Year: 1877

carriages. Many of the photographs
were clear and good. but still the sub
tie finish was wanting. Dan could not
realize his dream.


Finally his mother begged him to
stop his amusement, as she called it,
and go to a store, or some business
where he might support himself.


Dan shook his head.


Cant mother"


''But, Dan, ! can't afford to give
much more money for the acids YOU
want"


"Ah," said Dan. He shook his head
once more, and looked very detected.
He was at his wits end. He believed
he was on the verge of an important
discovery. He only wanted a little
more time and little more money.
Where should the money come from


This was trying question. He could
not imagine that any one would ever
lend him enough cash to carry out his
projects, and he did not seem TO think
of any way TO earn a sufficient sum- He
went up to his eden" and sat down in
the midst Of his bottles and rubbish,
feeling uncommonly blue. There was
his camera upon its three long legs,
with its black muller drawn carefully
over it, and with its brass nose pointed
out into the cold air.


The boys thoughts pointed the same
way. He must 90 out into the cold
and find something to do, or some day
he might have to stay out in the cold.
He descended into the street and wan
dered about the town, moody and dis
tressed.


About this time trial was in pro-
gress at the Court. A man was charged
with passing a forged check at the
bank. The teller who paid the money
fully identified the prisoner, described
his movements, and related what was
said between them at the time with the
greatest minuteness.


On the other hand. the accused in
dignantly denied the charge, and pro-
tested that he was not in or near the
bank at the time alleged, but in the Of
| flee of friend on b street. He remem-
bered his whereabouts, for his arrest
was not so long after the presentation
of the check, but that all his move
ments on that day remained distinctly
in his mind. From the first he had
continued to assert his innocence, and
declared the teller had mistaken him
for some other man.


Unfortunately for him, he was obliged
to admit that he was alone in his friend 5
office at the hour in question, and he
failed to produce any witness beside
himself to prove definitely where he
was, though he had made every effort
TO do so. 1t was question of veracity.
man against man, but the clear and
very positive statement of the teller
against the accused, and the possibility
of some motive presumed to exist in
the mans financial circumstances had
decided the direction, considering the
interest at stake, to hold him to answer
at the next session of the Court. And
now the day for his trial had come.


Everybody was extremely interested
in his trial, for the prisoner was well
known in the town, and had always
been supposed to be honest. The anX-
iety was intense to know whether he
would really be proved a criminal.


The case seemed to be going against
the accused, for one or two other peO-
pie had been summoned, who testified
that ''to the best of their knowledge
and belief" they had seen this man in
or about the bank at O'Clock on the
day when the check was passed.
The prisoner sat in the courtroom,
pale, but with a certain fearless firm
ness on his features that scarcely seemed
like guilt.


All the known evidence was in, and
to the last, save the statements of few
friends as to his previous good charac-
ter. nothing in his behalf beyond his
own unsupported word had been
brought forward.


The prosecuting attorney rose and
formally recounted the strong points
in the case, dwelling especially on the
failure of the prisoner to prove an alibi
lie. TO show to the satisfaction of the
Court that he was elsewhere than at
the bank at the moment of the crime
when suddenly to the astOnishment OF
all present, a queer voice from distant
part of the room exclaimed:


"But | can tell where he was"
Everybody turned to look at the
speaker. who was none other than our
friend Dan. He stood with his mouth
wide open, clutching his cap with one
hand. and with the other nervously
poking his tousled hair. Everybody
laughed.


ssSilence,'' roared the crier, in a
fierce tone: and then, assuming that
the boy intended to make sport, he
ordered him to sit down.


"No.'' drawled Dan, 81 guess
won't"


OF course that set the crowd into a
| sill LOUDER VI


crier made an attempt to get at the
boy.


aStop,'' cried the Judge, in a voice
that was heard in all parts of the room


As soon as silence was obtained, he
turned towards Dan, who was stlil
standing.


young man, do you know anything
about this case!"


"Yes, SIR" replied Dan, slowly. u
| know


81 don't want to know that yet,
interrupted the Judge. "Come thi'
way.'' The shrewd magistrate khe"
the youngster well enough to sirii'lst
that he would neither care nor dare t'
be fooling at such time.


Dan. all stained and spotted, pickeo
his way out of the crowd and walked
forward to the bench. A curious spec
tacle he was, with his uneouth Iorh
1 IN pl