The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-07-26

ana Into INC UdCh ToOm. uch-
tlemen, there was the sound Of
voices in the front room, and"
And you listened, believe,
Mrs. Cluppins?" said SERGEANT
Buzfuz.
Begin your pardon. SIR" re-
piled Mrs. Cluppins, In a males
tic manner. 81 would scorn the
haction. The voices was very
loud, sir, and forced themselves
upon my ear"
We'll, Mrs. Cluppins, you were
not listening, but you heard the
voices. Was one Of those voices
Piokwick 81"
Eyes, 1t were, SIR"
And Mrs. Cluppins, after dis
tinctly stating that Mr.. Pickwick
addressed himself to Mrs. Bardell,
repeated, by slow degrees. and by
dint of many questions, the con-
versation with which our readers
are already acquainted.
The jury looked suspicious. and
Mr.. Serjeant Buzfuz smiled and
sat down. They looked positively
awful when Serjeant Snubbin in
timated that he should not cross
examine the witness, for Mr.
Pickwick wished 1t to be distinct
ly stated that it was due to her to
say that the account was in sub
stance correct.
Nathaniel Winkle!" said Mr..
Skimpin.
Mr.. Wrinkle entered the witness
box, and having been duly sworn,
bowed to the Judge with consider
able Difference.
Don't look at me, sir" said the
Judge, sharply, in acknowledge
ment of the salute; look at the
jury"
Mr.. Wrinkle observed the man
date, and looked at the place
where he thought IT. most prob
able the jury might be; for see
ing anything in his then state OF
intellectual complication was
wholly out of the question.
Nov, Mr.. Winkle," said Mr..
Skimpin, attend to me. il you
please. sir. I believe you are a
particular friend of Pickwick, the
defendant, are you not?"
T have known Mr.. Pickwick
now, as we'll as I recolect at this
moment, nearly"
"Pray, Mr.. Wrinkle, do not evade
the question. Are you, or are you
not, a particular friend of the de-
fendant's?"
81 was just about to say, that"
will you, or will you not, an
swer my question, sir?"
eff you don't answer the ques-
ton you'll be committed. SIR" in
terposed the little judge. looking
over his notebook.
Come, SIR" said Mr.. Skimpin,
yes or no, II you please"
Yes, am" replied Mr.. Wrinkle.
Eyes, you are. And why
couldn't you say that at once, sir?
Perhaps you know the plaintiff,
too? Eth, Mr.. Winkle?"
I don't know her; I've seen
her."
ooh, you don't know her, but
you've seen her? Now, have the
goodness to tell the gentlemen of
the jury what you mean by that,
Mr.. Wrinkle"
II mean that I am not intimate
with her, but have seen her when
I went to call on Mr.. Pickwick in
Goswell Street"
"How often have you seen her,
SIR"
How often?"
Yes. Mr.. Wrinkle, how often?
I'll repeat the question for you
a dozen times, II you require 1t,
sir" And the learned gentleman,
with a firm and steady frown,
placed his hands on his hips, and
smiled suspiciously at the jury.
On this question there arose the
edifying brow-beating. customary
on such points. First OF all, Mr..
Wrinkle said II was quite impossible
flor him to say how many times he
had seen Mrs. Bardell. Then he
was asked II he had seen her
twenty times, to which he replied
"Certainly-more than that"
Then he was asked whether he
hadn't seen her a hundred times
whether he couldn't swear that he
had seen her more than fifty times
whether he didn't know he had
seen her at least seventy-five times
and so forth: the satisfactory
conclusion which was arrived at
at last, being, that he had better
mind what he was about. The
witness having been by these
means reduced to the REQUESTS
ebb of nervous perplexity, the ex
amina ton was continued as fol
lows:
pray, Mr.. Wrinkle. do you 70
mamher calling on the defendant