown of his head to the sols,
of his feet. Miss Spingler opened the
case by stating the company's claim
against the defendant. showing con.
clusiyely wherein he had acted with IN.
tent to defraud and how he had laid
himself criminally liable. She had SIND.
led the law in the case carefully and
made an excellent presentment OF both
the law and the case. There was m
doubt but that the defendant would
be worsted unless his counsel could
either throw dust in the eyes Of tie
jury or work upon its sympathies.
When he arose to speak he referred
admiringly - somewhat patronizingly.
Julia theught-to his young oppo-
nent,'' as he called her. and to the In.
genuity she had displayed in making
the law appear to be on the side Of the
company, while he was prepared 10
show that it was all on the side of his
client He would also show that the
facts in the case favored the defend
ant. As he warmed up he began to
whirl both the law and the facts over
the heads OF the jury. at the same time
appealing to the prejudlces Of the
twelve men in what he called an oe-
topus corporation sucking the blood
out of an innocent man whom 1t had
purposely ruined for the sake Of suck
ing the little business he possessed
into its capacious nav.
Miss Spingier. who had considered
Mr.. Underwood to be full of the dig
nifty Of the law, was appalled, at what
she considered an attack on plain Jus
tice. MFR. Underwood. who had won
success by such handling of his cases
and had fought his male opponents
with far more defiling weapons. break
ing bottle Of wine with them after
the trial. was oblivious to the fact that
his opposing counsel considered his
stal sments untrue, that he knew they
wer, untrue and, moreover, that be
was ,rsonally attacking her from the
openil to the close of his speech.
The next matter that occupied the
court was the examination OF VII
nesses. Miss Spingler's indignation at
the treatment she had received was 50
great that she could barely settle her
self to the work of drawing cut the
facts. While she was doing so ner
opponent further antagonized ner py
apparently paying no attention to heF.
When she had finished Mr.. UNDERWOOD
in cross examination destroyed every
point she had made. proved her VII
nesses perjurers and turned all ner
efforts to ridicule. His summing up
was rather an attack on corporations
than a statement of his side OF the
case. The jury acquitted MS chehs
without leaving their seats.
"Come, dear" said the defendants
counsel after all was over and tnes
were gathering Iawbooks and putting
them in green bags; lets go to lunch
To his surprise. Miss Spingler sweep
out OF the courtroom without repiylhs
TO his invitation or otherwise netleins
him. Then for the first time II oe'
cured to him that woman mignt nvs
be constructed to stand the browpeaa
ing he had been accustomed to VS..
IN his male opponents. He ioohea
after her with a troubled expression
md wondered how he could nave Dec"
TO stupid. He must call in the even
ng and undo the damage he had done.
But before leaving his once thas
afternoon he received note from nls
iancee stating that. whereas she nau
considered him jurist and found ni'h
L pettifogger. she felt constraiheo "
break her engagement.
The subsequent career for year
,fiss Spingler was one OF indeclsion
What other women may be lifted iof'
he was not adapted by nature TOT
awyer We gradually fell oack in'v
reliance on plain matter OF iass
Edgar Marston. 1t never occurreu ~
er that in the only advice Ne In.
iven her he had hoped 10 snow ns
he true situation in her own indivioua.
ase. She snally married hin. an'
fter the birth OF her first cniid' =,
tead of concerning herself WIN ~
neshes Of the law. she gave herseI w
, the best treatment Of babies duf"s
ne tooth cutting period.