Year: 1869

L REGRET to say that my story is of the
shop, shoppyl / use the word regret ad-
visedly, weighed down by the melancholy
reflection that somehow or other, when
ever / am called upon to make myself
agreeable and entertaining, always fly to
professional sources for inspiration. The
only excuse l can offer upon the present
OCCASION is that this particular railway,
conveying me as it does round circuit
twice a year, awakens many remini-
scensces. one of which, connected with
the Spring assizes at Reading some years
ago, comes back forcibly to my mind


1t was in the earlier days of my Bar ca
reer, and briefs were far from being as
plentiful IS blackberries in autumn-in
fact, | had begun seriously to contem-
plate pawning my wig and gown, and
emigrating with the proceeds to British
Columbia, or some equally distant and
desolate locality. Fortunately for me and
society generally, which sooner or later
must recognize my distinguished merits
by placing me on the woolsack, aban-
doned the idea of British Columbia, and
went to Reading. A beneficent fate re.
warded me for my courage in the shape oi
big brief with a small fee, to defend two
men for conspiring 10 cheat a young gen
tleman, with more money than brains, by
gambling with him and using loaded dice
1t was case that bad excited good deal
of interest in the neighborhood, partly
from the very remarkable way in which
the cheat had been discovered by a
stranger who happened to be in the room
where the play was going on, and who
suspectlng that all was not right, bad with
large carviDg-fOrk pinned the hand OF
one OF the cOnspirators to the table. Tn.
derneath it, sure enough, were found the
loaded dice, which he had manipulated
up and down his sleeve so skillfullv tia,
the verdant youth found himself some
five huRd red pounds to the bad. As
counsel for the defendants the aspect o
the case was far from inviting, and, as the
very beery solicitor who instructed ne
observed, 1t looked uncommon fishy"


In that remark l entirely concurred, AM
folded up the papers with hopeless sigh
cursing the ill-luck that always brough
me the deadest cases. In the present in
stance there was little for me to do bu
to sit by and hold my tongue-a process
by the way, anything but satisfactory t.
one fond Of hearing the sound of his owl
voice. Apart from professional regrets,


could not help feeling that this preciou
pair of rascals thoroughly deserved al
they were likely to get, and the longe
they were shut up the better for the com
munity at large.


The trial came on in due course, and tn
two prisoners were placed at the bar. A
looked at them / was much struck b.
their gentlemanly appearance and dress
out then / remembered that all that wa
part CT the stock-in-trade of persons @
their class. and turning to my brief pre-
pared to do battle. As this is but sub
sidiary portion of my story 1t is needles
for me to linger over the details of tn
trial They say that luck, ate ofte
follows on the footsteps of rog leg, and i
this instance, by some unpardonable care
lessness on the part of the constable, tn


oaded dice which had been found unde
the hand of one of the prisoners were nc
Forthcoming, and after q great deal {